From Good to Great: 10 Tips to Elevate Your Business Resource Group

We’ve all seen articles like this: 10 Ways to Lose Weight Before the Summer or 5 Tips for Being a Better Parent. They’re either (a) packed full of conventional wisdom; things you already know or (b) able to spur an ‘ah-ha’ moment; serve as a reminder for what we ought to do.

This is U.S. Bank’s Southeast Wisconsin Proud to Serve Business Resource Group (BRG) chapter’s attempt at one of those articles (in category “b,” of course). We hope that by sharing what has worked well for us, we can raise the bar for all employee groups – and start a dialogue focused on success. Combining our talents and insights make our groups stronger; not only increasing employee engagement and retention but also making progress toward the successful realization of business goals.

1. Preserve your ability to do great work
Maintain energy. Contributions to a BRG are typically made above and beyond an employee’s paid responsibilities. Put simply: it is extra work. A role in a BRG is often a passion project… a way to demonstrate skills outside of what one’s day job allows. BRG volunteers are like-minded and motivated employees. Set a tempo that is achievable without abusing the team’s energy and ability to do high-level work. BRG leaders should aim to maintain enthusiasm on their teams. If it starts to become a chore, you’re doing too much!

Define great work. Strive for meaningful, quality contributions, content and events. What does quality mean for your BRG? What is meaningful to the group that you represent? To the business? Remember that one significant event carries more weight than three mediocre ones.

2. Identify key strengths
What does your BRG do well or have to offer that sets you apart? What do your individual board members have to offer? Example: U.S. Bank offers up to 16 hours of paid volunteer time away from work – so our BRG provided an outlet for employees to use their time. That’s a lot of hours that are available to be shaped into a tremendous force! Ask yourself: how does our BRG tap into our strengths and use them to deliver results for our community and for our organization?

3. Mirror company goals

Every good corporate responsibility campaign has pillars or focus areas. Your BRG’s strategy should align with the corporate strategy. At U.S. Bank, we align with our Community Possible pillars of work, home, and play – supporting economic development, workforce readiness and recreation of all kinds. Mirroring your organization’s philanthropic and community goals with your BRG’s annual event planning guarantees positive results inside and outside your organization and demonstrates the value of your BRG.

4. Record metrics
U.S. Bank has elected to make a significant investment of resources in our BRGs. Your company has invested in your BRG, too. Take the time to record what you’re doing and how you’re doing it in order to demonstrate a return on your organization’s investment. Use number-based facts that add context to your story.

5. Telling your story
There are a few key mantras to keep in mind when telling your BRG’s story.

• Action, result, impact: When telling your story, try to answer the following questions in order. What did we do? How did we do it? Why does anyone care?
• Keep it simple: When telling your story, try to avoid complex terminology or work jargon. Your target audience is someone from outside the BRG world; potentially someone from outside your organization. If the story resonates on its own, it’s a good story.
• Tell a FULL story: Write out your actions, results and connect it back to the company’s strategy. Use the metrics you’ve collected to add additional context and quantifiable facts to give your story substance.

6. Find other like-minded orgs – forge a partnership
Adopt a crawl, walk, run philosophy when developing partnerships. Be cautious and considerate in who you align yourselves with. Try working with new partners on something small, assess the success, and grow the relationship from there. When partnering, you’re aligning strategic goals of multiple organizations. Remember to keep your own corporate goals at the forefront, and consult with your Community Relations team (or similar in-house group) to ensure everything’s on the up-and-up.

Be prepared to talk about your potential partner. Who are they and what’s their mission? How long have they been working in the community? What’s their external image, and how will it reflect on your BRG and on U.S. Bank as a whole?

It’s highly likely that other, local groups have the same focus or goals as your BRG – maybe it’s another BRG, a nonprofit or a school. Find these groups, work with them, align your common interests and passions, do great things together. If there isn’t one in the local area, there’s one somewhere in the world! The digital age has made neighbors of all of us. Reach out. More often than not, folks will share, because it’s the right thing to do.

