Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Organizations don't change. People change.

Your journey begins with the foundational Step 0: DEI Incentives, which calls for self‐reflection and introspection. The basic definition of an incentive is something that motivates or drives a person to do something or behave in a certain way. By the end of this step, you will identify the DEI incentives that motivate or drive the pursuit of DEI for you and/or your organization.

I begin this chapter by introducing a framework—dimensions of personal transformation—that sets the stage for understanding, exploring, and identifying your personal DEI incentives. This first half of the Step 0: DEI Incentives culminates with the development of a personal DEI mission and vision. The second half of Step 0: DEI Incentives expands upon the dimensions of personal transformation to introduce dimensions of organizational transformation. This similarly sets the stage to clarify your organizational DEI incentives and culminates with the development of an organizational DEI mission and vision. The reason it is important to understand these concepts at the onset of our journey is because I will reference or build upon them throughout the book.

Dimensions of Personal Transformation

The dimensions of personal transformation can help you to understand all of the things that make you … you. More specifically, I am referring to your personal identity, mission, vision, beliefs, values, preferences, competences and, ultimately, behaviors.

To explain the dimensions of personal transformation, I use the analogy of an iceberg in Figure 0.1. Much as an iceberg is comprised of what is visible (above the waterline), and invisible (below the water line), you are comprised of aspects that are largely visible to other people and aspects that are largely invisible to other people. Whereas 90% of an iceberg lies below the waterline, much of what makes you who you are is unseen and not directly observable. These are the internal dimensions of personal transformation, which can be found at the bottom of the figure:

• Identity defines who you are; it grounds you like an anchor. It is the story you tell yourself about yourself. It represents the personal characteristics you hold dearest and would not want to give up. Said differently, this dimension speaks to how you identify with respect to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, parental status, physical ability, organizational classification, and more. For example, you could identify as a Latina, female, heterosexual, Christian, wife, mother, able‐bodied, social worker.
• Mission or purpose defines where you're going and your reason for being; they guide you like a compass. Mission and purpose represent what you are meant to accomplish and what you are called to do with your life. For example, your purpose could be to educate students, maximize their potential, and prepare them to be responsible adults who make a positive difference in the world. Author Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.”

  

• Vision describes where you ultimately see yourself; the picture you paint of your future. For example, you could envision yourself as a bridge builder between cultural communities that would otherwise be disconnected or you could envision yourself as a socially responsible corporate executive and inclusive servant‐leader who upholds the ideals of people, planet, and prosperity.
• Beliefs are ideas you hold to be true. Experiences naturally generate thoughts and ideas. When we build up enough experiences in support of (or in contradiction to) a thought, those thoughts become beliefs. Two people could experience the same events that lead to the same thoughts, but it is their beliefs that can lead them to dramatically different actions and outcomes. For example, imagine that two people review the same resume of a new majority candidate in accounting. If one person believes that new majorities are as capable in accounting as any other group while the other believes that new majorities are incapable in accounting when compared to other groups, it could lead to dramatically different actions and outcomes. An example of an empowering belief is that a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive world is a better world.
• Values are the sum of beliefs—basic and fundamental practices about what is desirable, worthwhile, and important to you—that define what drives you. Values also define how you desire to conduct yourself while fulfilling your mission along the path to achieving your vision. For example, love, service, honesty, integrity, kindness, fairness, and equity are values. Two closely related concepts are wants and needs. Wants are desires, something unnecessary but desired or items that increase the quality of living. Needs are necessities; things that are thought to be a necessity or essential items required for life. For example, you may want to treat people more fairly at your place of employment, but you may need to perform well there to earn a living and support yourself and family.

Personal identity, mission, vision, beliefs, and values represent the internal dimensions and foundational underpinnings of personal transformation. According to evangelical leader and former head of Youth for Christ and World Vision International Dr. Ted Engstrom, “The secret of life is to know who you are [identity] and where you are going [purpose]” (I would humbly add to also know what you believe, value, want, and need). As you will see later in this step, these personal intrinsic factors, that are all found below the waterline, may motivate you to pursue DEI. What is found above the waterline are the external dimensions of personal transformation:

