FAQs
Q: Where can I send a Request for Proposal (RFP)?
A: Please send to Project Manager Hayden Prince at hayden.prince@i4sdi.org
Q: We’re just getting started with DEI and are not exactly sure what we should do. Can we have a conversation with you?
A: Absolutely! We appreciate having conversations with organizations just starting out. We encourage organizations to think about the outcomes they’d like to achieve and what approaches might work best.
Q: We have a diversity council. Can’t the council just lead the DEI initiative?
A: Because DEI involves organizational shifts, we believe senior leaders need to understand their role in leading a change effort. It’s not to say the council doesn’t have a role; for full effectiveness we believe the initiative needs to start with the leaders.
Q: If we involve senior leaders, what are we asking them to do?
A: First of all, the leaders need to understand what diversity, equity and inclusion means for their organization and why it’s important—the positive results others have had. Then they have to decide whether to make a commitment or not. If they commit, we guide them concerning the outcomes they want to achieve and the path to get there.
Q: How do we form a diversity council?
A: Carefully! First, develop a charter answering the who/what/ when/where/why questions and how much. The ISDI consultants have solid internal experience for forming councils and drafting charters, and engaging the senior leaders in necessary decisions.
Q: Do you do employee training as well?
A: We follow recognized standards in the field (Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Benchmarks—GDEIB; and the ISO Global D&I Standard—30415). DEI learning and development for employees is one of the standards. It is necessary, and it fits into an overall plan for achieving DEI outcomes. So, the answer is yes, we do, at the appropriate time.
Q: What partnerships or organizations are you affiliated with?
A: Effenus Henderson is a member of the United States Technical Committee 260 (human resource standards) for the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and convener for the development of the recently published global diversity and inclusion standards (ISO 30415, May 2021). It is the first global guidance standard for diversity and inclusion adopted by ISO. Effenus is also a member of the Inclusion Allies Coalition (IAC) and co-chair of its Advocacy Committee.
Barbara Deane is one of the 109 expert panelists that review and edit the Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Benchmarks: Standards for Organizations Around the World (GDEIB) offered by The Centre for Global Inclusion. The GDEIB is a free downloadable guide of five levels of progress benchmarks for 15 categories of organizational systems. Barbara has served as an expert panelist for the 2011, 2016, and 2021 editions.