EEA YouTube Show: The ROI of DEI
Despite decades of pressures from racial and social equity groups, US corporations have for the most part made only slow progress toward baking Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) into their business plans, according to panelists Eric Darrisaw, Principal, Lazarus Advisors, a boutique advisory firm focusing on Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG), human capital management, and DEI; Marvin Owens, Chief Engagement Officer, Impact Shares; and Rene Redwood of Redwood Enterprise, a corporate strategic planning and human capital advisor with a focus on DEI.
This Enterprise Engagement Alliance YouTube show addresses why US companies in general have made little progress in creating fully inclusive cultures and marketplaces.
Here are some of the highlights of the show:
- Corporations have made some progress over the last 20 years to address DEI, but most companies still lack a strategic and systematic approach to addressing DEI from a business standpoint.
- Instead of viewing DEI as a business opportunity, many continue to view it as a compliance issue. This has led to many examples of “Diversity Theater” in which companies make a show of addressing social inequality in the form of making donations to social advocacy groups rather than by viewing DEI as a business opportunity with bottom-line benefits.
- The focus on the return on investment and business advantages of DEI does not replace social activism but provides a parallel approach based on constructive dialog with management about how to address the topic as a business opportunity as part of an overall human capital management strategy addressing all stakeholders.
- Many DEI efforts remain segregated in a department led by a minority executive who have very little ability to address the business opportunities of DEI beyond running Employee Resource Groups or making donations to social causes.
- Any DEI effort must begin with transparency related to business practices and actual metrics, not just pledges.
- Ironically, a lot of the push for human capital reporting and the ROI of DEI is coming from investors.
For More Information
Eric Darrisaw, Principal
Lazarus Advisors
Marvin Owens, Chief Engagement Officer
Impact Shares
Rene Redwood, CEO
Redwood Enterprise
ceo@redwoodenterprise.com
Engagement Digital Media and Marketplaces
Books
Master the “S” of Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG), A.k.a. Stakeholder Capitalism
The Enterprise Engagement Alliance at TheEEA.org is the world’s first and only organization that focuses on outreach, certification and training, and advisory services to help organizations achieve their goals by fostering the proactive involvement of all stakeholders. This includes customers, employees, distribution and supply chain partners, and communities, or anyone connected to an organization’s success.
Training and Thought Leadership
- Founded in 2008, the Enterprise Engagement Alliance provides outreach, learning and certification in Enterprise Engagement, an implementation process for the “S” or Social of Stakeholder Capitalism and Human Capital Management and measurement of engagement across the organization.
- The Enterprise Engagement Alliance provides a training and certification program for business leaders, practitioners, and solution providers, as well as executive briefings and human capital gap analyses for senior leaders.
- The EEA produces an education program for CFOs for the CFO.University training program on Human Capital Management.
- Join the EEA to become a leader in the implementation of the “S” of ESG and Stakeholder Capitalism.
Engagement Digital Media and Marketplaces- The ESM information portal and The Enterprise Engagement Advisors Network solution provider marketplace cover all aspects of stakeholder engagement, and the EEA information library lists dozens of resources.
- The RRN information portal and Brand Media Coalition marketplace address the use of brands for gifting, incentives, recognition, and promotions. The BMC information library provides information and research resources.
Video Learning
The EEA Human Capital Management and ROI of Engagement YouTube channel features a growing library of 30- to 60-minute panel discussions with leading experts in all areas of engagement and total rewards.
Books- Enterprise Engagement for CEOs: The Little Blue Book for People-Centric Capitalists. A quick guide for CEOs.
- Enterprise Engagement: The Roadmap 5th Edition implementation guide. A comprehensive textbook for practitioners, academics, and students.
Enterprise Engagement Advisory Services
The Engagement Agency helps:
- Organizations of all types develop strategic Stakeholder Capitalism and Enterprise Engagement processes and human capital management and reporting strategies; conduct human capital gap analyses; design and implement strategic human capital management and reporting plans that address DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), and assist with managed outsourcing of engagement products and services.
- Human resources, sales and marketing solution providers profit from the emerging discipline of human capital management and ROI of engagement through training and marketing services.
- Investors make sense of human capital reporting by public companies.
- Buyers and sellers of companies in the engagement space or business owners or buyers who seek to account for human capital in their mergers and acquistions.
For more information: Contact Bruce Bolger at Bolger@TheICEE.org or call 914-591-7600, ext. 230.