• A preference is something you tend to think, feel, and do; a particular tendency, trend, inclination, feeling, opinion, or predisposition toward or away from something or someone. A preference is also a bias that can lead to a blind spot. It can direct your attention to one area and cause you to completely miss or overlook something in another area. For example, imagine you have a high preference for creative thinking over logical thinking. Your natural inclination allows you to easily generate creative ideas, but it also causes you to have a blind spot for identifying the logical steps of a plan to execute the ideas. By raising awareness of your preferences, you can mitigate your blind spots. In this example, you can mitigate your blind spot for logical thinking by being more deliberately engaged during planning activities. The objective of personal transformation is therefore not to change preferences, but rather, to shift, stretch, flex, or expand into areas outside of your preferences and mitigate blind spots
• A competence is the ability to do something properly and successfully—a combination of practical and theoretical knowledge (the things you know), cognitive skills (the things you can do), and attitudes/attributes (inherent characteristics often expressed through the things you think, do, and feel) (KSAs). The objective of personal transformation is therefore to improve and increase competence. For example, if you have low intercultural competence that causes you to miss differences, judge differences, or de‐emphasize differences, then you would benefit from increased intercultural competence that enables you to more deeply comprehend differences or to bridge differences.
• Behaviors are how you act and conduct yourself, especially toward others. Behaviors are your actions or reactions to your surrounding environment. They are an outward and observable expression of your identity, mission, vision, beliefs, values, preferences, and competences. A related concept is personality, which is defined as individual differences in patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. In other words, your personality reflects your preferences, competences, and behaviors.

As shown in Figure 0.1, your preferences and competences are learned and developed over years through your life's experiences, which also shape your behaviors. Moreover, there are also other personal extrinsic factors such as social pressure, peer pressure, compensation, bonuses, performance evaluations, awards, recognitions, and other external dynamics beyond your control that may influence how you behave, the competences you develop, and even what you prefer to think, feel, and do.

Lastly, if you look closely at Figure 0.1, you also see a dotted line right at the waterline between the internal and the external dimensions. This dotted line represents the social and cultural context, including relationships, norms, and standards, that can also play an important role in your personal transformation. For example, the people who are a part of your inner circle, including people in your household, such as family and loved ones, or your colleagues at your place of employment, can have a positive, negative, or neutral influence on you. If they believe a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive world is a better world, they can be encouraging and reinforcing of your DEI journey. If they do not harbor this belief, they can be discouraging and detrimental to your DEI journey. Or, they may not have any effect on your DEI journey. In this regard, the dotted line is like a permeable filter that can shape or reshape your internal and external dimensions of personal transformation.

What Are Your Personal DEI Incentives?

Personal intrinsic incentives motivate a person to do something out of their own self‐interest or desires, without any outside pressure or promised reward. By taking the time to conduct self‐reflection and introspection on your personal intrinsic factors such as identity, mission, vision, beliefs, values, wants, and needs, you can best paint the picture of your personal intrinsic incentives for DEI. For example, let's assume that you identify as a white man whose religious beliefs that all people should be treated with dignity and respect lead you to value fairness, and that your mission is to serve others, while your vision is to become a school principal in a multicultural district. If you have had limited exposure to differences, then you are likely to have a personal intrinsic incentive for DEI. This may lead you to raise awareness of your preferences and biases and to build your competence to mitigate those biases to become a more inclusive educator and leader. Alternatively, let's assume that you identify as an Asian American woman whose cultural beliefs and values are centered on collectivism, family recognition through achievement, and humility, and that your mission is to honor your family, while your vision is to become a nonprofit executive director who demonstrates excellence as a servant‐leader. If you are working in a community that is rapidly becoming more diverse, yet you have a limited understanding of other cultures, then you are likely to have a personal intrinsic incentive for DEI. This may lead you to build your knowledge of cross‐cultural differences and increase your intercultural competence as a way to more effectively understand, navigate, and bridge differences within the community.

Personal extrinsic incentives are rewards such as an increase in pay for achieving a certain result; or avoiding punishments such as disciplinary action or criticism as a result of not doing something; or seeking favor with peers. As a part of your process of self‐reflection and introspection, you should also consider personal extrinsic factors such as compensation, bonuses, performance evaluations, awards, recognitions, and the like, that may lead to personal extrinsic incentives to pursue DEI. For example, if, on your performance evaluation, you are being evaluated for how well you develop people, then you may be motivated to raise your awareness of your communication preferences, develop stronger competences in interpersonal communication, and adapt your behaviors when communicating with others in order to achieve a high‐performance rating. The performance evaluation is a personal extrinsic factor that led to a personal extrinsic incentive. The reason you are motivated to improve your communication preferences, competences, and behaviors is because it is included in the performance evaluation.

