Innovative toolkit to help businesses bolster Diversity and Inclusion

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Innovative toolkit to help businesses bolster Diversity and Inclusion

Friday, 06 October 2023

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In early September, Director of the Master of Business Administration (MBA) Program, Dr Judy Lundy, and Dr Uma Jogulu officially launched the Diversity and Inclusion Capability Maturity Model (CMM) package.

The toolkit will assist organisations in evaluating the state of D&I in their workplaces, and help them set future targets, along with identifying and prioritising improvement initiatives.

Funded by the ECU Strategic Initiatives Fund 2022-23, the inspiration for the toolkit came from a report the team produced for a public sector workplace that outlined the factors influencing psychological safety to create a genuine sense of inclusion and belonging.

Dr Lundy said the toolkit – which is free to use – was essential, given the number of stories still being heard about discrimination in workplaces towards people from historically disadvantaged groups.

“We’ve all heard distressing stories from people who have not been able to realise their full potential because of some aspect of their identity,” she said.

“This is holding organisations back because without tapping into the richness of diversity accompanied by inclusion, we’re limiting our ability to be truly innovative and representative of communities we’re part of.”

Dr Lundy noted there was still a gap in organisations’ understanding of the term D&I, with greater emphasis needing to be placed on inclusion.

“Diversity is all about tapping into the differences in an organisation … but you don’t get the benefits from diversity without being inclusive, because people won’t come to you with new ideas if they don’t feel valued and respected as unique individuals.”

Chief Executive Officer, CEOs for Gender Equity, Ashley McGrath, said the CMM could prove beneficial to businesses that were struggling with how to improve their D&I practices.

“The CMM and its guiding documents provide a practical tool that will highlight the current state of play and strategies to advance to the next stages,” she said.

A 2023 report by McKinsey & Company found companies had demonstrated positive intent and increased discussion and activity around D&I, with an estimated $US7.5 billion ($11.8b) spent on D&I-related efforts in 2020.

SBL Executive Dean Professor Maryam Omari said the CMM was an undoubtedly necessary and important tool, and highlighted the School’s societal impact.

“SBL is committed to driving positive change in business, and the CMM is a testament to our academics’ unwavering dedication to providing practical solutions for industry challenges,” she said.

“I am truly excited to witness the transformative impact it will have on organisations across various industries.”

Dr Lundy said ECU’s SBL was now welcoming the opportunity to partner with organisations that would be interested in using the toolkit, which is available here.

School of Business and Law