What is a DEI Strategy?
A DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) strategy is a plan of action that an organization puts in place to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within the company. It is designed to help the organization become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive in terms of its workforce, policies, and practices. This can involve a range of activities, such as recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce, implementing policies and practices that promote equity and inclusivity, and providing training and education to employees on DEI-related issues. The goal of a DEI strategy is to create a more inclusive and equitable workplace culture, which can have a positive impact on the organization's performance and bottom line.
What's included in this DEI Strategy Template?
- 3x Focus Areas
- 9x Objectives
- 9x Projects
- 18x KPIs
Who is this DEI Strategy Template for?
This DEI Strategy Template is designed for organizations of all sizes and industries who are looking to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion within their company. It is suitable for businesses, non-profits, government agencies, and other types of organizations that want to create a more inclusive and equitable workplace culture. The template is customizable and can be tailored to the specific needs and goals of each organization, making it a useful tool for any company that is committed to promoting DEI. Whether you are just starting to develop your DEI strategy or are looking to improve upon existing efforts, this template can help you define and track your progress toward your DEI goals.
How is this DEI Strategy Template relevant to your organization?
This DEI Strategy Template is relevant to your organization if you are committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within your company. It can be used to help you develop a plan of action that is tailored to your specific needs and goals, and it can help you track your progress towards creating a more inclusive and equitable workplace culture. Whether you are just starting to implement DEI initiatives or are looking to improve upon existing efforts, this template can be a useful tool to help you move forward in a structured and measurable way. By using this template, you can ensure that your DEI efforts are aligned with your overall business objectives and that you are taking steps to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace for all of your employees.
1. Define clear examples of your focus areas
A focus area is a particular viewpoint that groups certain requirements set out by an organization. A recommendation from the Cascade team would be to create 4-5 key focus area which you feel are most important to address when creating your DEI Strategy. The next step would be to ask yourself: Why is this focus area important to me? What is the benefit of focusing on this viewpoint from a customer's perspective? And, of course, What is the monetary benefit of investing in such a focus area? This process is useful in identifying the key area which needs prioritization which in turn can become focus areas of the strategy.
For example, the focus areas in this DEI Strategy Template are: Recruitment and hiring; Culture and belonging; and Community engagement and philanthropy.
2. Think about the objectives that could fall under that focus area
A strategic objective usually has to be specific and measurable to cause enough impact and effectively explain what you want to achieve.
An example objective that could fall under the focus area of Recruitment and hiring could be: Increase representation of underrepresented groups in leadership roles.
3. Set yourself measurable targets (KPIs) to tackle the objective
A KPI is a key performance indicator that is measurable and evaluates the success rate of an organization in relation to the task at hand. KPIs can be very industry-specific or broad and applicable across multiple industries.
An example of a KPI in this DEI Strategy Template associated to the objective Increase representation of underrepresented groups in leadership roles could be: Increase percentage of leadership roles filled by underrepresented groups by 15%.
4. Implement related projects to achieve the set KPIs
Projects are ways in which the objective can be achieved, but more so, closely tie in with ways in which organizations can make sure they are working towards their KPIs.
A project example for the objective Increase representation of underrepresented groups in leadership roles could be: Implement targeted recruitment efforts and diversity training for hiring managers.
5. Utilize Cascade Strategy Execution Platform to see faster results from your strategy
Make sure your strategy is front and center with Cascade. You can plan, execute, measure and adapt your strategy in one easy-to-use platform and make sure your strategic plan is connected to on-the-ground execution.
Use this DEI Strategy Template and launch your strategy in Cascade; it's $0 forever.