The Four-Legged Stool Approach to Diversity

The first leg is your employees and staff. The need to focus attention on diversity will increase as Baby Boomers age and retire. These employees are being replaced by new generations of employees with diverse experiences, job needs and ambitions, prompting organizations to look at things like improving the work/life balance.

The second is your suppliers and vendors. In response to diversity, organizations need to take a proactive approach to source collaborations and partnerships with diverse suppliers that can add new ideas and perspectives to the work you are currently doing.

The third is your customers and members. Organizations that solicit a wider variety of perspectives will benefit from increased adaptability.

The fourth leg represents your board members. Board members have an important role in diversity as they can offer different overall organizational perspectives. They can help to keep your organization accountable while building your diversity and inclusion strategies.