The evolution of the marketplace dictates a similar change in the organization’s leadership as executives ask themselves, “Is our organization diversified enough?”. More specifically, they want to know if they have enough diversity in leadership roles. Note that having diversity in leadership doesn’t just mean hiring a diversity manager to check off the box and call it a day. While this type of role is essential, developing diversity leadership is highly valued across the board. Regardless of whether the role responsibilities are directly related to improvement and development. Thus, organizations adopting a holistic approach to developing diversity leadership effectively contribute to enhancing innovation and creativity to drive growth and prosperity. This is why driving diversity is critical to future success.
Essential steps to developing diversity leadership
The first step: having a clear picture of the diversity risks and opportunities available
The first step in developing diversity leadership is to collect diversity data highlighting bias across the employee life cycle that leaders may need to be aware of. Data sources include employee analytics and surveys and qualitative feedback from focus groups from customers, suppliers, or employees. Thus, having a clear picture of the diversity risks and opportunities available in the organization. Diversity leaders are better positioned to develop a compelling business case for engaging everyone in the cultural change effort.
Step Two: Build an intense feasibility study that is relevant to the organizational goals
When leaders can link diversity to business outcomes, they are motivated to drive diversity initiatives. And their commitment and efforts are authentic, meaningful, and sustainable.
Step Three: Foster a data-driven sense of need
By fostering a data-driven sense of need, humanizing this data from surveys. And focus groups can engage leaders in change efforts. Furthermore, unspecified real-life stories and anonymous quotes engage the emotional rather than the rational mind, promoting empathy and enhancing motivation and commitment to change.
The fourth step: Using the intention-perception communication model in leadership training
Leaders can also be traumatized when they learn that subordinates view their commitment to diversity. As insincere or that their leadership style contributes to lower levels of psychological well-being. The intention-perception communication model is used in leadership training to help leaders improve their effectiveness by looking at the gap between what they want to communicate and achieve and what employees perceive and experience.
Step Five: Transfer knowledge and skills to promote diversity through comprehensive leadership training
Once leaders understand the need for diversity in the organization and are motivated. The next step is to impart the knowledge and skills needed to promote diversity through comprehensive leadership training. As part of extensive leadership training, leaders should be encouraged to reflect on the true diversity of the organization and diversity statements, identify the challenges and opportunities facing their area of work and develop an action plan to address those challenges by identifying the specific diversity leadership behaviors presented during the workshop that they can practice once others in the work environment.
Step Six: Embed behavioral change and lead accountability through learning
L&D outcomes on diversity are improved when employers invest in embedding behavioral change and driving accountability through action learning. Action learning brings learning to life, develops capabilities, and integrates behavioral change by applying workshop lessons to think about the impact of actions taken to enhance learning and solve real-life problems.
Step Seven: Learn from the experiences and knowledge of others
The wisdom and experience of peers can be as valuable as traditional learning strategies. Note that ways to benefit from the knowledge and expertise of peers can include the principles and methods of individual executive coaching and applying them to small groups of leaders. As a result, each leader will leave feedback, advice, and action ideas from their peer group. Leaders gain greater insight and awareness of their impact, learn from the experience and knowledge of others. And provide and receive peer support as they work toward meaningful behavioral change in line with organizational goals.
Step Eight: Measuring the results of investing in diversity leadership development
A formal plan must measure the results of investing in diversity leadership development and what metrics will be adopted. Once goals and a plan are defined, the responsibility for achieving them must be assigned to the individuals who take responsibility through scorecards and other performance management tools. Furthermore, ultimate accountability for diversity should be at the CEO and board level. Although each leader should be ranked based on their overall leadership ability.
The objective of any business is to maintain the organization’s competitive advantage and continuous growth. So, investing in developing diversity leadership for the future is an essential strategy for achieving this mission.
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