Consider these questions as you go through your personal reflection and introspection process:

• Do your personal values align with the principles of DEI?
• Do your personal beliefs reflect the personal case for DEI?
• What is your incentive for personal DEI?
• What causes you to be committed to personal DEI?
• Is there a specific want and/or need that motivates your pursuit of personal DEI?
• What is your ultimate objective for personal DEI?

Taking the time to answers to these questions will not only clarify what motivates you to pursue personal DEI, but it will also set the stage for you to craft the key takeaways from Step 0: DEI Incentives: a personal DEI mission, vision, and aims.

Crafting a Personal DEI Mission and Vision

One of the final deliverables of this inaugural step is to craft a personal DEI mission and vision statement. In his book First Things First, Stephen Covey refers to developing a mission and vision statement as “connecting with your own unique purpose and the profound satisfaction that comes from fulfilling it.”¹ A personal DEI mission and vision statement aligns your personal mission and vision with the objectives of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Do not confuse your personal DEI mission and vision with your personal mission and vision discussed earlier. Here, as the name implies, your personal DEI mission and vision are specific to your DEI journey. Your personal DEI mission and vision answer the following DEI‐specific questions:

The following is my personal DEI mission and vision:

• Dr. Pinkett's Personal DEI Mission: To deeply understand the experiences of people who are different than me, to personalize individuals and mitigate the impact of my biases, to be an ally in equal partnership with those less privileged than me, and to treat people the way they want to be treated.
• Dr. Pinkett's Personal DEI Vision: I will have authentic, culturally diverse, and global relationships. I will bridge differences and be a bridge between communities of the like‐minded; I will behave inclusively toward others and be an inclusive servant‐leader; and I will dismantle personal, interpersonal, institutional, and systemic barriers to help create environments that produce equitable outcomes for all.

When combined, a personal DEI mission and vision address two overarching questions, respectively: What is the reason for your DEI journey? What is the destination for your DEI journey? The considerations outlined in the preceding sections—identity, mission, vision, beliefs, values, wants, and needs—should ultimately lead you to identify a burning and all‐embracing DEI mission and vision that inspire you to set out on your DEI journey. In doing so, always keep in mind that the journey alone is far more important than the destination. You do not have to reach the destination to be “successful.” Success is found in the journey itself as it is ongoing and never‐ending.

Establishing Personal DEI Aims

The final deliverable of this inaugural step is to establish one or more personal DEI aims that, as the name implies, point you in the right direction for your DEI journey. By establishing aims, you have a general sense of direction and understanding of the areas to explore for your DEI journey. For example, you will have a general sense of whether you are ultimately seeking to become a better spouse or significant other because you recently entered a new relationship; or a better co‐worker because you recently joined a new team; or to better understand cultural differences because you've relocated internationally; or to become a more inclusive leader because you find yourself in a new managerial or supervisory position. Each scenario points you to—aims you toward—different areas to explore for your DEI journey.

For example, based on internal factors stemming from your religious beliefs and personal values, your aim could be to “treat people fairly.” Based on external factors such as your desire to achieve a high rating on your performance evaluation at work, your aim could be to “work effectively with people of different cultural backgrounds.” Or, due to a combination of both factors and your role as a manager or supervisor, to “be an inclusive leader who personalizes individuals, treats people and groups fairly, and leverages the thinking of diverse groups,” could be your aim. Or you may harbor these same internal and external factors and, after performing some self‐reflection and introspection, you realize that you sit in a position of privilege and unearned advantage. To help those who may have less privilege, your aim could be to “eliminate barriers and be an ally in equal partnership with women throughout my division” or to “eliminate barriers to racism and be an antiracist in equal partnership with people of color throughout my division.” These are all reasonable and appropriate DEI aims. Table 0.1 summarizes twelve examples of personal DEI aims. As you can see, DEI aims do not have to be complicated.

As you craft your personal DEI aims, you are not limited to one of the items listed in Table 0.1. I encourage you to combine several on the list and to look beyond the list to make your aims as personal and relevant as possible.

The preceding discussion has focused on transforming you or, more broadly, transforming people. People are the fundamental building block of relationships, families, neighborhoods, communities, and society. People are also the fundamental building block of organizations. As we now shift from personal DEI to organizational DEI, it is important to note that organizations do not change, people change. It is only by transforming people that you can transform an organization. Just as it is of paramount importance for individual people like you to identify their personal incentives and motivations for pursuing DEI, the people who comprise an organization must do the same for its pursuit of DEI. Next, I expand upon the dimensions of personal transformation and personal DEI incentives, to explore the dimensions of organizational transformation and organizational DEI incentives. This will similarly culminate in an organizational DEI mission, vision, and aims that will be carried into Step 1: DEI Inventory.

Dimensions of Organizational Transformation

To explain the dimensions of organizational transformation, I use the analogy of an iceberg once again to frame our understanding of what makes an organization … an organization. Much as an iceberg is comprised of what is visible (above the waterline) and invisible (below the water line), organizations are also comprised of aspects that are largely visible and discernable to other people (external) and aspects that are largely invisible to other people and not discernable (internal). Whereas 90% of an iceberg lies below the waterline, much of what governs an organization is unseen and not directly observable. All of what can be found below the waterline are internal factors of organizational transformation in Figure 0.2.

• Mission or Purpose is the reason why the organization exists; the foundation for everything the organization ultimately does. For example, BCT's mission is “to harness the power of diversity, insights, and innovation to transform lives, accelerate equity, and create lasting change.”
• Vision is what your organization is seeking to achieve; the picture of the future the organization seeks to create. For example, BCT's vision is “to transform individuals, institutions, and society to become more equitable. We are leading the way in bringing sustainable and scalable social impact so its effects are felt for generations to come.”
• Beliefs are principles that govern the organization: its philosophy. For example, at BCT we believe that “A more diverse, equitable, and inclusive world is a better world.”
• Values are the sum of beliefs; basic and fundamental practices about what is desirable, worthwhile, and important to your organization. Values are how the organization expects the people who work for it to act, while fulfilling the mission, along the path toward achieving the vision. For example, love, service, honesty, integrity, kindness, fairness, and equity are values. BCT's values are Ubuntu (an African philosophy meaning, “I am because we are”), passionate, multidisciplinary problem solvers, courageously candid, catalysts for change, DEI champions, and pursuers of excellence. Two closely related concepts are wants and needs. Wants are a desire: something unnecessary but desired or items that increase organizational sustainability and growth. Needs are a necessity: something thought to be a necessity or essential items required for organizational sustainability and growth. For example, your organization may need people to be treated more fairly, and your organization may need to be competitive in the marketplace to remain in existence.

In The Fifth Discipline, organizational development expert Peter Senge refers to organizational mission, vision, and values—as “governing ideas.” Senge argues that great organizations have a larger sense of purpose and seek to contribute to the world in some unique way, to add a distinctive source of value. As you see in the next section, organizational mission, vision, beliefs, and values represent organizational internal factors that are all found below the waterline and may motivate your organization to pursue DEI. What is found above the waterline are the external dimensions of organizational transformation:

• People: The personal behaviors, engagement, and lived experiences of people within the organizational culture and climate as reflected by their personal perceptions and perspectives of the organization. For example, people who experience an organizational culture and climate of psychological safety, where they can openly engage without fear of negative consequences, are more likely to show their true selves, speak candidly, disagree, foster innovation, question others, and admit mistakes. This can lead to high‐performing teams and innovation. Conversely, in an organizational culture and climate of psychological distress, where open engagement is discouraged and negative consequences abound, people are far less likely to exhibit those same behaviors. This can lead to dysfunctional teams and stagnation.

  

• Management Practices: The specific actions and procedures performed by management to govern staff and practice organizational leadership. Examples include the presence or absence of commitment to DEI, coaching, mentorship, sponsorship, allyship, and diversity‐related compliance handling. How these practices are performed by different managers, and how employees experience these practices, can vary dramatically.
• Organizational Policies: The documented policies, regulations, and expectations that govern the organizational functionality. Examples include recruitment, hiring, retention, promotions, compensation, discipline, discrimination, harassment, bullying, and terminations. Even when organization policies are standardized throughout an organization, how they are executed and enforced can vary dramatically for different demographic groups.

As shown in Figure 0.2, organizations are constantly navigating and being subjected to market and industry dynamics such as competition, new entrants, economic conditions including recessions, supply chain disruptions, and more. Moreover, there are also other organizational extrinsic factors that organizations face such as social conditions including social unrest, health conditions including pandemics, geopolitical developments including wars, environmental developments including natural disasters, human tragedies such as mass shootings, and so on, public perceptions and public pressure to respond to these events, and even rewards such as awards, recognitions, and positive publicity. These external dynamics, which are often beyond the organization's control, may influence people's behavior, management's practices, and the organization's policies.