7. Become a matchmaker
Once you have established partnerships, become a matchmaker. There may be instances where you may not be able to help a partner directly, but you may know another group that can help. Step in, align both and make a difference. Next time, they will think of you first, which increases the likelihood of identifying a great opportunity to do more.

8. Involve managers to build a stronger team

Forge partnerships with each board member’s management. Discuss time commitments, the member’s contribution, priority of effort (day job is #1), and work together to develop your BRG members. Give feedback to your board members. Share that feedback with each board member’s individual manager. Celebrate their successes. Share the BRG’s story, how your board member has contributed, and make the connection to U.S. Bank’s goals. Highlight their skills and the potential you see in them.

9. Trim the fat
Structure your board to be lean, agile and effective – less is more when it comes to making decisions and shaping your vision and goals.

Board members need to be value-added additions to a high-functioning team. If you have folks that are only there to add padding to their resume, or are habitually unavailable to assist, you need to have a conversation.

10. Keep business goals in your crosshairs at all times
The ‘B’ in BRG is “business.” Do you and your board have an eye on how your efforts affect the business side of the organization? If not, start now. Truly successful BRGs not only do great work but also know they’re responsible for contributing to the organization’s bottom line.

We’d love to hear how your employee groups are succeeding, and where you can use more guidance. Share your thoughts in the comments below.


Guest Contributor:
U.S. Bank, Proud to Serve, Southeast Wisconsin Business Resource Group. Recognized as #7 on the 2017 ERG and Council Honors Award Top 25 ERGs and Councils.

At U.S. Bank, our 10 Business Resource Groups (BRGs) bring together employees who have similar backgrounds, experiences or interests, and their allies. BRGs provide employees with opportunities to network, learn, develop leadership skills and contribute powerfully to our company and the communities where we live and work. They raise awareness and contribute to business results through the lens of what’s important to their members.

Re-Inventing Leadership

Awareness is slowly dawning. More quickly in some organizations, more firmly in others, but it is happening. The office and its people are changing. Gen X, Gen Y, and Millennials have different expectations than Baby Boomers and their predecessors. Demographic changes in the past few decades have challenged some more traditional personal and organizational perspectives. Technology has increased the speed and broadened the scope and impact of work. An increasingly borderless and global economy has broadened the diversity of talent and skill from which we can draw even as it has increased competition. These changes are our current reality, and we must face and accept it going forward.

While these changes have occurred, our perspectives on leadership have not shifted as swiftly. Oh certainly, we speak of building an engaged workforce. We discuss the ways in which new demographics are changing our perspectives. But the numbers tell us something different. They suggest that while we have made progress in terms of building a more diverse workforce and engaging our employees more effectively, we still have not fully embraced and executed our vision of diversity. Our pipeline for women is still leaky. The percentages of leaders of color are meager. More than half our LGBT colleagues still do not feel safe enough to be open with their coworkers about whom they truly are. In essence, organizations have not yet come close to reflecting the diversity of their communities. We still overlook our community members who are not white, heterosexual, able-bodied Christian males. This oversight is particularly evident in senior and executive positions. These circumstances suggest that despite the progress that has been made, biases seem to still influence our thought processes.

Organizations must recognize that substantial and lasting change can only occur if we shift our understanding of leadership at a fundamental level. The leadership skills that were once deemed as game-changing are now de rigueur. Creating an organizational culture in which equity, diversity, and engagement are central cannot be the sole province of large elite organizations or small boutiques. The behaviors must be the province of all, embedded in a leader’s thinking to the same degree as financial growth, stability, and other key leaderships musts.

As we make this shift in understanding, PRISM will be, as it has been, on the leading edge of these changes. Our work with ERG’s and our annual ERG Conference have inspired diverse groups not only to build their own skills but to help their organizations grow in such areas as product and service development and to provide better opportunities for their ERG members and the populations they represent.

Further, while navigating and guiding these changes, PRISM is undergoing its own exciting change. After 26 years of great leadership by Founder Linda Stokes, PRISM has been acquired by Talent Dimensions. As a Talent Dimensions company, PRISM will continue our long-held focus on ERGs and our annual ERG & Council Conference. We will also continue to provide programmatic, coaching, and consultative support for organizations who are working toward new leadership realities.

