What DEIBA Means to Us and How We Center It in the Strategic Planning Process
Diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and accessibility and disability justice (DEIBA) are important to our firm, as well as each of our individual team members. Drawing from our own lived experiences and trusted sources such as Racial Equity Tools, Equity in the Center, the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, and Creating Accessible Neighborhoods (CAN), over time our team has collaboratively defined what these principles mean to us:
Diversity: The presence of people with different experiences, identities, and perspectives.
Equity: The guarantee of fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement while at the same time striving to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of some groups.
Inclusion: An environment where all feel welcomed, involved, connected, respected, supported, and valued to fully participate and bring their full, authentic selves.
Belonging: Belonging is what happens as a result of inclusion. Belonging means more than just having access, it means having a meaningful voice and the opportunity to participate in the design of political, social, and cultural structures.
Accessibility and Disability Justice: No matter their ability or experience, people have equitable access and self-determination; institutions not only make space for difference, but they expect and embrace it.
We believe it is important to center DEIBA in the strategic planning process and the plan itself. Below are some of the ways we do this when guiding clients through strategic planning:
Understanding the history and context of the organization’s current diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts
Designing an inclusive and diverse strategic planning committee (as we’ve written about here)
Prioritizing people directly impacted by the organization’s work when conducting research and engaging and guiding committee members to conduct interviews and focus groups
Facilitating conversations that ask committee members to intentionally consider how DEIBA will be intertwined in their priorities, goals, and strategies
Centering DEIBA in our facilitation methods, including balancing voices in the room and using different methods to raise the voices of those who are less represented or have less hierarchical power
Applying an equity-grounded lens to strategic plan development and uplifting possible solutions to promote positive impact
How do you center DEIBA in your organizational planning? We’d love to hear about it.