Lastly, if you look closely at Figure 0.2, you also see a dotted line right at the waterline between the internal and the external dimensions. This dotted line represents the social and cultural context including relationships, norms, and standards, that can also play an important role in your organizational transformation. For example, if your organizational culture is team oriented, it likely reflects more harmonious relationships that could have a positive effect on your DEI journey. By comparison, if your organizational culture is highly competitive, it could have the opposite—negative—effect. In this regard, the dotted line is like a permeable filter that can shape or reshape your internal and external dimensions of organizational transformation.

Dimensions of Personal and Organizational Transformation

Figure 0.3 depicts the dimensions of personal transformation on the left‐hand side and the dimensions of organizational transformation on the right‐hand side.

By juxtaposing the two, you can clearly see their interrelationships. What inextricably links the personal and organizational dimensions is people (notice the curved and dashed line connecting “behaviors” on the left‐hand side and “people” on the right‐hand side). People are the building blocks of organizations. Therefore, the behaviors demonstrated by people are both the final visible dimension of personal transformation (i.e., the topmost part above the waterline of the personal iceberg) and the first visible dimension of organizational transformation (i.e., the bottommost part above the waterline of the organizational iceberg). Stated simply, changing organizations begins with changing people, and changing people is ultimately reflected in changing their behaviors.

What Are Your Organizational DEI Incentives?

Organizational intrinsic incentives are those that motivate an organization to do something out of their own self‐interest or desires, without any outside pressure or promised reward. Here in Step 0: DEI Incentives, just as the determination of personal DEI incentives calls for self‐reflection and introspection, the same is true for determining organizational DEI incentives. It is only after careful consideration and deep thought around the organizational intrinsic factors of mission, vision, beliefs, and values, that you and your organization's leaders can determine their organizational intrinsic incentives to pursue DEI. You and your organization's leaders must also consider organizational extrinsic factors, such as market and industry dynamics; social, economic, and environmental conditions; public perceptions, public pressure, rewards, and recognitions, that may create extrinsic incentives for your organization to pursue DEI.

Consider these questions as you go through the reflection and introspection process for your organization:

• Do your organizational values align with the principles of DEI?
• Do your organizational beliefs reflect the organizational case for DEI?
• What is your incentive for organizational DEI?
• What causes your organization to be committed to organizational DEI?
• Is there a specific want and/or need that motivates your pursuit of organizational DEI?
• What is your ultimate objective for organizational DEI?

Setting aside time to wrestle with these questions will yield two valuable benefits. First, it will clearly illuminate and communicate what motivates your organization to pursue DEI. Second, the answers provide the necessary inputs to craft the final pieces of the Step 0: DEI Incentives puzzle, namely, an organizational DEI mission, vision, and aims.

Crafting an Organizational DEI Mission and Vision

One of the final deliverables of this inaugural step is to craft an organizational DEI mission and vision statement. Your organizational DEI mission and vision statement align your organizational mission and vision with the objectives of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Per the discussion earlier in this step, do not confuse your organizational DEI mission and vision with your organizational mission and vision discussed earlier. Here, as the name implies, your organizational DEI mission and vision are specific to your DEI journey and answer the following DEI‐specific questions:

Ongig, a company that transforms visuals and text to attract top‐tier talent and diversity, offers seven characteristics of an exceptional DEI mission and vision statement:²

1. Inclusive language. Exemplar DEI mission and vision statements use inclusive language. What this means is that it is close to bias‐free, race‐neutral, and gender‐neutral and does not have exclusionary words such as “he/she” (instead of “they”) or “the disabled (instead of “people with disabilities”).
2. Highly readable. An effective DEI mission and vision statement is, like any quality writing, highly readable. What's that mean? It means it's written in plain language.
3. Building community. The best DEI mission and vision statements include stakeholders other than just your employees.
4. Examples of underrepresented groups. Inclusive DEI mission and vision statements mention specific underrepresented groups like “gender, race, culture, and sexual orientation.” Some other core groups to consider are family status, religion, ethnicity, national origin, physical disability, veteran status, or age.
5. Mention that all levels should be diverse. A good DEI mission and vision statement for organizations focuses on all levels of employees/associates/colleagues.
6. Mention DEI initiatives (“pillars”) if you have them. If you have such DEI pillars such as inclusive hiring, mandatory unconscious bias training, employee resource groups (ERGs), building equity‐driven products, and delivering equity‐driven services, consider mentioning it in your DEI mission statement.
7. Diversity of thoughts and ideas count, too. Many DEI initiatives focus purely on being inclusive of underrepresented groups, which is vital, but diversity of thoughts/ideas is also key.

