Building Block#1 – Tool
The Structure of DEI
One of the challenges with the structure and language of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs is that structure and language is that people often use ideas, terms, and strategies interchangeably. However, all discrimination is not the same.
Both the framework you choose and the language you use are vitally important as you implement and communicate your DEI strategies.
As you devise your DEI strategy, it is important to adopt a structure or model as described in our Building Block #1 GUIDE (Consult the GUIDE for an in-depth discussion of the Camber Outdoors framework).
The Language of DEI
In order to implement your framework, the next step is to gain a clear understanding of the language and vocabulary that will help you inform, evaluate, and develop DEI-related policies, activities, and goals. The Glossary below presents some Key DEI Terms:
Diversity: The various backgrounds and races that comprise a community, nation, or other groupings. In many cases, the term diversity does not just acknowledge the existence of diverse backgrounds, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, etc., but also implies an appreciation of these differences. An individual person can not be “diverse” as diversity is a grouped concept.
Discrimination: The unjust or prejudicial treatment of people based on the grounds of their race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, ability, age, or sex.
Equity: The provision of additional or alternative resources so that all groups can reach comparable, favorable outcomes.
Inclusion: The implementation of internal practices, policies, and processes that shape an organization’s culture in a manner that creates a sense of belonging and involvement.
Bias: Prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.
D&I (DEI, I&D) Council: The primary body responsible for advising the senior corporate leadership on subjects related to Diversity and Inclusion; typically a cross-sectional group comprised of mostly senior leaders in the organization.
Ethnicity: Shared social characteristics such as language, religion, regional background, culture, foods, etc. and is revealed by the traditions one follows, and a person’s native language.
ERG: Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are voluntary, employee-led workplace networks formed around shared identities, special interests, or life experiences, including ethnicity, religious affiliation, gender, or any other defining characteristic. ERGs foster an inclusive workplace, support the professional development of a diverse workforce, and increase business impact.
Implicit Bias: The presence of unconscious negative associations of a race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, ability age or sex, when someone consciously rejects them. Implicit bias may occur even in individuals who reject stereotypes and supports anti-discrimination efforts but also holds negative associations of a race, gender, ethnicity in their mind unconsciously. Research shows that a majority of Americans hold some degree of implicit racial bias.
Intersectionality: The interconnected and overlapping nature of social classifications such as race, and age as they apply to a given individual or group and the related idea that people experience discrimination differently depending on their overlapping identities. For example, the disadvantages that a low-income Black woman may face as a woman are different than the ones she may face as a Black woman, which are different than the ones she may face as a low-income Black Muslim woman.
Nationality: An ethnic group forming a part of one or more political nations; the status of belonging to a particular nation.
Race: Categories assigned to demographic groups based mostly on observed physical characteristics like skin color, hair texture, and eye shape.
Racial Equity: Systems and experiences where a person is no more or no less likely to experience society’s benefits or burdens based on the color of their skin. Racial equity takes into account social outcomes and not just individual successes and failures.
Structural Racism: Structural racism is a feature of social, economic, and political systems in which we all exist and is reflected in our public policies, institutional practices, and other norms. These policies and practices reinforce racial group inequities and allow privileges associated with being white.
Underrepresented: For purposes of the Camber Outdoors Building Block Series, “Underrepresented” is defined as “Blacks, Latinos, Asians, Indigenous, women, LGBTQ+ people, and people with disabilities and veterans.” Note that the broader definition of the term is “a subset of a population that holds a smaller percentage within a significant subgroup than the subset holds in the general population or broader group.” Hence, your company may have “underrepresented groups” in specific functions, e.g., specific minority groups may be particularly underrepresented in the engineering/STEM-based functions.
… And Why They Matter
Why such a focus on selecting a DEI programmatic framework or model? And why the emphasis on language? Both structure and language can have a profound impact on workplace inclusion, equity, and diversity outcomes as shown in the following example:
Camber Outdoors Mini-Case Study Acme, Inc. Manufacturing and the Gender Pay Gap
Challenge
A mid-sized manufacturing company that had been proudly improving in its ability to attract and retain a diverse workforce was increasing its commitment to its DEI program. Energized by a national statistic that showed that women made approximately 72 cents for every dollar made by men, corporate leaders chose to tackle the issue of the gender pay gap as its first major initiative. A recent stream of internal complaints and questions regarding pay equity from women in the organization indicated that this was an issue that warranted attention from Acme.
Solution
Rigorously adhering to the guidelines for implementing a successful DEI initiative, Acme appeared to do everything right: the company ensured that there was senior-level support for the DEI initiative, allocated financial and human resources, and initiated a comprehensive study of wage differences between men and women within the organization. Well-meaning and motivated, Acme leaders documented a 23% wage disparity and pledged to address it through a series of action steps, including making salary adjustments of 23% to women, creating an inclusive culture that was more supportive of advancement, revamping hiring practices to ensure diverse hiring at all levels, and assessing promotion criteria.
Results
Eighteen months into the implementation of its action plan for addressing the gender pay gap, Acme leaders stepped back to take stock of their progress. After surveying employees and analyzing complaints, they found that concerns regarding gender pay remained high. Desperately seeking answers, the management team came together to share data and analyze trends. Although some team leaders reported positive feedback from their team members regarding compensation, others reported continuing complaints from team members, especially from female employees who were members of minority groups.
Discussion Questions
What went wrong?
Do you see any red flags in Acme’s approach?
Are the minority women simply disgruntled complainers?
Are there any concepts defined in the Glossary that Acme should have considered in implementing its solution?
Conclusions
Acme’s generic focus on gender pay discrepancies simply diverted attention from broader systemic problems and ended up benefiting a specific subset — white women — while leaving Black, indigenous, and other women even further behind. Research shows that Black, Latina, and Native American women make far less than their white counterparts. Indeed, according to the Economic Policy Institute, the pay gap between white women and women of color is the fastest-growing wage gap in America. Focusing solely on gender and delivering a 23% average pay increase — while ignoring the impact of race on the minority women employees — ended up benefiting a subset of the population that was already further ahead.
Thus, addressing all women in the workplace as a generic grouping served to increase Acme’s DEI pay equity gap problems rather than to address them. Further, as Acme found as it dug deeper, the pay equity gap represented only a fraction of the inequity. The pay gap usually reflects gaps in who gets hired, supported, promoted, and retained.
Recommendations
A strong inclusion, equity, and diversity program structure or framework requires that companies pay close attention to the experiences of all marginalized groups, seeking to correct the unique biases and obstacles that confront various communities in order to ensure a truly equal playing field. Understanding the key terms and concepts of DEI work can help you focus on the “intersectionality” of different systems, or how various identities intersect to create different forms of discrimination is vital. Understanding that each disadvantaged group has its own set of challenges as it relates to oppression, will help to ensure the success of your DEI activities.
Key Terms
Intersectionality, Equity, Discrimination, Structural Racism