management

The Current State of DEIB

Posted on by Seniye Groff

For every headline you might read lately, it seems that DEIB is all but gone…under attack…wrong in so many ways. But I see just as many companies, people and organizations sticking with their DEIB initiatives. Most DEIB strategies are focused on doing the right thing not giving folks an “unfair” advantage like the media would like us to believe. Treating people with dignity and respect should never be out of style.

Dismantling racial structures means change and people typically don’t like change especially when they believe they are losing something. So let’s flip the script and focus on what people gain when change happens. It is also important to plan out the change management strategy that should be tied to any organizational pivot or evolution.

The first step in a change management plan is to build and maintain momentum. Have your team analyze stakeholders, evaluate the impact to the organization, determine how you will measure the change and of course, secure budget for the endeavor.

The second step is to engage your stakeholders. This step includes creating a communication plan for the end user so identify your audience and what is important to them. In addition to the communication plan, figure out the engagement strategy…and expect and plan for some bumps along the way.

The third step focuses on aligning the organization. Complete an organizational RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed). Rewards and measurements should be considered here, too.

The fourth steps includes training and developing people. Consider the needed training strategy tied to roles and jobs, as well as, a coaching plan. Develop the needed materials, create the delivery schedule, determine how you will evaluate the training and then implement the training.

Finally in the fifth step of the process, monitor readiness and adoption of the organization. Define the metrics that will be used and create an assessment plan plus plenty of pulse checks. It is clearly evident that DEIB is very important to every organization (and the world) so upfront planning can help ensure that all the strategies and focus are set up for success and dissemination throughout the organization.

What have you done or experienced that helped your organization successfully implement their DEIB efforts?

Sharing some reading materials, too:

https://www.wsj.com/sports/football/nfl-super-bowl-dei-end-racism-b78a3495?st=eYTi9L&reflink=article_copyURL_share
https://twitter.com/cbseveningnews/status/1884368357828202982?s=46&t=CG_r2BJL2op9UnwpKeRdqA

https://www.fastcompany.com/91247655/this-is-how-dei-will-change-in-2025

Behavior Change

Posted on by Seniye Groff

The October issue of CLO Magazine had an interesting article titled “How to Promote Behavioral Change“.  Too often, I have seen the performance appraisal process used as a “one time event”.  Even worse, the contents of the appraisal are often a surprise to the recipient.  How can a manager expect a team member to perform to his best ability, if throughout the year he has no idea if he is meeting the expectations of the job?!  Worse still, what if expectations have not been clearly defined from the outset.  According to the article, top performers are known for three things:

  1. “They know their stuff.
  2. They focus on the right stuff.
  3. They build a reputation for being helpful.”

So if these are the metrics for top performers, as a manager how do you coach and manage your team to do these seemingly simple behaviors?  As the manager, one of your roles is to help your team be successful.  You must give them opportunities to develop the necessary skills and then provide constant feedback along the way.  But there are some additional tactics that the article outlines such as:

  • Tap into the employee’s personal motivation.  Help the employee see the bigger picture and how they fit in it.
  • Continue to help them develop their personal abilities.  This could be in the form of training, but there are other creative ways to do this such as aligning the employee with an expert that they can emulate.
  • Encourage social motivation.  In other words, have your employees hang out with other motivated employees.
  • Match the employee with a mentor.
  • Incent the employees to put their best foot forward with short term rewards to meet their goals.
  • Allow the employee to have some control over their workspace.  For example, if sitting next to the mentor can make a difference, do it!  Even if that means the employee is not sitting in their functional area.

 The article has other great tips, as well as, a case study to review.