One of the biggest challenges individuals face when they start efforts to improve their organization’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is how to evaluate what impact their efforts are actually having.
One way to address this challenge is to use a DEI framework to guide your efforts. Our DEIx™ Framework is grounded in a data-driven, prioritized, actionable, and sustainable approach to how they integrate DEI into their entire organization.
We use our DEIx™ Framework to partner with our clients and guide them through their DEI journey, by providing clear process rooted in data. Recognizing that each client is at their own phase of their DEI journey, we meet organizations where they’re at in order to best help them get to the next level.
What is the DEIx™ Framework?
Our DEIx™ framework combines evidence-based DEI best practices with UX/EX (employee experience) methodology to help our clients diagnose, build, implement, and assess the impact of their DEI strategy and programming.
DEIx™ is a people-first, data-driven approach that provides clear, data-based guidance to our clients on how to make real, measurable progress toward their DEI goals.
We visualize this framework cyclically (demonstrating how the process never ends) but as composed of four phases, explained below.
Phase 1: DEIx™ Diagnostics
The first step to the DEIx™ process is figuring out where our clients are in their DEI journey, including where they’re doing well and where they are facing challenges. At this time, we learn about the key stakeholders’ long-term DEI vision as well as review or collect any other important data necessary to understand the gap between where they are and where they want to be with DEI at their organization.
One example of a way we collect this data is the DEIx™ Audit to Action. This process addresses the questions of, at an organizational level, what have you done so far? What are your next steps? We work closely with our client’s executive leaders—those most knowledgeable about the distribution of power across people and processes—to determine whether or not they have the right systems in place that result in equitable outcomes for all groups within a workforce.
Another tool we might use at this stage is the Mattingly Inclusion & Belonging Assessment™ (MIBA). The MIBA is a robust data collection process that allows us to hear from people in the organization, from the C-suite via executive interviews to individual employees via the workforce survey of feelings of inclusion and belonging along with targeted focus groups. Data-based and actionable recommendations for improvement are also provided...which leads us to Phase 2 of our DEIx™ Framework.
Phase 2: Organizational Service Design
After we have collected the data and determined our best recommendations, we turn our findings from Phase 1 into ACTION through making a concrete plan on how to drive DEI change.
This phase can involve the DEIx™ strategy design package, for example, which includes a survey to DEI stakeholders involved in this work to provide some insight into what they want to see. Following this survey, we conduct workshops to work through that, build out a plan, including a DEIx™ roadmap to clearly define what the focus is going to be for the next few months. This roadmap includes the main goals and key KPIs needed to measure progress on those goals. If you don’t have a DEI council in place, we will help you create that group prior to going through the strategy design package.
Phase 3: Behavior Change Intervention
One recommended action or component of a new DEI strategy might be improving inclusion at an organization. What does an intervention to improve inclusion look like?
Because inclusion is what you DO, the purpose of any DEI intervention should be to activate inclusive behaviors across your entire workforce—from the C-suite to everyday coworker interactions. Based on the goals outlined in Phase 2, these interventions can look like traditional training or workshops or establishing employee resource groups (ERGs) or even a customizable solution based on an organization’s specific needs.
Phase 4: DEIx™ Program Evaluation
As we mentioned above, the most important part of any DEI work is evaluating whether you’ve done what you said you’re going to do and what you need to do going forward. That is the purpose of Phase 4, where we evaluate the effectiveness of our client’s time with us. In order to understand where they are now. we provide them with a report showing the impact of their journey through the DEIx™ framework.
These phases are cyclical in that DEI is a constant effort. Following evaluation of your efforts, it is important to re-evaluate how your organization is doing to continue the process of creating a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace.
Are you interested in following the DEIx™Framework in your organization? Looking to measure success in pursuit of a long-term DEI strategy? Contact Mattingly Solutions today to learn more.
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