Impact on an Organization
Diverse tech teams create better products and build user trust, while integrating DEIB in learning and performance evaluations ensures fairness, relevance, and promotes employee growth.
More Effective Tech Teams
Diverse technology teams are better equipped to design and build effective tools for equally diverse populations. They are also able to build trust and credibility within the represented population, enhancing the effectiveness of the services being provided.
The Forbes Technology Council outlines several benefits directly tied to employing diverse tech teams, including that they ultimately create better products for a diverse society that are user friendly, ethical, sustainable and accessible.
Key benefits of diverse tech teams
Promote inclusive design
Better identify requirements and challenges
Ensure all customers are represented
Foster Equity
Competitive advantage
Building and maintaining diverse teams can be a competitive advantage for organizations when trying to attract and retain tech talent. In general, mission or impact-driven tech employees are primarily motivated by the opportunity to build products and services that serve the widest array of people in the most impactful ways possible.
More Impactful Learning & Development Initiatives
Integrating DEIB into Learning & Development (L&D) initiatives enhances their effectiveness by ensuring that training programs are accessible and relevant to a diverse workforce. When all employees have equal access to career progress, learning opportunities, and initiatives aimed at upskilling or reskilling, the entire organization benefits.
Recommendation
We recommend having your L&D stakeholders engage with your Employee Resource Groups to examine and assess existing or upcoming L&D initiatives through a DEIB lens to identify any opportunities for improvement.
More Meaningful Performance Evaluations and Feedback Mechanisms
Inclusive practices enhance the effectiveness of performance evaluations and feedback mechanisms by ensuring they are fair, transparent, and free from bias.
Performance evaluations
Performance evaluations are a critical component of the employee experience and are important tools for helping drive employee growth, engagement, and development when effectively used. When left unstructured and delivered without clearly defined objectives however, they can also create ambiguity, incentivize the wrong behaviors, and run counter to efforts aimed at organizational inclusivity and belonging.
Framework for inclusive and effective performance evaluations
Culture Amp for example points to 4 key qualities of effective performance management:
Fairness, transparency, and accuracy
Goal alignment and tracking
Developmental coaching and feedback
Accountability and recognition
The approach to performance management that your organization uses should have metrics to quantify effectiveness, and should also be regularly reviewed and evaluated for bias.
Feedback mechanisms
Feedback plays an essential role in an employee’s performance evaluation. First and foremost, any feedback being delivered should be actionable and delivered with a growth mindset.
It's also important to ensure the mechanisms for delivering feedback are standardized, being applied equitably & constructively, and take extra care to remain free from bias. Managers should avoid speaking in broad generalities and using phrases and words that can be interpreted as culturally insensitive (i.e. “too aggressive” or “too shy”).
A Manager's role in evaluations and feedback
In addition to the above, it is equally important to ensure managers are sufficiently equipped and trained on effectively communicating employee evaluations, giving and receiving feedback, goal setting, and various methods for providing support.
Check out Learning Platforms and Resources for training opportunities to upskill managers.
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