Dr. Shirley Davis - Diversity, Equity & Inclusion For Dummies

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Welcome to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion For Dummies . As I write this, the timing for this book couldn’t be more perfect given the predictions about the workplace of the future. I can’t tell you what an honor is to write the first-ever book of this type in this series. I’m Dr. Shirley Davis, and I’ve spent over 30 years in Human Resources and as a Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, a corporate executive, and now a global workforce consultant. I believe that all my experiences (both professional and personal) have prepared me to contribute this body of work.

Since the 2010s, the global workforce, marketplace, and communities have undergone significant demographic shifts, making workplaces more diverse than ever before. And research reveals that this trend will continue. Diversity, equity, and inclusion have taken a front seat for organizations seeking to capitalize on new talent — more women, greater ethnicity, five generations, and different abilities, backgrounds, experiences, thinking styles, beliefs, and ways of working — and build world-class cultures. They recognize that in order to attract, engage, and retain top talent and new customers, clients, and members, they must have strong leaders who can work effectively across differences, and they must foster a work environment where all talent enjoys a sense of belonging and inclusion and has an equal opportunity to succeed.

Most organizations aren’t there yet, though, and most leaders still aren’t comfortable or knowledgeable about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Transforming a rigid, hierarchical, and homogeneous culture to a world-class one can take years. The same goes for developing inclusive, first-rate leaders. But you can get there with intentionality and a commitment of time, effort, and resources. And trust me; this new generation of top talent is demanding it.

So leaders at all levels (from the boardroom to the C-suite to the mid-level supervisor) have a unique opportunity right now to embrace these new realities. You can begin by first developing the skills, competencies, and behaviors needed to lead effectively across differences. Then you can start implementing the proven strategies that position your organization to be an employer of choice and a great place to work and do business.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work can’t be a nice thing to do or a check-the-box exercise that provides a temporary fix until the cameras go away and the noise is quieted. True and sustainable culture transformation requires bold, innovative, and courageous leadership, long-term commitment, and accountability.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion For Dummies is the one-stop resource guide you need to get a comprehensive understanding of what this work is all about, how it contributes to the organization’s success, what your role is as a leader, and how to implement DEI in every area of your organization. In this book, I explain everything from the common terminology to the continued evolution of DEI to how the demographics continue to change, plus strategies for tasks like the following:

Sourcing and recruiting diverse talent and growing the skills to lead a diverse workforce

Assessing your organization’s current culture and cultivating and sustaining one of inclusion, equity, and belonging

Making the business case for DEI and addressing the obstacles to DEI

Aligning DEI with your strategic priorities and creating a DEI strategic plan

Measuring the success of your DEI efforts

Launching DEI councils and employee resource groups

In this book, I share from my 30-plus years of experiences, proven strategies, and results achieved as a human resources veteran and a former chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer for several large global organizations. I also share from a personal perspective as someone who personally experienced being marginalized, oppressed, discriminated against, overlooked, and undervalued in my rise to the C-suite. And what I’ve come to realize is that my stories are still the reality for so many workers today who report that they’re experiencing these same things in their workplaces and from their leaders.

I also understand the value of building a diverse team and capitalizing on the different perspectives, experiences, and talents of that team (to which I dedicate Chapter 11). So I modeled this mindset and sought out three other DEI thought leaders, researchers, and educators to contribute to this body of work so that it offers even broader and more comprehensive tips, strategies, and proven practices.

One person, whom I’ve known and worked with in DEI and implicit bias for ten years, brings a unique perspective as a young, white, gay, male educator and consultant who grew up all over the world as the child of a military family. Another contributor identifies as an African American, cisgender, heterosexual, Christian. She holds a PhD and is a college professor and practitioner of leadership development, DEI, and HR, and she came highly recommended through my network. And so did my third contributor, a 70-year-old, white, Jewish, LGBTQ woman from the Bronx in New York. And because of this diverse team of contributors, the final product is much better.

This book contains answers to the many questions that leaders ask and the plethora of concerns and misnomers that exist, and it demystifies DEI to make it practical, understandable, and implementable. It speaks directly to middle managers and leaders at the top who may not have the title of chief diversity and inclusion officer but do have the responsibility to lead diverse teams; recruit, hire, and develop diverse talent; serve diverse customers; and foster a welcoming, inclusive, and high-performing workplace culture. In other words, all leaders at all levels can benefit from this book.

What this book isn’t: It isn’t meant to represent the views, experiences, and practices of all DEI thought leaders around the world. That’s the point of this book and the beauty of this work. Everyone brings different lenses, models, frames of reference, and unique experiences that inform their decisions. This book is also not designed to be a prescription for implementing the strategies and tips in the same way. Every organization is at (and in) a different place, working at a different pace, and has varying degrees of resources, complexities, and levels of commitment. Therefore, this book isn’t a one-size-fits-all reference guide. Use to find information, ideas, and guidance for where you are and to help you get to where you want to go on your DEI journey. This book is only one source; I refer to many others throughout the book that can supplement your development.

I also want to quickly point out a few things that may help you better navigate and use this book:

Whenever I introduce a new important term in a chapter, I place it in italics and follow with a quick definition or explanation.

Keywords and action steps in lists appear in bold.

Sidebars (look for the gray shaded boxes) feature content that is interesting and informative but not essential to your understanding of a topic. If you’re wanting to get in and out quickly, you can safely skip them.