In support of this transition, co-author of Leading in Black and White and Dear White Boss, Ancella Livers has joined the team as President of PRISM. Previously, Livers managed the African American and Women’s Leadership Programs at the Center for Creative Leadership® Also during her tenure at CCL, she led their largest global business unit and later consulted and developed tailored solutions for their Fortune 500 client base. In addition, Livers led the Institute for Leadership Development and Research at the Executive Leadership Council.

ABOUT THE BLOGGER:
Ancella Livers, Ph.D. is the new President of PRISM International, Inc.

Creating a More Collaborative ERG Culture

by guest blogger: Chevara Orrin

While ERGs may model inclusive practices within the population segment they were created to support, they may also operate in silos, isolated from each other and unintentionally find themselves in competition for financial resources, executive sponsors and other institutional support. It may be difficult to remember that we all have multiple dimensions of diversity and do not neatly fit into one checked box or category. Similarly, ERGs would benefit from shared collaboration that recognizes and honors the shared struggle and successes of each group. Shifting the conversation to one of intersectionality may be a more useful framework with which to guide our practice and strengthen the power of ERGs.

The term intersectionality, first coined by legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989 describes how social identities, such as gender, race, sexual orientation, ability and age, intersect in dynamic ways that shape each of us as individuals. We all possess more than one social identity. Intersectionality also speaks to the “complex and cumulative way that the effects of different forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and ageism impact marginalized people or groups.”

Intersectionality can also be used to expand our notion of self and workplace authenticity. As a Black woman, born to a white, Jewish mother and Black father, I do not have the luxury of separating my Blackness from my womanhood. I recently collaborated with a colleague who simultaneously identifies as differently-abled, Muslim and lesbian. She belongs to three ERGs that support these three dimensions of diversity yet struggles within her workplace to effectively navigate and not be bound by a hierarchy of oppression.

Historically, ERGs were created to react to a corporate culture of marginalization and exclusion, and are now increasingly recognized as innovators within the organizational structure, increasing the bottom line, supporting the brand image and increasing employee productivity.

With so many threads of connection, why do ERGs not collaborate more frequently? This is particularly significant today, as we are increasingly engaged in debate around the reversal of polices and the dismantling of protections for various groups, from voter disenfranchisement to immigration to LGBT equality. All of which impacts marginalized groups more severely than those within the dominant culture.

Several years ago, I was asked to present at an African-American ERG Black History Month event for a large financial institution. I also had an established relationship with the company’s PRIDE ERG and had partnered the year before through my ‘We Are Straight Allies’ campaign. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to build innovative collaboration between the AA and LGBT ERG by designing the lecture to include a segment on Bayard Rustin, a prominent icon of the Civil Rights Movement, best known as the organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, one of the largest nonviolent protests ever held in the United States. Despite the significance of his contributions, Rustin’s work was often obscured because he lived as an openly gay man in a deeply homophobic era. It was the first time that these two ERGs had ever collaborated since their formation. Colleagues who had worked side-by-side for years only exchanging the most basic of office pleasantries found themselves engaged in intense dialogue, sharing stories of similarity and building connections that they had not considered. As a result, these ERGs now regularly collaborate on two annual events and seek out ways to support each other including partnering on fundraising initiatives and awareness efforts.

While the journey and mission of each ERG may not be exactly the same, the thread of connection is the sense of difference and a need to belong.

There is always more power when we unite as a collective.

ABOUT THE BLOGGER:
Chevara Orrin is a Diversity & Inclusion Strategist, Public Speaker, Accomplished Nonprofit Leader and Award-Winning Social Entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience ranging from senior management in arts and education to creating movements and awareness campaigns. Passionate about human rights, social justice, and arts & culture, she has extensive experience in coalition building to create strategy that promotes change and is a frequent conference presenter, lecturer and motivational speaker.

