Although many organizations consider diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) top priorities, it doesn’t mean the systems put in place to address them are always effective. Growing public awareness of the lack of diversity in the modern workplace has given business leaders cause to re-evaluate DEI practices within their own companies — and the results have been mixed. 

In many cases, virtue-signaling statements of support and commitments to change by businesses are followed up with little or lackluster action that only serves to perpetuate the same inadequate efforts of the past. Other initiatives, such as diversity training, are useful for generating awareness in the short term, but often fall short of creating lasting change. 

Let’s dive deeper into the reasons why many diversity programs fail and how to re-evaluate your own DEI efforts to avoid this. 

Diversity programs have been around for years. But when you look at the statistics, it’s clear that these efforts have delivered lackluster results. Across all industries, people from underrepresented groups continue to face considerable challenges ranging from being overlooked for promotions to workplace harassment. 

Understanding why these programs fail is one of the first steps towards landing on a comprehensive strategy that’s truly effective at supporting employees and delivering on business outcomes. 

Although no two organizations are the same, there are commonalities across different types of diversity programs that contribute to their lack of success. Here are a few key factors to be aware of: 

Hiring for diversity is one of the first and most impactful initiatives that businesses employ to advance DEI efforts. However, simply introducing diverse individuals to an organization through recruitment doesn’t guarantee the long-term success of those employees. 

It’s critical for business leaders to look at DEI as it relates to the employee lifecycle. This means developing systems and processes that support these team members throughout the entirety of their time with the organization. Are there diversity-specific mentoring or sponsorship programs that exist? Is your company culture welcoming and inclusive? How do you ensure that new hires take advantage of professional development opportunities?

Failure to plan for DEI beyond hiring can be even more alienating to the underrepresented talent that you bring on.

Organizations must be willing to identify and address existing company practices that may be perpetuating oppression. It’s necessary to throw out all notions of “we’ve always done things this way” and be comfortable with up-ending systems that have been around for a long time. Although it can be challenging, this type of work is necessary for unearthing discriminatory practices within your business, many of which are usually unintentional.

Most companies likely already have some sort of process in place that serves this function, such as a recurring diversity audit or employee feedback survey. Being transparent with your employees about the actions you’re taking based on the results of these efforts is equally as important as generating the findings themselves.

From workshops to seminars, there are countless ways to approach diversity training. Although these methods are effective at educating employees on the DEI topics that are most important, training alone isn’t enough to incite organizational change. Attending a diversity seminar won’t wipe away a person’s unconscious biases that have formed over their entire lifetime — and it’s not intended to. 

Instead, view training as a tool for generating awareness that’s just one tactic associated with a larger, more comprehensive strategy. Training efforts should be supplemented with other initiatives that drive action and encourage employees to take what they’ve learned and actually apply it. 

Promoting a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace is the responsibility of every employee. However, when it comes to making strategic business decisions about a company-wide DEI plan, it’s necessary to be clear on who is responsible for owning these efforts. 

Many companies look towards HR teams to take ownership of DEI. While this may seem logical since HR is the business unit responsible for training and hiring, much of the work involved in DEI extends far beyond these practices. Additionally, bucketing diversity under an existing business function moves it even further away from the team that should be held accountable for its success: executive leadership.

By now, virtually every leading organization has developed some form of initiative that’s meant to address workplace diversity. But as we’ve discussed, simply having a DEI program in place isn’t enough to drive results. 

An ineffective diversity program is doing a disservice to both your business and people, so let’s walk through a few ways you can optimize your existing efforts: 

It’s important to understand that your DEI strategy is never truly “done.” The best way to ensure its success is to continuously work towards making improvements that align with your employees and their shifting needs. 

Ready to unlock more DEI resources? Download this must-have checklist for leaders championing the movement to further DEI within their organizations.