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11/14/2023

Equity and Equality in DEI

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DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives are growing quickly in organizations around the world. Leaders and entire departments dedicated to DEI – or EDIB (equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging) – are being installed in for-profit and nonprofit organizations. These teams are committed to deeply embedding DEI principles into the values and actions of the business so that it can be more accessible, welcoming, and empowering. 

Here we’ll discuss the “E” in DEI. Compared to diversity and inclusion, the words equity and equality (with which equity is sometimes substituted) are ambiguous terms that can be defined very differently from organization to organization. 

According to Robert Harris, Director of EDIB at National Audubon Society, it's "not advisable to use equity and equality interchangeably."

"In general," he says, "equality is when folks receive the same resources in amount and proportion and equity is when differences are recognized. Resource allocation varies based on those differences to achieve equality."

How you implement your DEI initiatives will depend on how these terms are defined. Your definition of these terms will also influence your culture deck, hiring process, team charter, operating agreements, mission statement, media/investor relations, etc. Making sure that they are clear and meaningful for everyone on the team is very important.

Equity may be defined in the following ways:

  1. Ownership - Quite simply, equity could mean that employees have part-ownership of the company. Many successful employee-owned companies (like Publix or Black and Veatch) have found benefits in this model, including employee retention and founder succession. 
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  2. Clear Career Paths or Opportunities - It’s important that every person receives fair pay or wages (and opportunities for advancement) in ways that are transparent and accessible. This allows them to see themselves as part of the future vision for the company and plan their next steps as the organization grows. How do your team members know what their next steps are? Are they forced to self-advocate? Are they on their own to follow up or communicate with you about a promotion? If their pathway isn’t clear, taking their career to the next level with you might be a challenge. Privilege is how some people get ahead, but not everyone is comfortable with or able to employ that level of directness. It can’t just be the loudest (or most privileged) who get the most rewarding roles and positions. 

  3. Personal Stake in Change - In the book, The Primes: How Any Group Can Solve Any Problem, Chris McGoff explores patterns of high-performing teams and describes a model known as the Core Prime. It looks a bit like a see-saw, with “As is” on the left and “To be” on the right. At the bottom is a triangle labeled “Stake.” In order to move any strategy, organization, or change initiative forward (from “As is” to “To be”) it must tip the “fulcrum of possibility” known as Stake. Having stake in something makes it personal.

    “Get it right, and people tip toward the “To Be,” McGoff writes. “Get it wrong, or under-invest in it, and people tip back to what is familiar.”

    If your team is not equally engaged in the dynamic growth and change within your organization, it won’t happen. If everyone is “all in,” that means you are listening to them deeply and motivating them (analytically, emotionally, and financially). 

To review, diversity means that you have various people in the room, equity means that there is awareness that they are not all on equal footing, and inclusion means that you have a process for engaging them. Equality is the outcome of people being equally resourced.

If you’d like to have a conversation about team performance, team design, or team development, please schedule a discovery call today.


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1/31/2022

Innovation Types and Horizons

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McKinsey's Innovation Horizons
THE 7 TYPES OF INNOVATION

​ISO TC 279 defines innovation as "a new or changed entity realizing or redistributing value."

At Illustrious, we define innovation as the act of creativity and experimentation that turns your best ideas (and even your best failures) into value. This means that whether we’re talking about corporate innovation or a small business that encourages innovation best practices on small teams, you can’t have innovation without the ability to 1) generate and elevate new ideas, 2) iterate ideas into process maps and prototypes, and 3) validate and scale those idea prototypes into the right audience fit.
 
Innovation strategy falls into numerous categories. These include: 

  • Product Innovation - Making new products or services.
  • Process Innovation - Developing new processes for your supply chain, manufacturing or operations. These are usually driven by automation and technology (AI, robotics).
  • Organizational Innovation - Changes to business structure: making a new department, communication system, accounting procedure, etc.
  • Business Model Innovation - Sweeping changes to the way products are created, placed, positioned and sold. This may include shifts in vendors, suppliers and marketing teams as well as the creation of new value propositions. (Also known as Commercial Innovation.)
  • Management Innovation - Shifts in the way management teams operate the business and get things done. Think TQM (Total Quality Management), Agile Development, OKRs, EOS, etc.
  • Culture Innovation - Developing new values, assumptions and beliefs in response to market demands; Policy changes; New ways an organization tells stories internally and to the world. (Holacracy, DEI, unlimited PTO)
  • Service Innovation - Changes to the service model and the way value is delivered (internet-based financial services, telemedicine, etc.)

THE 3 HORIZONS OF INNOVATION

An organization’s innovation strategy also falls into what McKinsey and Company call horizons. These are the time-bound areas of focus for innovation efforts. 

The first horizon (H1) is the home for any short-term innovation strategy and includes both “incremental” and “notable” shifts along the value scale. Incremental shifts include improvements or additional unique features to products and services (think a toothbrush with rubber grips or a flipchart with handles). 

According to Magnus Penker, author of How to Assess and Measure Business Innovation, “notable” shifts include a “distinguishable advance in design, process or business model” (think the RAZR phone or disposable hearing aids).

The second horizon (H2) includes mid- to long-term innovation efforts and results in significant or “radical” shifts. This means there is an advance in the product or experience design as well as to the process or business model (think Southwest Airlines or iPod/iTunes).

The third horizon (H3) is where we see game-changing transformational shifts. The hallmark of the third horizon is that at least two important advances are made in a combination of design, process or business model. (Think market disruptors like the razor and blades model or the light bulb and electrical grid.)

Each of these corporate innovation types requires a different leadership style (entrepreneurial, democratic/participatory, coaching/charismatic, etc.). Each type requires a decision to buy, build, partner or do “open” innovation (collaboration outside the walls of the business). With each leap, what got you there will not get you where you’re going. At each horizon, you will take on new or different team members, mindsets, language, business systems and management methods. 

When you commit to the practice of innovation, you are not only committing to changing your surroundings, but also to changing yourself.

If you’re ready to have a conversation about the inner work required to lead innovation in your business, we’d love to help you shine. ​

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    ABOUT THE Author

    Joran Slane Oppelt is an international speaker, author and consultant with certifications in coaching, storytelling, design thinking and virtual facilitation.

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