Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has been a key element of the corporate credo for years. A diverse workplace can draw on multiple viewpoints, skills, backgrounds, and experiences to drive business agility and in turn, corporate prosperity. While most companies recognize the potential benefits of a diverse workforce and inclusive workplace, their efforts to achieve it often fall short. Despite doubling down on DEI initiatives post pandemic, it’s still uncertain whether their efforts really have translated to “talent optimization” for businesses.

What are they really missing? How can they shape their organizational culture to build a diverse workforce, equitable practices, and a sense of inclusion and belonging to drive success? How do they link DEI efforts to Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) and overall enterprise strategy?

As a full-service strategy and human resource management company, Innoviant Consulting is uniquely equipped with the tools, resources, and experience to guide organizations in implementing DEI as an integral part of their business and talent strategy. It educates businesses on the benefits of DEI and helps them reap the rewards of having a diverse workforce and inclusive workplace to achieve greater levels of success. Businesses can tap into Innoviant’s expertise to shape a culture that values and leverages DEI to drive sustained, superior business outcomes.
“Our approach is unique because we showcase ways to link business performance to DEI efforts and initiatives. There is substantial research that links company diversity to profitability, and we help companies uncover the possibilities,” says Dana Jefferies, COO and Founder of Innoviant Consulting.

Taking the Helm with Experience

The driving force behind Innoviant Consulting’s prominence in the DEI space is the depth and breadth of its leaders’ experience. Having spent the majority of their careers in ”Big Five” consulting firms, Mr. Jefferies and Livia Davis-Jefferies have hands-on experience and in-depth expertise in crafting business strategies for different organizations across multiple business domains. They understand what works best for organizations from a DEI perspective (there is no “one-size-fits-all”) and develop customized strategies that fit their unique business objectives and organizational culture.

Dana and Livia bring those skills to bear at Innoviant Consulting to serve as a strategy and HR partner of choice for many Fortune 500 and mid-market companies and non-profits. Under their leadership, Innoviant Consulting caters to clients around the world from multiple industries including manufacturing, education, financial services, public relations, insurance, healthcare, and retail. The company is laser-focused on the strategic execution of clients’ DEI objectives and helping them take advantage of a widely diverse workforce to stay relevant and competitive.

“All our DEI services are designed to provide clients with strategic business benefits, along with the societal and moral gains of having a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace,” says Livia Davis-Jefferies, co-founder and CEO of Innoviant Consulting.

Innoviant Consulting keeps in mind the business and societal benefits of having a successful DEI program. Utilizing this multidisciplinary experience, the firm advises clients on practices that work in growing an inclusive culture.

The “Innoviant” Way of Excellence

Innoviant Consulting actively engages with clients by providing a comprehensive DEI implementation approach and serving as a reliable business partner to coach them through the process. This typically begins by educating organizations on the strategic benefits of a DEI program and the potential challenges they may face. This is followed by visioning to elicit what success looks like and how it will be measured. Once clients understand the benefits, they become more receptive to how DEI can be used to strengthen relationships with their customers, employees, and partners.
The team at Innoviant assesses the client’s current DEI state through stakeholder interviews, surveys, focus groups, data, and documentation reviews. It develops DEI values, goals, objectives, and a value-based roadmap to get from the current state to the desired state, with clear metrics set by the client to determine when the targeted goals are achieved.
Extensive experience in coaching and leadership development enables Innoviant to prepare stakeholders for the changes necessary to implement DEI. Its accompanying expertise in change management helps businesses induct new practices into their established regime and make them a part of everyday work culture. These practices may include celebrating change and change-related success or creating a safe space where participants can raise doubts, ask questions, and express opinions without fear of judgment. The goal is to establish a rapport between employees and instil a genuine level of trust and partnership.

“We help people understand that DEI is not something people do in addition to their normal day job, it should be inherit in who they are and integrated into their work,” says Livia Davis- Jefferies.

A Real-World Manifestation of Excellence

The company’s integrated approach to DEI is a hallmark of Innoviant Consulting’s services, as evidenced by their successful DEI implementation for a global holding company with a portfolio that includes specializations in marketing, communications and data analytics. Despite having a 25-member DEI council in place and performing monthly cultural recognitions and observances, the client needed help gaining traction and momentum for their efforts. The council was comprised of people who were passionate about the topic but was challenged with strategic alignment, organizational decision-making authority, and experience.

Through its unique approach, the Innoviant team gained a holistic understanding of the client’s current DEI status. They reviewed some of the recent operations of the council and conducted extensive interviews to identify the broader company and talent strategies. During these assessments, the team identified major issues, including a lack of strategic direction for DEI, an absence of metrics and governance, and no clear expectations of company departments.

Based on that assessment, the DEI council was reconfigured into a governing body with decision-making power. A smaller steering committee was created and given broad responsibilities, enabling it to be more of a strategy-setting and execution entity. They also established a set of core metrics against which all business entities were measured, and included them on the annual scorecards to gauge overall business success. The team also developed a maturity model to help company departments better understand what success looks like and key metrics to gauge progress.

As the impact of diversity on business practices grows, Innoviant Consulting’s approach to implementing DEI practices offers organizations a novel solution. For companies looking to drive their business success through DEI, Innoviant’s deep understanding of how diversity impacts business positions it as an indispensable partner in the space.