Advancing Organizations from the Inside out with ERGs

Often, it’s difficult for Employee Resource Groups to help their organization understand the importance and positive investment they have created by implementing ERGs. At times the organizations may not see the value of your ERG until they realize that they need the ERG for a very specific purpose to reach a specific target market outside of the organization.

According to the Center for Effective Organizations, by leveraging your ERGs shared learning and knowledge to help drive organizational action, you will benefit both your ERG as well as the organization.

It is possible for individual ERGs to assist their members within their own careers, pursue various goals, and still reach their organizational performance expectation. ERGs were built to make a difference by taking risks without affecting the overall goal of the company in a negative manner. ERG’s are the new avenue for organizations to reach the organization’s full potential.

How can ERG leaders ensure their team members are utilizing their talents and capabilities to their fullest potential and make this aspect clear to their organization? Provided below is a four-step process for ERG leaders to discover those answer to these questions.

1. Discover
- Discover what the members and leaders are expecting from your ERG before making changes within your ERG to fit the organization.
- Discover how your specific ERG has evolved based on new members coming into the group as well as more senior members within the group.
- Discover what actions or programs can drive business and which actions or programs link back to your organization.

2. Develop
- After evaluating the information obtained from the discovery phase, take that information and begin to develop initiatives that align with your discovery findings.
- Focus on how the actions taken by your ERG may affect the individuals within the workplace, workgroups, and the overall goal and vision of the organization.

3. Diagnose
- Ensure the proper tracking systems are in place to diagnose what is working for your ERG and what is not working for you ERG, as it relates to the goals of the organization.
- Use data to refer to as questions arise as to whether the plans put in place are working or not working. This will help you ERG remain motivated to striving for the best results possible.

Each of these steps are critical to the success and business case for all Employee Resource Groups.

When all these components are accomplished, the next question that is often asked is, “How can my ERG become more ingrained in the organization and transition to a BRG?”

ERGs to BRGs

By aligning your “Employee Resource Group” with your businesses initiatives, you are more likely to transition from an “Employee Resource Group” to your desired “Business Resource Group’.
ERGs within an organization are viewed as a “safe zone” for innovation, creativity, and risk taking for an organization, without the true risk taking by the company itself. The ERG’s goal is to prove to their organization that they can develop multiple

ERGs, put plans in place, are able to track those plans and results, and ultimately show that they can connect to parts of the community and target market more effectively than the organization on its own.

When an organization wants to increase their Hispanic, African American, Chinese, Japanese, or different generational markets they normally go to the specific members from that “Employee Resource Group” in order to help them achieve that initiative.

Senior business leaders want to know what your ERG brings to their organization other than innovation and creativity. Your organization wants to know how your ERG initiatives and efforts have decreased a weakness the organization had or has made a current strength within the organization better.

ERG leaders must be able to tell a great story to the stakeholders along with their reports and data. Stakeholders within your organization are not only interested in what you have accomplished, but they are also interested in why you started, why you focused on that area of the business specifically, and what your end goals and results were based on for your ERG’s initiatives.

If your ERG wants to transition to a BRG, the first step is to discover your organization’s major business need and create a business strategy to address that need. Focus on unique business needs that your group is uniquely qualified to provide the expertise and resources to solve. Once you have established your credibility as a business resource, your organization will look to your group as a strategic business partner and you will have transformed to a full Business Resource Group.

Reference
Welbourne, T. M., & McLaughlin, L. L. (2013). Making the Business Case for Employee Resource Groups. Employment Relations Today (Wiley), 40(2), 35-44. doi:10.1002/ert.21409

Guest Contributor: Michelle Brown is a Business Developer and Executive Assistant with PRISM International, Inc., a WBENC-certified full-service provider of innovative and proven consulting services and training programs and products for leveraging diversity and inclusion within organizations. Michelle possesses a Bachelors in Psychology, Masters in Transformative Organizational Leadership, and is in the process of obtaining her PhD in Industrial & Organizational Psychology.

Engaging Remote Workers Through Virtual ERGs and Councils

Today, more than ever, organizations have employees working offsite, from home, and even in different countries. Additionally, 68% of millennials seeking jobs state that the option to work remotely would significantly increase their interest in an employer, according to AfterCollege.com.

