The beginning of a new year presents an opportune time for self-reflection. For leaders of organizations, self-awareness is a necessary step toward improving skills in leading people through the inevitable: changes and transitions. Change leadership is especially important in navigating new challenges in keeping employees engaged and inspired to bring their authentic selves and best work forward.  

Before we dive into actionable solutions, let us first review the current work landscape. Two years into the global pandemic, we continue to witness important shifts in the world of work, the Great Resignation notwithstanding. People in various industries are taking charge of their careers and the conditions in which they perform labor required to keep the economy humming. In service, hospitality and gig industries, employees are exercising their rights in collective bargaining to demand more equitable policies for essential workers. In the technology industry and other “white-collar” sectors, workers are calling out discrepancies in how companies position their DEI brand versus what it’s really like to work within those companies. Note the recent legal challenges faced by Riot Games, Tesla, and Coinbase that seek multi-million dollars in redress. All of these recent examples link to racial and/or gender discrimination, harassment and pay inequities. 

Injustice in the workplace is not new. In fact, it is the reason for the beginnings of the workplace equity movement in the late 1960s, closely paralleling the civil rights movement. More than 50 years later, the struggle continues. The 2021 report “The Cost of Racial Injustice” by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) notes the exorbitant cost of employee turnover due to racial inequity in the workplace: more than $172 billion over the last five years. The report found that one in three Black employees faced unfair treatment at work based on race and ethnicity in the past year. McKinsey’s 2021 “Women in the Workplace” report shows the intersectionality of race and gender in how day-to-day experiences of women of color differ drastically from those of white women in the same organizations. Despite growing commitment for racial equity, women of color in the workplace face “similar types and frequencies of microaggressions as they did two years ago.” 

Like all critical business functions, the challenges and opportunities in addressing DEI rest with top leaders. Making advances in creating an inclusive workplace must be supported by an organizational culture where everyone thrives, especially individuals from marginalized identities. A leader’s commitment to DEI can be reinforced by a deep understanding of one’s own attitudes toward equity, justice and access among people with less power, influence and clout in an organization. 

Researchers in the field of DEI program evaluation have developed valid and reliable assessments to measure cross-cultural competencies and orientation toward social justice. At the WTIA DEI Center of Excellence, we are working to incorporate these measures into leadership and organizational assessment offerings for our partners and clients. Below are sample statements that measure one’s awareness and orientation about racial justice issues. These statements will be part of a DEI COE online survey, where responses are scaled from “Strongly Agree” to “Strongly Disagree.” We hope these statements will spark an interest in uncovering your own orientation and stance toward DEI.

• Historical and present-day racism has led to significant social inequities among Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
• The organization should anchor its work on antiracism principles that address racial disparities in recruitment and retention.
• Beyond focusing on race, the organization should address systemic inequities that affect other marginalized groups.
• In this organization, I’ve observed leaders communicate the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion.
• I am aware of how my own biases impact how I make decisions at work.
• I seek opportunities to understand the lived experiences of members from marginalized backgrounds.
• I speak up about diversity, equity and inclusion at work meetings.
• I often challenge inequitable practices that adversely affect marginalized communities.

The WTIA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Center of Excellence offers a comprehensive suite of services to support your DEI goals, including data benchmarking, micro-learning, training resources, leadership development and executive coaching. Learn more about our offerings here.