inclusion at the table
The Missing Piece

I was working with an organizational client recently on helping them attain their inclusion goals. They wanted to reach success in their inclusion journey but were missing one crucial part of the equation. Can you guess what it is?

Let me give you a hint. How do you know when you’ve been successful? How do organizations measure success? The key is metrics! Data analytics. You cannot track your inclusion journey if you never pay attention to your inclusion metrics. Success is measurable, and so is inclusion. Therefore I encourage each and every organization to start measuring today. 

It doesn’t matter how deeply you desire your organization to be inclusive or how much the people within your organization desire to be inclusive. But, if you don’t track metrics, set goals, and assess your progress, then how would you be able to track how far you’ve come?

Collecting and storing this data is a safe way to cover your organization’s reputation if they were ever to face an issue down the road. 

So what are the metrics you should be tracking?

1. Who are you promoting?

This is maybe the most telling of all metrics. Who gets the opportunity? Take into consideration the demographic differences of those who are rising through the ranks of your organization. Usually, only those who are promoted get to be at the decision-making table. If you are not promoting the right people, they will not have a voice at the table.

2. Who are you inviting to employee resource groups or special projects teams?

Take into consideration who is in charge of appointing or inviting employees to these special groups that head initiatives within your organization. Is your organization presenting these invitations to a diverse group? What demographic is being invited? Those who don’t receive invitations won’t be there, meaning their demographic will not be part of the conversation about any initiatives or changes that affect them. Therefore, it benefits the organization to include more here.

3. Who is accepting invitations to employee resource groups or special projects teams

Beyond just tracking who you invite to the table, you need to assess who feels comfortable enough to accept these invitations. Ask those who decline the offer why they are choosing not to be a part of the group? What is keeping certain people out, and what is attracting people to the group?

4. Who is getting access to special incentives?

Being inclusive means inviting all people to the table, welcoming them to speak up, serve on committees, and be decision-makers. In that case, your organization must also make sure that special pay incentives and bonuses are extended to diverse team members too. Often, these incentives end up going to those who are already at the top tier. Unfortunately, these people tend to be one homogenous group. Evaluate this in your organization.

What next?

Once you have gathered all of this valuable data, you need to review it quarterly and annually and adjust your inclusion plan according to your findings. Work together with HR to maintain the data collection process and determine your goals for the rest of the year. Often, organizations miss this step on their inclusion journey. Lastly, go out and gather your metrics. Get ready to see the real results of all your organization’s inclusive efforts.