Learn how to launch a DEI Committee that is empowered to make a meaningful change.
A DEI Committee is a purpose-driven task force that helps to steer DEI decisions, strategies and actions in your organization. When a DEI Committee is set up for success from the beginning, it can create meaningful organizational change and help steward the DEI journey of your organization.
Also referred to as a DEI Council, it can take many forms. It can be a temporary task force that drives a specific initiative or an ongoing group that partners with leadership to support DEI efforts, be it operational or cultural, strategic or tactical. It provides representation from different backgrounds within the organization, it meets on a specific cadence to discuss DEI progress. Some committees play a large decision-making role, while others function more as advisors to leadership.
Establishing a DEI Committee enables your company to: 1) create sustained organizational change, 2) align DEI efforts with the wider business goals, 3) guide policy and process infrastructure to support DEI initiatives, 4) foster wider accountability and engagement with DEI values & commitments through the entire organization.
Without appropriate sponsorship, the committee may lack the power & authority to effect change.
It’s challenging to establish safe environment inside the council for all its members (from staff level to C-level) to share their possibly conflicting views.
If the agenda, intentions, aims and goals aren’t appropriately laid out, there will be differing and conflicting views meaning success and effective use of time will be unlikely.
Lastly, a DEI council isn’t a panacea for addressing organizational gaps in diversity, equity, and inclusion. It  only one tool in a full range toolkit of DEI best practices.
Before you begin, consider the following questions:
