What is at stake?
We defined the concepts of diversity and inclusion in the document Formalizing an Inclusive Recruitment Process
Why is this important ?
It is well established that a diverse team will perform better. As highlighted in the McKinsey report (2020), organizations that demonstrate inclusion enjoy better financial performance and are better at attracting and retaining top talent than those that don’t. Some funds have recently committed to implementing a diversity and inclusion clause in their agreements under the impetus of Tech Your Place (see the article on this subject).
Neglecting diversity and inclusion in startups poses multiple risks and can affect all aspects of a company: business performance, team engagement, and more. It is never too early to start addressing these issues.
Three actions to take right now
1️⃣ Educate your team about biases
Raising awareness about biases is an ongoing effort, as demonstrated in the document Formalizing an Inclusive Recruitment Process
2️⃣ Draft an initial document outlining your Diversity and Inclusion strategy
- At the beginning of the document, clearly explain why it is necessary for the company to implement a D&I strategy. Who is initiating this action? Is it a reactive (in response to an event) or a proactive strategy?
- Identify opportunities presented by the strategy within the team and select the priority elements among them. These elements will demonstrate the value created by such a strategy. Examples: increasing team engagement, better understanding customer/consumer needs, etc.
- Plan the frequency of document review.
- Conclude by writing a D&I Statement
A D&I statement (Diversity and Inclusion statement) is a public declaration that an organization makes to express its commitment to these principles.
At this stage, it is not necessary to have a definitive D&I statement. On the contrary, like the mission, the D&I Statement is iterative: the most important thing is to start by with a draft a rough outline and iterate it gradually.
3️⃣ Set measurable goals
📚 To go further
📖 Diversity & Inclusion in Tech: A Practical Guidebook for Entrepreneurs
📖 Galion Gender Agreement: 45 guidelines for diversity in tech
📖 Diversity Wins: How Inclusion Matters (McKinsey, 2020)
📖 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lighthouses 2023 (McKinsey, 2023)
📖 Inclusion Framework (Journal of Management, 2011)
📖 Les startups, la diversité et l’inclusion (2022)
⚡ Le projet (UN)BIAS par SISTA
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