Data-Driven Diversity

To achieve your inclusion goals, use a metrics-based approach.

by

Joan C. Williams

and

Jamie Dolkas

by

Joan C. Williams

and

Jamie Dolkas

From the Magazine (March–April 2022) · Long read

Sarah Morris

Summary.

Many companies today recognize that workforce diversity is both a moral imperative and a key to stronger business performance. U.S. firms alone spend billions of dollars every year to educate their employees about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). But research shows that such training programs don’t lead to meaningful change. What’s necessary, say the authors, is a metrics-based approach that can identify problems, establish baselines, and measure progress.

Company managers and in-house lawyers often worry that collecting diversity data may yield evidence of discrimination that can fuel lawsuits against them. But there are ways to minimize the legal threats while still embracing the use of metrics.

The authors suggest first determining your risk tolerance and then developing an action plan. You will need to track both outcome metrics and process metrics and act promptly on what you find. Starting with a pilot program can be a good idea. You should also build the business case for intervention, control expectations through careful messaging, and create clear protocols for accessing, sharing, and retaining DEI data.

Idea in Brief

The Problem

Research shows that the best way for companies to improve their record on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is to use metrics to identify trouble spots, establish baselines, and measure progress. But few companies follow that approach.

The Explanation

In-house lawyers and midlevel managers often worry that if their companies collect diversity data, they might end up gathering evidence of discrimination that can be used against them in lawsuits.

The Recommendation

Many companies have protocols for handling sensitive information, along with procedures for conducting internal investigations. They need to apply those protocols and procedures to DEI matters too.

When companies realize they are falling short in improving their operations, expanding their offerings, or connecting with customers, they typically define what they want to achieve, identify relevant metrics, and then try out various strategies until the metrics reveal progress toward their goal. It’s a practice that works, and businesses use it to address any problem they truly care about. Hence the aphorism “We measure what we treasure.”

A version of this article appeared in the March–April 2022 issue of Harvard Business Review.

Joan C. Williams is a Distinguished Professor of Law at University of California-Hastings, the Hastings Foundation Chair, and the founding director of the Center for WorkLife Law. An expert on social inequality, she is the author of 12 books, including Bias Interrupted: Creating Inclusion for Real and for Good (Harvard Business Review Press, 2021) and White Working Class: Overcoming Class Cluelessness in America (Harvard Business Review Press, 2019). To learn about her evidence-based, metrics-driven approach to eradicating implicit bias in the workplace, visit www.biasinterrupters.org.
Jamie Dolkas is the SVP of strategy and research at the Center for WorkLife Law, where she leads efforts relating to eliminating bias, improving diversity and inclusion, and advancing women in the workplace. She is also an adjunct professor at University of California–Hastings.

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