According to a forecast of employment trends by the World Economic Forum, work flexibility, including telework, is “one of the biggest drivers of transformation in the workplace.”

With increased demand for employees to work remotely, a challenge for diversity and inclusion programs has emerged. The business challenge is finding the most efficient, productive method to engage with and motivate remote workers.

Employee Resource Groups and Diversity Councils serve to engage and connect employees with similar interest and backgrounds. While this is helpful for employees who are all located in the same site or even same area, for workers who are spread around the country and even around the world, this becomes more problematic for a number of reasons.
Remote workers can have feelings of isolation—feeling different or even excluded, or are considered less committed to the organization by virtue of not being physically present in an office. However, a well-executed and run ERG or Council, can help in fostering a greater sense of inclusion for remote employees in the workplace.

Many Fortune 500 companies are now implementing more remote or virtual ERGs and Councils. While it is not always easy to implement virtual ERGs and Councils, the benefits to both the organization and the employees far outweigh the challenges. A few lessons learned to help new groups as they decide to form include:

1. Partner with your IT team.
The first thing a new or planned virtual group needs to do is to see if their organization has the IT resources to support their group and provide innovative ways to reach as many remote members as possible. Whether it’s problems connecting via the video conferencing equipment or trying to stream or record meetings, your IT team will be the workers you lean on most to make your group work as smoothly as possible. Get them on-board first thing.

2. Get to (really) know your fellow group members.
Being on long calls with a group of people you’ve never met can make meetings feel like a chore. Knowing your fellow group member outside of the reports they produce and the voices you hear on conference calls makes all the difference. As the group is forming, make a concerted effort to know your team on a more personal level, such as knowing their birthdays, names of their children, spouses—even their pets. Ask about hobbies, outside interests, favorite vacation spots! It can help make your team feel more connected to each other and committed to the overall success of the group.

3. Get in virtual face time.
You should try to use video conferencing calls as much as possible, Skype, Facetime, WhatsApp and BlueJeans are all good if your organization does not have the resources for video calls. Face time calls help your group members, who might be working from all corners of the country or globe, to feel like they are really part of a team. Plus, having a face to go with the voice, IMs and emails is always a good thing!

4. Schedule in-person meetings.
If at all possible, look for opportunities to meet in person. Company meetings or training sessions where everyone is flown in to HQ or a mutual location are great times to meet your group members. Conferences, such as the ERG and Council Conference sponsored by the Association of ERGs and Councils, are also good opportunities to being your members together. Also, look for members who live (somewhat) near each other and encourage them to get together for lunch, dinner, or drinks. It helps diminish any possible sense of isolation that they might be feeling and makes them even more committed to your ERG or Council.

Establishing remote and virtual employee resource groups can significantly increase the success of remote employees while also improving engagement and retaining talent. Because these groups are comprised of a diverse array of employees, their ability to bring multiple perspectives and ideas to the table is an added business benefit that organizations should not pass up.
But before creating a group, make sure your company is ready to provide the support necessary for it to succeed. These remote and virtual groups should follow established policy and guidelines for local ERGs and Councils, such as obtaining executive support, selection and election of officers, developing by-laws, goals and objectives as well as abiding by all internal policies and guidelines

Activity vs. Impact

Last month, at the 9th annual Honors Award ceremony, we recognized ERGs and Councils that had measurable impact on their organization that achieved business results. While celebrating the impressive work of the Top 25 ERGs and Councils, it became clear that there is a huge difference between activities and impact.
So what is the difference between activity and impact, and how does one distinguish between the two?

Activity is defined as "energetic action or movement." Collins English dictionary describes activity as "any specific deed, action, pursuit, etc., including recreational activities". It is possible, therefore, for one to be busy engaging in a lot of activities, but not really making a difference. Activity isn't bad in and of itself; but when activity is not directed towards purpose, we aren't as great as we could be. Many times, ERGs and Councils fall into the “more activity is better” rut, thinking the more activities we do the more successful we will be. That is why Pride Parades, Cancer walks, Cinco de Mayo parties and an endless parade of lunch speakers often makes up the bulk of ERG activities. All good, busy work but not a lot of business impact.