Here are five examples of awesome organizational DEI mission and vision statements from different organizational contexts:

1. American Red Cross (Nonprofit)

   Our DEI Mission:

   The American Red Cross will consistently deliver its products, goods, and services in a culturally competent manner.

   Our DEI Vision:

   The American Red Cross aspires to be an organization fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion by creating and maintaining a diverse, high‐performing workforce of employees and volunteers who reflect all communities we serve; by cultivating a collaborative, inclusive and respectful work environment that empowers all contributors; and by leveraging diverse partnerships—all of which helps to ensure culturally competent service delivery supported by effective community leadership and engagement.

2. University of California, Davis (Academic)

   Our vision is to develop and nurture a community where everyone can reach their full potential in the Medical Microbiology and Immunology Department, UC Davis. We provide resources that promote equal access and opportunity for all people in order to achieve a prosperous society, and we advocate for policies that promote diversity and inclusion in the UC workforce. Our goal is to empower all members of our community in order to remove barriers throughout our campus caused by social injustice, inequality, and racial trauma. We are committed to engaging the voices of our community to promote equality and compassion for all.

3. Johnson & Johnson (Corporate)

   Our Vision: Be yourself, change the world.

   Our vision at Johnson & Johnson, is for every person to use their unique experiences and backgrounds, together—to spark solutions that create a better, healthier world.

   Our Mission: Make diversity and inclusion how we work every day.

   Our mission is to make diversity & inclusion our way of doing business. We will advance our culture of belonging where open hearts and minds combine to unleash the potential of the brilliant mix of people, in every corner of Johnson & Johnson.

4. The Ford Foundation (Philanthropic)

   Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core to our mission and to who we are as a foundation. To address the challenges of a complex—and increasingly diverse—world, we need to make sure every person has a voice and a seat at the table. While we strive to build a future grounded in justice, we know tackling inequality around the globe begins at home. We are committed to not only creating a diverse team where everyone feels represented and respected but also embedding these values across our work and philanthropy at large.

5. United States of America (Government)

   Federal Government‐wide DEIA Vision Statement:

   The federal government will advance and embed Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) throughout its workforce.

   Federal Government‐wide DEIA Mission Statement:

   Across the federal government, agencies will work collaboratively to drive innovation and organizational outcomes, draw from the full diversity of the nation, and position the federal government to serve as a model employer that values and promotes equity for all Americans.

When combined, organizational DEI mission and vision address two overarching questions, respectively: What is the reason for the DEI journey? What is the destination for the DEI journey? The considerations outlined in the previous section—mission, vision, beliefs, values, wants, and needs—should ultimately illuminate a DEI mission and vision that govern your organization's ongoing and never‐ending DEI journey.

When we work with our clients at BCT, the DEI mission and vision are typically two parts of an even broader Organizational DEI Framework or Organizational DEI Charter, which is comprised of some or all of the following:

The organizational DEI framework or charter sets the stage for all things DEI. It reshapes and redefines your organization through the lens of DEI and makes clear where you stand, what you stand for, and how DEI is defined and understood. We typically work with our clients to establish a DEI Council/Committee/Task Force/Steering Committee—a diverse and inclusive body representing different functions, levels, roles, identities, and responsibilities throughout the organization—to develop the DEI framework or charter in partnership with the organization's executive leadership. Based on Appreciative Inquiry (AI), a strengths‐based, positive approach to organizational change and strategic innovation, the DEI Council should work intensively, not only to develop the organizational DEI framework or charter, but also a three‐ to five‐year organizational DEI strategic plan. This could be accomplished at a retreat or during meetings that are spaced out over several months. The latter will be explored briefly in Step 2: DEI Imperatives and more fully in Step 4: DEI Initiatives. For purposes of Data‐Driven DEI, the DEI mission and vision represent two of three essential components to begin your journey. The third and final component is to establish DEI aims.

