Charting the Path to Equity in the Workplace The following article was written as a follow-up to an article by the same author that appeared in the fall 2020 issue of PDJ. To read the original article, entitled “Four Essential Levers CEOs Can Adopt to Achieve Racial and Gender Equality,” go to the PDJ homepage (diversityjournal.com) and click on Fall 2020—Diversity Journal.
By Donald Fan, Senior Director, Global Office of Culture, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for Walmart
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ore and more organizations have recognized the significance of advancing equity as a strategic imperative and competitive advantage. In my article, which appeared in the fall issue of this publication and was entitled “Four Essential Levers CEOs Can Adopt to Achieve Racial and Gender Equality,” I discussed how the following four essential factors play an integral role in cultivating an equitable and inclusive culture: leading purposefully; making a cultural change; fostering an ecosystem; and focusing on actions and changes. In order to spark further discussion and exchanges of best practices, I will share some programmatic approaches my employer, Walmart, has taken and what we have learned along this journey. Leading Purposefully Business executives set the tone and lead the change through an overarching outlook, explicit expectations, and unwavering grit. In June 2020, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon announced a fiveyear, $100 million commitment to establish a Center For Racial Equity. This pledge is part of an ambitious effort to influence and lead change in society by investing resources and developing strategies to increase fairness, equity, and justice in aspects of everyday life. The investments are particularly focused on racial equity in our nation’s criminal justice, education/workforce, financial, and healthcare systems. We will find the areas where our core business can help change systems that perpetu-
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ate racism and discrimination. This is in addition to the work we have been doing to build a more inclusive company. Since June, we have extended and accelerated societal impact through the new Center for Racial Equity. The center’s initiatives fund research, advocacy, innovation of practices and tools, and support the work of Black philanthropic leaders and organizations that serve Black communities. The center also has provided counsel across Walmart to increase understanding and improve efforts that promote equity and address the structural racism that persists in America. Earlier this year, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation distributed the first $14.3 million to 16 nonprofit organizations that advance racial equity in education, health care, and more. Additionally, four Shared Value Networks (SVNs) were created to help society address the root causes of racial disparities in these systems. SVNs are teams of Walmart associates who come together to help solve societal problems by identifying the natural overlaps between Walmart capabilities (products, services, technology, sourcing, jobs, advancement, etc.) and opportunities to advance racial equity at scale. Walmart CEO participated in multiple national pledges and committed to achieving racial and gender parity across all levels in the workplace. In an email to our associates, Doug said, “As an associate at Walmart, you are expected to truly, authentically, and more deeply embrace inclusion. We must work together to actively shape the culture
to be more inclusive and not just accept our differences but celebrate them—all the time—within every team. We have made a difference in the world in so many ways. We can make a meaningful, lasting difference in racial equity, too.” Doug chairs the President’s Inclusion Council to improve our talent pipeline and diverse representation in senior leadership by operationalizing practices, principles, and processes related to Walmart’s culture, diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy, including talent lifecycle integration, modernizing measurements, building an inclusive brand, and activating the culture. The following four guiding principles improve the company’s health in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and ensure that we maintain our commitment to racial and gender parity: • Objectivity–Minimize subjectivity to reduce the risk of bias in talent processes. • Transparency–Increase access to information through communication and collaboration. • Data-driven decisions–Collect and analyze data and generate verifiable insights to make better decisions. • Accountability–Promote action through ownership and acceptance of responsibility for inclusive behaviors. Our CEO leverages the monthly diversity and inclusion report to constantly engage the executive committee members and urge impactful change through continuous diswww.diversityjournal.com www.diversityjournal.com
Reprinted with the permission of PDJ.
