Getting Middle Managers on Board
Integrating DEI into an organisation comes with various challenges - time, cost, resources, and communication. Among those challenges is commitment; building and maintaining equitable and inclusive working environments is a task that can only succeed when everyone within the organisation is doing their part, from top leadership to front-line employees.
In this article, we'll highlight middle management by providing recommendations to get middle managers to engage in your organisational DEI strategy.
Restructuring Your DEI Communication. As an organisation - it is best to tailor your DEI strategy to your intended audience. Therefore, a one-size-fits-all approach to communication and information should be tailored to middle management to showcase the benefits and impact their conscious daily support can affect.
Tailor Your DEI Training. An organisation must have a baseline language and understanding of DEI among all employees, managers, and leaders. Once a baseline is established, it is equally necessary to create specialised training for middle managers. Tailored training for middle managers can provide relevant information to engage middle managers in your DEI strategies actively.
Regular Updates. If you have middle managers’ buy-in but not necessarily their participation. Scheduling regular update meetings (e.g. monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly) with middle managers and their teams to keep them in the loop on what the organisation is doing in terms of DEI. Most importantly, during these regular update meetings - it is essential to clearly communicate what is happening and what support you may need from middle managers.
Reassess your organisational DEI strategy. We often notice that most organisations have their DEI strategy mixed up. Their values, actionable steps, and results are in the wrong order. Moreover, when reassessing your organisation's DEI strategy - where do middle managers fall into the picture? How are you addressing middle managers' concerns and worries about DEI? Is your organisation providing middle managers with the necessary support and resources to successfully implement DEI practices in their day-to-day tasks? Is your DEI strategy tangible and clear enough for middle managers to follow through?
Middle managers play a critical role in the success of your organisation’s DEI strategy. It is essential to carefully and clearly communicate, train, and support them along this journey.
Feel free to contact Diversity Factor for any of your DEI needs and questions.