Small and medium-sized business guide to investing in long-term change.
The resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd, in the midst of a global pandemic, has created an explosion of consciousness among leaders across all sectors — and for the first time, small and medium-sized companies are considering making an investment in diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Across the board, consultants are getting slammed with requests for information and proposals. My company, Moving Beyond, has had dozens of conversations with leaders who are making first-time investments in DEI. In these, I see a clear trend among the well-intentioned.
Persona 1: Training. Right now. In 2 hours or less.
Despite the preponderance of data and studies that say otherwise, the single biggest request at the moment is for all-staff training. One time training sessions don’t work (NYT) to create the culture shifts necessary to make the organization work for diverse individuals. In fact, they often cause more harm to people of color. Stop asking for it, folks!
DEI practitioners are not SWAT teams who can parachute into organizations to create change in two hours and zip back out.
