STREAM© Your EDI

I'm concerned about the number of companies STILL expecting staff networks, volunteer groups and hobbyists to fix the issues of racism, discrimination and social injustice in their organisations.

If you actually want EDI efforts to succeed in your company you need these six elements; I say you need to STREAM© your EDI:

Support, Time, Resource, Effort, Agency, Money.

✅️ Support: Leadership demonstrative and vocal about EDI in thought, behaviour and practice;

This means:

❗️Recognising diversity: valuing all people intrinsically, individually and as groups, appreciating how different diversity dimensions intersect, and acknowledging that demographic and other personal characteristics can possibly be protected by law and regulation.

❗️Governing effectively: exemplifying and promoting leadership commitment to EDI through the use of inclusive organisational governance systems, policies, processes, practices and operations.

❗️Acting accountably: acting in an ethical and socially responsible manner, promoting productive employment and decent work for all.

❗️Working inclusively: enabling and developing an accessible and respectful workplace environment that fosters inclusion and a sense of belonging, for those who wish to belong at work.

❗️Communicating inclusively: recognising and responding to the needs of people who access, understand and relate to communications in different ways.

❗️Advocating and championing EDI: actively influencing and promoting inclusive organisational practices and stakeholder relationships.

✅️ Time: People given the opportunity to change and EDI team given the time to reflect and support comprehensively;

✅️ Resource: Facilities made available to allow for the full implementation of inclusive changes;

✅️ Effort: Proper expertise and enough people on the EDI team to manage the workload effectively;

✅️ Agency: Most senior EDI colleague to have the unmediated ear of the CEO and full influencing access to the Executive and Board/ decision making leaders;

✅️ Money: Budget expectations met and sustained as the EDI work grows and develops.

Without this you'll not be successful and the underrepresented who you've been relying on will be frustrated and despondent.

To get a proper return, requires proper investment.

(This blog was first published on LinkedIn on 28th April 2022. STREAM as an acronym for prerequistes in organisational EDI is Marsha Ramroop's original work, and I assert copyright over the term in this usage).