Overcoming the Fear of Data in DEI Efforts

Do you know how your company’s DEI efforts are going? What data does your company collect  to track and shape these efforts?

In this episode, DEI strategist and consultant Lily Zheng explains why data-driven efforts are everything. The way people make lasting progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion is to measure outcomes.

During this year’s Women at Work Live event, DEI strategist Lily explained the opportunities that data can create for DEI. They give examples from different companies, including one that was able to discern where exactly their recruiting efforts became inequitable and how the company fixed it. Lily also has advice for making a difference with data even when your company is tiny or you’re starting from scratch or there’s no budget.

Guest experts:

Lily Zheng is a diversity, equity, and inclusion strategist, consultant, and speaker who works with organizations to achieve the DEI impact and outcomes they need. They are the author of DEI Deconstructed: Your No-Nonsense Guide to Doing the Work and Doing it Right.

Resources:

• “What Needs to Change About DEI — and What Doesn’t,” by Lily Zheng
• “To Make Lasting Progress on DEI, Measure Outcomes,” by Lily Zheng
• “The Failure of the DEI-Industrial Complex,” by Lily Zheng
• “To Avoid DEI Backlash, Focus on Changing Systems — Not People,” by Lily Zheng
• “To Build a DEI Program That Works, You Need Metrics,” by Joan C. Williams et al.
• “How to Push for Policy Changes at Your Company,” from Women at Work

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