DEI Work is Important - Understanding What That Means is Crucial

Adapted from the Work of Tony Ruth - Created originally for the 2019 Design in Tech Report and re-featured in the 2020 CX Report.

The last year and a half shed a light on our society’s pitfalls and has shown that as a country we haven’t come as far as some of us may have previously thought.  Many organizations and companies have started to focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, also known as D.E.I. work. While many are really doing the difficult work, others are simply using these words for the optics without actually abiding by the meaning and responsibility of these words. So, as we as a country strive to be better and do better because we KNOW better, it is also important that we educate our staff, boards, and leaders to make sure they “know the difference.”

DEI work includes a fair amount of “buzzwords.” For some organizations, knowing the difference means getting a handle on what these terms actually mean and their long-term implications. For others, knowing the difference looks like understanding the harm to staff, customers, clients, and the community that comes from talking the talk without walking the walk.

If your company or organization is grappling with any form of “knowing the difference” or how to implement meaningful change feel free to reach out for a chat.