Key takeaways:
- Use data to shape your strategy: Integrating DEI metrics like attrition rates and engagement scores drives accountability and enhances strategic decision-making.
- Create transparency to enable DEI participation: Transparent discussions around race and ethnicity data facilitate understanding of DEI initiatives. Authentic representation in data is crucial for reflecting true diversity within the organization.
- Leverage AI to boost inclusive practices: Use AI for brainstorming, engagement, and employee support. Mitigate the risks of generative AI through guardrails, training, and continuous learning for inclusive implementation.
In a DEI Board panel discussion on planning for 2024, our members leading diversity, equity, and inclusion at the world’s largest companies shared insights about leveraging data and AI technology to advance their initiatives.
Jim Chan, Global DEIB and Talent Strategy Manager at Prologis, and Ashley Watson, Global Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Danfoss, discussed the pivotal role of data in shaping impactful strategies and how technological advancements, particularly AI, are propelling progress.
Use Data as a Driving Force for Actionable DEI Strategies
During the panel, Jim emphasized the significance of data in shaping DEI strategies.
He stated that his team at Prologis integrates DEI metrics into their organizational and talent evaluation framework, using attrition rates, engagement scores, and diversity in hiring.
These metrics are regularly shared with their business leaders and publicly disclosed to create transparency and accountability.
“I think a lot of folks think of DEI as a qualitative piece of storytelling,” Jim said. “The stories are meaningful and matter tremendously. But how can you drive it back to accountability, impact, and a quantitative standpoint? This is what our investors and our customers have been increasingly looking for as part of our journey.”
He explained that they also use a color-coded data system to help drive engagement and prompt leaders to seek support for improving their scores. This enables a competitive spirit among business lines to engage more in DEI efforts.
“How can you drive it back to accountability, impact, and a quantitative standpoint? This is what our investors and our customers have been increasingly looking for as part of our journey.”
Jim Chan, Global DEIB and Talent Strategy Manager at Prologis
Enable Greater Participation Through Transparency into Data
At Danfoss, Ashley explained how they prioritize transparency within their North America team specifically regarding race and ethnicity data.
She shared that they benchmark their data across companies in their industry to assess where they can improve. But Ashley said she remains cautious of using the color-coded reporting Jim discussed.
“My personal opinion is that it causes mass hysteria,” Ashley said. “Sometimes, when you see red, you automatically target that specific area, but you don’t look at what the drivers are affecting that particular area. So, we make sure that we have that transparent conversation in our data meetings to help folks understand what are the catalysts that drive these specific numbers.”
In a separate confidential leadership discussion in the DEI Board on how to highlight your DEI initiatives in a transparent way, our members highlighted the need for genuine representation in DEI data. They acknowledged the pushback received regarding diversity and emphasized the importance of showcasing where your company stands in representation across the organization.
They also noted that it’s important to ensure that the portrayal of diversity is not superficial but reflects the true diversity within the organization and communities your company serves.
“We make sure that we have that transparent conversation in our data meetings to help folks understand what are the catalysts that drive these specific numbers.”
Ashley Watson, Global Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Danfoss
Leverage AI to Support Inclusive Employee Initiatives
During the panel, Jim and Ashley also went in-depth on how DEI teams can utilize AI to advance DEI initiatives and support employees across all business lines.
“Right now, technology is one of those big areas that we’re looking into,” Ashley said. “We’re testing out a couple of different things based on regulations, but we’re seeing how we can move the needle forward with technology and the presence of AI.”
“AI is something that will catapult us into the future. We shouldn’t be scared of it and we shouldn’t run away from it.”
Jim Chan, Global DEIB and Talent Strategy Manager at Prologis
Jim added how his team is also leveraging technology, particularly AI, to foster innovation.
“AI is something that will catapult us into the future,” Jim said. “We shouldn’t be scared of it and we shouldn’t run away from it.”
He said his team is running pilot programs to encourage employees to utilize AI effectively. For example, their accounting team is using AI for brainstorming, employee engagement, and supporting their workforce.
By leveraging AI in these ways, he added that they’re aiming to extract insights from employee surveys and initiate discussions on ideas, barriers, and how to support employees on their journey.
Jim emphasized that while technology like AI is exciting, it shouldn’t fundamentally alter your organization’s goals. Instead, it should serve as a tool to enhance impact and effectiveness within the existing framework of objectives and strategies.
Benchmark How to Leverage Data and AI in With Your Peers Leading DEI
Gathering data on your DEI strategy and leveraging AI to boost your efforts can be challenging, but you don’t have to strategize alone.
From using data as a driving force for strategic decision-making to using generative AI to support inclusive practices, DEI Board members have a confidential space to benchmark their strategies.
Learn how a membership can provide you with actionable insights on how to implement AI use and reporting metrics to enhance your DEI strategy moving forward.
