Taking Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion From Empty Slogans to Lasting Change

The emergence and practice of DEI—especially as it pertains to the issue of workplace diversity training—has been met with skepticism in business media and popular culture more broadly. Even advocates for greater workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion worry that DEI in its current form is failing to produce sustainable results and is in fact reinforcing the very challenges that practitioners are striving to work against.

Against this backdrop, APQC launched its Workforce Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion survey to better understand DEI leaders’ motivations, practices, and outcomes related to workforce DEI. Among our respondents, we uncovered a group of top performers—which we call DEI best-in-class organizations—that are achieving lasting, impactful, positive change as a result of their DEI programs. Combining the practices of these organizations with insights from DEI leaders at leading organizations like HAECO, Teach for America (TFA), and Ulteig, we created APQC’s DEI Framework—an evidence-based roadmap for other organizations looking to move the needle on workforce DEI.

This report presents the framework and supporting research, including actionable best practices that organizations can use to achieve DEI goals. Use the framework to benchmark your organization’s DEI practices and to get research-backed ideas for improvement and growth.