Diversity and Inclusion Matters Tactics and Tools to Inspire Equity and Game-Changing Performance

Diversity, equity and inclusion have been a hot topics espe cially in the tech industry.  There has been a significant increase in the number of Chief Diversity Officers. “Between 2017 and 2018,  postings for diversity and inclusion positions had increased by nearly 20%--and that number is growing Many companies are struggling to achieve in their DEI goals and develop successful programs. Thompson addresses one of the major issues because there is no handbook that helps people develop and create an effective DEI program. Most work is currently being done on ROI, what diversity means and defining, it but there are not actual books that help you develop an actual program. Thompson prvovides from diversity officers with a bluepritnt, information and tools to implment a success diversity program.

Thompson's insights can jumpstart and hep mplment a diversity program that can gain immeidate traction. He walks you thorugh the procces of execution, on a weekly and even daily basis. His book shares practical concrete steps about what data to collect, how to most effective analyze and assess that data, choose the right diversity goal given your current resources, and how to measure the impact of your DEI efforts.  He shares practical step by step lessons learned and in what order you should build your program and what things you should be working on.  In 15-18, you can implement a program in which there previously was no raodmap for.

You will learn:

* How to build a successful diversity program with step by step instructions
* How to manage and lead a diversity council
* How to not just develop programs but understand in what order they should be built to insure success
* How to get early buy-n from a CEO, but also long-term commitment, by know when to get push and what to ask for
* How to set appropriate expectations from a DEI program for the CEO and the executive leadership team
* How to understand your company and building a plan and program that is tailored to your company and its culture
* How to set the right DEI goals, collect the right data and measuring your success
* How to know the difference between a program that is failing and one that is taking awhile to get going

Jason R. Thompson is a professor at Western Governors University and has experience in developing or leading diversity programs in higher education, sports, health care and tech. There are few other professionals who can say they have started successful DEI programs in three distinct industries. His work in DEI has been recognized nationally and internationally. Jason’s work was Awarded the number 1 rated initiative of the 13th Annual International Innovation in Diversity Award by the Profiles in Diversity Journal in 2016, the 2015 Diversity Champion Award from the Colorado Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (COSHRM) and he was twice named a Diversity Leader by Profiles in Diversity Journal. Jason has been quoted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, USAToday, FOX News, and CNN.

Preface ix

Foreword xvii

Part One The CAPE Process 1

1. How to Become an Exceptional DE&I Organization 3

Four Shades of Brown 3

The Importance of DE&I Now 5

A Diverse Workforce Will Have Tension 6

DE&I Officers Need a Broad Range of Skills 8

Why DE&I Programs Fail 10

The How: CAPE Foundation for Successful DE&I Programs 12

2. DE&I Fundamentals, CAPE, and Organizational Change 17

Overwhelmed and Needing a Process 17

The Basics of Every DE&I Program 19

3. Data for DE&I 31

Fill the Cup of Others 31

The Illusion and Challenge of Data 33

The Recruitment Data Challenge 37

4. Collect the Data 41

Give a Brown Guy a Chance 41

When to Start Collecting Data 42

What Data to Collect 43

Where to Get the Demographic Data You Need 45

Who Is Being Included in the Data? 48

Respecting Demographic Data 49

5. Analyze the Data 53

Seeing It So Clear Now 53

Using the Data to Know What You Have 54

The How: Analyzing Data to Identify Recruitment Issues 58

The How: Analyzing Data to Identify Retention Issues 59

Assume Competence 62

6. Plan your Program 65

The World’s Park 65

Plan Only after You Analyze the Data 67

Getting Started on Your Plan 68

4-2-50 Program 70

How to Measure ROI in Your DE&I Program 72

The How: CAPE DE&I Plan Template 73

How to Complete the CAPE DE&I Template 74

7. Execute on the Plan 79

Audio Must Match Video 79

E Is for Execute 80

The How: A CAPE Path to Execute 82

Part Two Practical Lessons Learned in DE&I Programs 89

8. DE&I Programs Should Look Like the Company 91

Looking for Four-Leaf Clovers 91

Sports – US Olympic and Paralympic Committee 93

Healthcare 94

Tech – Techstars 96

Education – University of Wyoming, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Western Governors University 98

Organizational Mission Alignment 99

The How: An Organizational Mission-Alignment Exercise 100

9. DE&I Challenges That No One Tells You 105

Whose Mother Are We Talking About? 105

Staff and Budget 107

Responsibility for Things Beyond Your Control 109

Managing Expectations 112

10. When to Get CEO Involvement 115

What Friends Do 115

Setting CEO Expectations 117

When to Involve the CEO 118

Connecting CEO and Leadership Commitment to Diversity 121

How to Get CEO Commitment 123

11. Employee Resource Groups 125

Check Your Bias 125

Employee Resource Groups 127

Define ERG Membership 128

Setting Boundaries for ERGs 130

Establish Communication Guidelines 132

Managing ERG Fundraisers 133

Let ERGs Fail 134

The How: Suggested Rules and Structures for ERGs 135

12. DE&I Committees 143

Focus on the Right Things 143

Why DE&I Committees Fail 145

What Happens When Companies Start with a DE&I Committee 147

Three Simple Rules for a Better DE&I Committee 148

13. Using DE&I Training to Make Organizational Change 153

Trees Just Don’t Happen 153

Diversity Training: Episode versus Series 155

DE&I Training as a Response to an Episode 156

DE&I Training as a Series of Ongoing Trainings 157

CAPE and DE&I Trainings 158

The Two Types of DE&I Trainings 159

Unconscious Bias 159

The ADKAR Model 161

14. Inclusion Practices 167

Don’t Ask Me to Organize the Davids 167

How to Measure Inclusion 169

How the CAPE Inclusion Tracker Works 171

The Fair Pay Solution 174

15. Your Mental Health 177

A Day at the Pool 177

Mental Health for You and Your Colleagues 180

Part Three Things I Wish I Had Known 185

16. Top Challenges for DE&I Professionals 187

Voices Telling You What You Can’t Do 187

The Myth That Diversity Lowers Quality 189

A Hire from an Underrepresented Group Is Not Performing 190

Chain of Command 190

Your Positional Authority 192

Staffing and Budget 193

Diversity Committees 194

Working with Other Departments 195

Efficacy of Résumé Redacting 196

Belonging versus Inclusion 197

Allies 199

Making the Implicit Explicit 199

Bridging the Gap Between Intent and Impact 200

Validating the Experiences of Others 201

17. Jason-isms 203

The Gift of Time 203

The Jason-isms 205

Conclusion 209

Acknowledgments 211

About the Author 213

Index 215