5 Years of Must Reads from HBR: 2024 Edition (5 Books)

The Five Stages of DEI Maturity

by Ella F. Washington

SINCE THE MURDER OF George Floyd, in 2020, I’ve spoken with countless CEOs and chief human resources officers as they responded to the racial violence they witnessed that summer. And I’ve noticed a pattern: Leaders first tend to express deep concern and then ask if their company is instituting all the best diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. They are eager to know what other companies are doing and how their own efforts stack up. Many firms take action because of something they see another company do—such as publicly declaring itself a champion of people of color or setting a top-down DEI strategy across the organization. But these grand stances usually fizzle out, leaving leaders ...