Establishing Organizational DEI Aims

The final deliverable of this inaugural step is to establish one or more organizational DEI aims that, as the name implies, point you in the right direction for your DEI journey. By establishing organizational DEI aims, you at least have a general sense of direction and understanding of the areas to explore for your organization's DEI journey. For example, you will have a general sense of whether you are ultimately seeking to increase diversity (representation) at all levels; or to strengthen a culture of employee engagement, inclusion, and belonging; or to mitigate bias in human resources (HR) policies and practices to improve equitable outcomes for women; or to dismantle institutional and structural barriers to racism and improve equitable outcomes for people of color. Each scenario points you to—aims you toward—different areas to explore for your DEI journey. Table 0.2 summarizes 12 examples of organizational DEI aims. As you can see, DEI aims do not have to be complicated.

Figure 0.4 illustrates how personal DEI aims can also directly relate to organizational DEI aims. This mapping may be helpful if you are an employee, manager, supervisor, or executive seeking to align your personal DEI agenda with your organization's DEI agenda.

DEI Aims vs. DEI Objectives

Here in Step 0: DEI Incentives, I specifically distinguish DEI “aims” from “objectives” as they are closely related but distinctly different. DEI aims are preliminary and broad DEI objectives. DEI objectives will be established during Step 2: DEI Imperatives, which is, of course, after you have completed Step 1: DEI Inventory and performed a DEI assessment. The reason why establishing DEI objectives is deferred until then is because it is always best to finalize DEI objectives after you have performed a DEI assessment. Oftentimes, “you don't know what you don't know,” and an assessment can lead to new and/or unanticipated understandings that refine or completely reshape your aims into objectives. However, DEI aims to not only set initial direction but also aid you in choosing the personal DEI core preferences and competences that will comprise the focus of your DEI journey, as well as scaffold you in selecting the right instrument for your DEI assessment, which will be discussed in the next Step 1: DEI Inventory.

Comprehensive Personal and Organizational DEI Assessment Framework

In the next Step 1: DEI Inventory, you will explore a deeper understanding of you and/or your organization: Where are you currently in your DEI journey? How do you compare to other people or organizations? What are your strengths and limitations? The answers to these and other questions can be found by performing an assessment, which is the basis for the next step and represents the first and most important step of the Data‐Driven DEI five‐step cycle.

All BCT's DEI assessments are conducted through the lens of our “4 P's” comprehensive personal and organizational DEI assessment framework shown in Figure 0.5. Our approach uses data to assess people, practices, policies, and performance through the lens of DEI. The aforementioned “Dimensions of Personal and Organizational Transformation” define our 4 P's comprehensive DEI assessment framework. In fact, to clearly see the close interrelationship between the dimensions and the framework, I encourage you to look back at Figure 0.3: Dimensions of Personal and Organizational Transformation and compare it to Figure 0.5: BCT's DEI Assessment Framework. Both figures capture almost the exact same information, with the exact same words, only in a different format! The only subtle differences are that the personal and organizational DEI mission visions have been added to the personal and organizational foundation, respectively, and a fourth “P” of performance has been added to the mix. Whereas the dimensions were presented in Figure 0.3 as an iceberg to visually depict internal (below the waterline) and external (above the waterline) dynamics, the framework is presented in Figure 0.5 as a pyramid to depict the dimensions as building blocks for comprehensive assessment and understanding.

The 4 P's comprehensive DEI assessment framework is driven by two overarching approaches. As a result, the next step—Step 1: DEI Inventory—is broken up into two parts representing the personal and organizational tracks. The first part, Step 1: DEI Inventory for People, outlines an approach to personal DEI assessment (i.e., for you to assess your preferences and competences). The second part, Step 1: DEI Inventory for Organizations, outlines an approach to organizational DEI assessment (i.e., for your organization to assess its people behaviors and experiences, management practices, organizational policies, and overall performance).

Entering the Five‐Step Cycle of Data‐Driven DEI

Now that you have determined your DEI incentives and unearthed the motivations that drive you and/or your organization to pursue DEI, you are ready to enter the five‐step cycle of Data‐Driven DEI. The remaining steps are part of an ongoing and never‐ending cycle of continuous learning toward improving DEI. Determining a new or different DEI mission or vision would, of course, necessitate revisiting this Step 0: DEI Incentives. However, once you have a firm sense of what motivates you and/or your organization to pursue DEI (incentives), your DEI purpose (mission), desired future (vision), and a general sense of direction (aims), then it is into the cycle you go!