Episode 308: Progress on DEI Requires Committed Leadership, Statements Backed by Action
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Committed leadership and statements backed up by substantive action are key to ensuring that organizations make progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), according to Kira Banks, co-founder of the Institute for Healing Justice and Equity at Saint Louis University, where she is also an associate professor in the department of psychology.
Speaking on the REIT Report, Banks notes that since George Floyd's murder in 2020, more leaders in business are understanding that DEI is core. \\u201cThey understand it is a part of the work of doing business nowadays.\\u201d However, the work won\\u2019t be sustainable unless leadership is fully committed, Banks says. \\u201cIf leadership is not on board, it gives other people an opportunity to opt out.\\u201d
Banks also says that more organizations are understanding that symbolic statements are insufficient and must be backed up with action. \\u201cThose sorts of symbolic gestures in some ways can do more harm than good if they're disingenuous, if they're not followed up by anything substantive,\\u201d she notes.