The Why What And How of the Diversity domain
“When I started my Diversity journey, I literally had to explain what it is that I am really doing and how this was going to be useful for an organisation” Each one of us working in the Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) space has had our own interesting trajectory, which is often reflective of the journey of the domain itself. In the India context, this is a domain that has spiked only after what seemed like a very long drawn gradual incline.
From being the western headquarters’ Diversity agenda spilling over to the APAC region, to Diversity Management being seen simply as a value-added HR function, to the tokenism of Women’s Day – is perhaps where its genesis lies. This meant that for a very long time Diversity spelt tracking representation, and that too only gender in a very binary form. Diversity Management continued to be seen as an extension of HR, thus resulting in many HR professionals double-hatting this role. But for all the naysaying, this was an important start.
I believe it is only in the last five years that we have made significant progress in recognising this domain as a profession in its own right. To qualify the word profession, I consider these factors – a well-defined role, formal qualification, relevant experience, clear deliverables and accountability.
My own D&I journey is fairly representative of what I have outlined so far. It began with small diversity initiatives – Including Women’s day celebrations in my organization to very quickly deciding on pursuing D&I as a career. My limited exposure to the topic, lack of domain knowledge and the need for a formal qualification led me to Interweave Consulting, whose website mentioned the Certified Diversity Professional (CDP) Program in partnership with DTUI. Turns out the programme was still in the works, and this turned out to be an opportunity for me to join Interweave and be a part of bringing the programme to life.
This shift was largely triggered by D&I sitting on the CEO’s agenda and leaders being held accountable, which in turn led to Diversity & Inclusion being directly aligned to business strategy and goals. By this time, focus also expanded beyond gender, to other dimensions of diversity such as generational diversity, sexual minorities etc. Most importantly, Inclusion was now being prioritised over Diversity.
Today, conversations around unconscious bias, inclusive hiring, inclusion diagnostics and the like are not uncommon at all. The subject of D&I has gone from a concept borrowed from the west, to having its own culturally, locally nuanced existence. The very evident fallout of this is the surge in the need of professionals equipped to chart and deliver the D&I agenda for an organisation. This need is where a program like the Certified Diversity Professional becomes extremely relevant.
Also Read: Creating an LGBTQ Safe Space – Beat the COVID Impact
This year as we prepare to bring this program around a fifth time, it is heartening to note that we are making a very important contribution to the domain and the profession that is Diversity & Inclusion. We are often reminded that as a consulting firm we may be creating our own competition, but we believe there is room enough for everyone, and that it will eventually raise the bar for the D&I work in India.
In today’s uniquely challenging times, we need more professionals geared to enable inclusion in the workspaces, especially as people start to return to work in the aftermath of this pandemic. With that thought, here is wishing all the readers safety and good health.
By Ruchira Gokhale, Head, Consulting Services, Interweave
For more information please visit: Diversity Professional (CDP) program
