How can I be sure that any of this stuff will work? How can I make sure my company does this right? What am I supposed to know if I want to engage with this? and What is my role in this work? Description The definitive comprehensive and foundational text for critically analyzing and applying actionable DEI techniques and strategies, written by one of LinkedIn's most popular experts on DEI.

But Lily, our leaders have their hearts in the right place”—it’s their actions and impacts that matter more. When I first read this article, it felt like the floor had fallen from under me. I offered diversity training—and had up until that point been a big advocate for making them mandatory. I was similarly an advocate for mandating job tests, grievance systems, scrubbing identifying information from resumes, and other DEI interventions that seemed uncontroversial and widely popular “best practices.” Women of color deserve truly equitable workplaces where our success and well-being is centered. Lily Zheng’s DEI Deconstructedis a compelling must-read for leaders who want to stay accountable, make change, and create better workplaces for us all.” Even when designed with all of these concerns in mind, DEI surveys have fundamental weaknesses: a single survey only measures reality at one point in time and cannot be used to prove causation, that one action causes another. Even if two outcomes appear to be linked—for example, a department with more diversity has greater productivity than a department with less diversity—there can be any number of other explanations for the correlation and substantial risk associated with hastily concluding that adding diversity to another department will thus increase its productivity.Lily is a thought-leading voice on LinkedIn and I was hoping they would have more intriguing and creative ideas on how best to push for and reward DEI initiatives. For example, they broach the topic of compensating ERG leaders for their work but fall short of actually imploring businesses to think of the double burden of ERG leadership and provide monetary compensation to said burden-holders. Sure, we want equity and equal pay, but if we don’t think bigger than this, how will we ever really push the envelope beyond the demands listed in Dolly’s “9 to 5”? Move too slowly? You’ll be facing the right direction, but an onlooker will still see you going the wrong way. You’ll be earnestly, vigorously, and even haughtily moonwalking toward inequity. Each time I retell this story, I get the same eager questions. Was there a happy ending? Did companies finally recognize the value of diversity, equity, and inclusion work and enable the many experts, practitioners, educators, and consultants to work their magic? Did a new cohort of companies triumphantly emerge from 2020, having turned over a new leaf, as a new vanguard of the diverse, equitable, and inclusion organizations of the future? It’s one thing to say that, as a collective, the DEI industry doesn’t have a handle on how to ensure effectiveness and quality control as a standard. That’s not a problem on its own—many emerging industries and fields experience similar challenges. The problem is that if you look up “DEI” or “diversity equity and inclusion” on any internet search, that’s the last impression you would get of what you’d find.

But to inspire everyone to take action Zheng says it is important we frame DEI initiatives are framed in the right way. Diversity, equity, and inclusion, however, are undeniably in vogue. More companies than ever have turned to the industry, asking for professional help. More new and aspiring practitioners have jumped into the industry seeking experience, knowledge, or even just a piece of the very lucrative pie. Yet, despite this scramble, I’ve noticed an increasing undercurrent of concern coming from the people whose job it is to lead or even just exist in the workplaces DEI practitioners sell to and opine on. So then I told him, ‘intent isn’t impact,’ and it totally blew his mind! I bet he had never thought before that the effort he was putting in trying to do the right thing might be causing harm.” The DEI practitioner grinned as she shared the story with me, and I nodded along. I had heard and told some version of this story many times, but there was always a nagging question following it. So I asked it. Chapter 3: To What End? will help you understand the evolution of DEI as an industry and how the goalposts of this work leading up to the present day have shifted over time. You’ll learn how DEI became what it is today, the origin of modern-day staples like the business case for diversity, and how accountability, the holy grail of DEI work, has remained conspicuously watered-down, weakened, or absent over time. You’ll learn just what it takes to stop history from repeating itself and the challenges that practitioners at the forefront of this work are laboring to solve. I couldn’t care less what identities these people have. It doesn’t matter if they have privileges. It doesn’t matter if they have marginalizations. All I care about is that they do their jobs, eliminate inequities, and make things right within the environments they hold responsibility for. … individuals must be stewards of the system within the environments they hold responsibility in [and answer the question] “Am I fulfilling my responsibilities to eliminate harm and make my environment diverse, equitable, and inclusive?”

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While the exact dimensions of identity and social status affected by discrimination and inequity differ across the world, discrimination in the workplace is a global phenomenon.

criteria-based membership community for chief diversity officers and senior-level DEI leaders at large Summary: The values in your mission statement are meaningless if your commitment to DEI is only surface level. Wilkins’ book explores how your team can rebuild its culture and create a sense of inclusion for employees. The book also explores how some of the most rewarded business behaviors (the author cites the focus on speed, excellence and obsession with customers) make it impossible to create belonging. His demeanor shifted. Well, ah—I’m not sure we have the budget for . . . it’s not exactly in the, ah, scope of what I was planning to talk to you about today. I’m sure, I’m sure I could connect you to a colleague of mine that might be interested in talking about other ways to partner afterward. For now, let’s focus on this talk. Does the offer work for you? Given the recent waves of criticism against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives in the public sphere, what does the future hold for DEI in the workplace?The definitive comprehensive and foundational text for critically analyzing and applying actionable DEI techniques and strategies, written by one of LinkedIn's most popular experts on DEI. You are someone who wants to do DEI right. Maybe you’re a full-time practitioner looking for a solid companion guide to inform the messy work you do as part of your day-to-day. Maybe you’re an internal employee advocate or volunteer looking to beef up your passion and interest in this topic with a crash course of know-how and actionable advice. Maybe you’re a mid-level manager or leader who wants a more comprehensive understanding of what DEI looks like as a real organizational commitment in action rather than a collection of inspirational speeches. Maybe you’re an HR leader, chief diversity officer, or another executive tasked to lead on DEI and want to know what that actually means. Despite my best efforts, I bet you’ll find something wrong in this book. Perhaps I’ll have a perspective that ages poorly, that ends up in the context of when you read this to be a bad take. More likely than not, I’ll overlook something important. An idea of mine might not be fully inclusive for every marginalized social group, or I’ve decided to use language that history decides isn’t right. When (and not if) this happens, I invite you to be critical and extend grace and understanding that this work is messy, ever-changing, and imperfect. Proceed thoughtfully with that in mind—and when you can, use my mistakes to expand and build upon your nuanced understanding of this work. That’s how we grow. A Brief Note about Language Summary: This book shows how to approach difficult conversations on topics that are often considered taboo in the workplace — that includes discussions of race, religion and politics. The goal is to help you face and undermine stereotypes.