If you're not sure where to start with creating a DEI business case, then answer these five (5) questions as pre-work to creating a data-driven rationale for your DEI strategy.
1. What are your current business needs? Some might also ask, what worries you the most about the future of your business (take this approach if you do not have a current strategic plan).
2. What value/benefits do want to realize with your existing DEI strategy, programs and initiatives? If you do not have an existing DEI strategy or program, how do you envision value for DEI at your organization?
3. How can you connect the value/benefits you want to realize from DEI to your current business needs?
4. Where is your org currently on the DEI Maturity Model and where do you want to go next?
5. Considering how you can integrate DEI value with your current business needs, what measurable actions will you need to take to move the needle on your DEI maturity?
As a DEI Analytics & Reporting professional, I’ve relied on answers to the above five (5) questions to establish the roadmap for identifying the right mix of qualitative and quantitative data to create content for a data story that justifies a DEI business case. Through a combination of HR, finance and other workforce data along with observation, policy, survey and other relevant data, the story easily unfolds and establishes the guideposts for the DEI business case that ultimately forms the DEI strategy. More importantly, the DEI data story starts with a baseline for your DEI goals along with clearly defined metrics to track progress over time toward success. Therefore, lead with data and leverage the analytics to validate an integrated DEI business case, confirm your DEI maturity, and understand the value from intended outcomes, all of which will help guide your path forward for a clear path toward a data-driven, rational and measurable DEI journey.
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