Inclusive ICR’s DEI Index shows businesses need to have specific goals on improving policies

Businesses in the Corridor now have a baseline of their efforts for diversity, equity and inclusion practices — and there is more work to be done.

While the majority of businesses identify DEI as a high priority, they might not have a specific accountability plan to track their organization’s progress, according to the first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion regional report released by Inclusive ICR earlier this month.

Inclusive ICR — a coalition of more than 90 employers — released the DEI Index earlier this month. Participating businesses received a report with feedback on their efforts, including what they’re doing well and what needs more work.

The full report, along with the Inclusive ICR resource library, can be found online at icriowa.org/inclusive-icr.

“Working toward DEI is not just good for the individual organizations or individual companies, it's good for the entire region,” said Stefanie Munsterman, Inclusive ICR chairwoman.

“It's not just a one and done. Yes, we have a baseline, but how can we build from that?”

Area businesses were able to complete a free, confidential assessment to gauge where their organization stands in terms of its DEI policies and practices. The assessment was available for four weeks to small and mid-sized for-profit and not-for-profit organizations.

More than 178 responses were collected, with 93 unique reports generated for individual organizations.

The DEI Index consisted of yes/no, multiple-choice and open-ended questions.

About half the items related to the five main pillars:

Angelica Vannatta, Inclusive ICR chairwoman, said the hope is for Inclusive ICR to provide this assessment annually so businesses can compare their results year to year.

Teaching leaders, connecting employees from different backgrounds

Focusing on retention is important so diverse employees are supported after being hired and have the opportunity to be leaders, Vannatta said.

According to the DEI Index, 44 percent of respondents said the primary objective of their organization’s DEI efforts was to attract and retain talent.

But only 18 percent of respondents have efforts in place to “develop a pipeline of diverse leaders,” according to the report. And only 17 percent provide targeted development opportunities for diverse employees.

The DEI Index also showed that only 11 percent of respondents “teach leaders how to manage diverse populations.“

“You can get someone in the door, but if they don't feel like they are truly a part of your organization, they're not going to stay for very long,” Vannatta said.

Another finding from the DEI Index was how the majority of organizations were unable to identify a specific accountability plan for their group’s DEI progress.

The index found that 19 percent of organizations have leaders with specific DEI goals, and 12 percent of organizations measure progress toward these goals.

While the DEI Index helps fill a gap, the hope is organizations find a way to track their progress, Vannatta said. This could include incorporating it into their strategic plan or forming an internal DEI committee, she added.

Tracking also helps a business be transparent, not only with employees but with the community, Munsterman added. It’s important for businesses to be transparent not only about what’s going well but what still needs more work, she said.

Vannatta noted that RoleCall, a talent attraction agency based in Iowa City, posted its results on LinkedIn.

Among other findings, 12 percent said they provide support and mentorship to employees of similar backgrounds or experiences, while 16 percent responded that they find ways to connect employees from different backgrounds or experiences.

Seventeen percent said they provide programs to “raise awareness about diversity and inclusion within the organization,” the survey reported.

Almost three-quarters of respondents — 71 percent — said their organization had made changes related to its DEI practices in the past 12 months.

Focusing on specific efforts

The definition of DEI continues to expand and is becoming more about understanding the importance of intersecting identities — in addition to eliminating systemic inequities in company culture, Munsterman said.

Munsterman said business leaders nationwide are realizing when DEI is a priority, it “makes a difference in every facet of the organization.”

“Now that they recognize that it is important, it's how do they make change and how do they improve to create diverse policies, equable hiring practices, and so on,” Vannatta said.

Vannatta added how business approach to DEI so far has been broad.

“Hopefully this report can highlight some more focused efforts that they can be considering,” she said.

A resource library was launched along with the report. The resources are divided up by ICR’s five pillars to make it easier for organizations to make improvements in each section.

“We need to be intentional in our efforts on improvement and potentially even working with consultants or DEI practitioners,” Vannatta said.

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