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Salzburg Global's DEI Strategic Specialist Litha Sokutu reflects on Public Policy New Voices Europe and DEI conversations

Salzburg Global’s Public Policy New Voices Europe (PPNVE) last program in September 2023 brought together a cohort of emerging policymakers under the theme of Advancing Together: Empowering Diverse Leadership in Public Policy. 

Within the program design team, the theme inspired us to take the opportunity to come together with partners, funders, and facilitators of the PPNVE program and discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policymaking. The program and its thematic focus were opportune: Salzburg Global was in the process of publishing its first DEI report, which aimed to look over our 76-year history to highlight how the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging have been part of our institutional fabric.  

Due to high interest from participants, we decided to hold two sessions with senior individuals of various sectors to discuss off-the-record the state of their DEI activities, honestly and authentically. The sessions spanned over three and a half hours, and participants discussed the challenges they face on topics ranging from recruiting for skill, social mobility for underrepresented employees, to the political and legal constraints that curtail the success of DEI efforts. Participant profiles ranged from vice presidents of multinational corporations, leaders within NGOs, senior researchers of foundations with a global impact footprint, and several DEI practitioners operating in Europe.    

Below are key insights from the two conversations, grouped by theme and anonymized under the Chatham House Rule:  

Organizational Legacy & Values   

The conversation delved into the importance of an organization's history and perceived legacy and how these influence a DEI approach. Participants from NGOs and corporations alike highlighted the significance of referring back to the founding principles of your institution and crafting DEI initiatives that align with the organization's values.      

Being tied to legacy can also hinder creating future-fit DEI goals and missions. One of the participants from a global foundation discussed how leadership too tied to certain entrenched, historical behaviors can lead to organizational stasis and that when new, fresh leaders unhindered by the weight of history come in, notable cultural shifts can occur. One participant reflected that when new senior leadership arrived, it was the right time to assemble a team dedicated to understanding what was required to begin the organization's DEI journey. This enabling leadership, combined with the upswell of justice-related global movements, prompted this participant to put their hand up and assemble a DEI team.  

Human Capital  

Two participants involved in HR and recruitment reflected on the pressures of hiring managers. A question that repeatedly came up from others in the conversation was, "How do HR teams limit their biases in the recruitment processes?"  

The discussion from various sectoral and geographical standpoints highlighted the complexity of the question. An HR strategy that all parties agreed upon was this: Increasing the chances of getting diverse hires involves ensuring diverse teams are included in every part of the recruitment value chain, to minimize blind spots.  

One of the terms reiterated by a participant is the importance of "recruiting for skill" – competence manifests differently for different roles and may not follow a linear path like a university qualification but a potential candidate may have acquired the necessary competencies through other means. Consequently, organizations must expand and challenge their thinking about what an ideal “candidate profile” is. Factoring in different career journeys is a tactic that may strengthen team diversity in several ways.       

Defining Success in a DEI Journey 

In both groups, a recurring question that participants would ask one another was, "How do you define success?" Participants offered a range of perspectives:   

• Using HR software that measures employee well-being, job satisfaction, and culture over time and acting on findings were considered critical factors to successful DEI initiatives. Others who placed people at the center of DEI success spoke about the importance of connecting KPIs, assessment, and compensation to retain talent. These factors must work together and often, disparities in pay are demographically skewed across gendered and racial lines.  
• For employees working in grantmaking organizations and NGOs, the success of projects for beneficiaries was discussed as one of the most important ways to measure the success of DEI initiatives. Beyond monetary support as a vital equity part of the outcomes, success was also seen in ensuring that internal employees are bought into the grantmaking strategy, with employees encouraged to platform and suggest organizations that might be suitable partners to collaborate with.
• Other participants highlighted the importance of ensuring that their supply chain and partners adhere to a common understanding of DEI values. This includes developing diverse suppliers from underrepresented groups and partnering with organizations that set targets, measure them over time, and iteratively improve their processes. One organization provided their partners and suppliers with DEI Guidelines that ensure that they are raising industrial standards. 

Staying the Course  

Participants highlighted the various inhibitors to the long-term implementation of DEI efforts; factors such as inadequate funding, political movements, internal burnout and unpaid labor were all cited during the two sessions. Solutions to these included baking in billable hours for DEI-related work and developing incentives such as donation matching for employees who contribute to DEI-related philanthropy. In situations where a specific political climate makes it difficult to speak about DEI efforts (i.e., race-conscious activism, LGBTQI+ advocacy), participants talked about how courageous leadership and doubling down on the organizational values, particularly in times of socio-political strife, pays dividends in the long run.