Purpose is the definitive link between meaningful activity and impact. This is the single most important factor in your ERG or Council’s ability to lead. Purpose is what makes you distinct, but it is also the motivation behind what you do. If you are going to make an impact on your organization, your purpose must be aligned with your activities. And your activities must be aligned with the organization's business goals.

Activity is powerful when it is coupled with purpose and impact. According to BusinessDictionary.com, impact is a "measure of the tangible and intangible effects (consequences) of one's action or influence upon another." By inference, impact denotes planning, analysis, and outcomes. Hence, impact can be ascertained by asking three (3) simple questions:
• Is there a specific business purpose?
• What will be the outcome of my effort?
• How will the business/organization benefit?

Of course, impact can either be positive or negative. Keep in mind, it’s easier for folks to remember the negative impacts instead of the positive. That is why we must ensure our focus is directed toward the organization’s benefits in terms of:
• Knowledge gained and how that knowledge is applied to the business.
• Behavior or attitude changes.
• Practice or situation changes.
• Results of those behavior, attitude, practice or situation changes.

There is nothing wrong with activities, unless they are not paired with purpose. If you ask yourself these questions and use this checklist as you are planning your group’s activities, you will be more likely to have an impact on your organization that will have lasting value and provide your group with the business credibility it needs to succeed.

No, Employee Resource Groups are Not Passé

Last month, Deloitte rocked the Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) circuit with a startling announcement: they're beginning to close down their employee groups focused on women, ethnic or racial minorities, and other diversity-themed groups. As noted in a Bloomberg Business Week article, the company is eliminating its women's group after more than two decades, and will be phasing out its other groups over the next year and a half.

As a former volunteer leader of one such group, and as a consultant and researcher focused on these groups, the announcement took me by surprise. If anything, these groups -- whether they're called Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), Business Resource Groups (BRGs), Affinity Groups, Employee Networks, or any other similar combination -- have been becoming more popular in recent years, not less. It's hard for me to fathom the idea that Deloitte would believe that these groups aren't adding value anymore.
Employee Resource Groups

For those who may not be familiar: ERGs (as I'll call them, for simplicity) are organizationally sponsored groups of employees, typically run under the guidance of the HR department or a Diversity & Inclusion office, but led by employees who are volunteering their time outside their "day job". In my consulting work, I like to describe ERGs as "grassroots, with guardrails", because they reflect the shared personality of their membership but still follow certain corporate or agency guidelines. Most large organizations have at least a few ERGs, with groups for women and ethnic or racial minorities being most common, but over the years this has expanded to ERGs for people with disabilities, military veterans, LGBT people, parents and caregivers, younger workers, and more. In short, they're on the rise, not fizzling out.
Engaging the Majority

Deloitte's argument is that ERGs can become insular, with only members of a certain demographic participating. For straight, white, able-bodied men, ERGs can feel like a "them" group, not an "us" group. Older white men, as one Deloitte leader noted, "need to be part of the conversation and advocate for women", for example... and that statement implies that they're not engaging with women's ERGs today. In my opinion, this is a symptom of poorly run ERGs, not a construct that's destined to be exclusive. If your senior executives (many of whom identify in the majority groups rather than the groups that ERGs tend to represent) aren't feeling like they are engaged with the ERGs, then that's a problem for which there is a solution -- and the solution isn't getting rid of ERGs.

As an example, years ago I hosted a networking reception for the LGBT ERG at my former employer. For weeks, I made a hard press at every senior leader I knew, trying to drum up attendance and make this a really big event. On the evening of the reception, a young gay coworker came up to me and remarked with awe that he had no idea there were so many LGBT executives at our company. When I shared that several of the leaders present were LGBT, but that many more were not, my colleague was initially perplexed and even a little upset. "Isn't this an event for LGBT people?" he asked me. I responded that it was great that we had several LGBT role models present, but challenged him to consider how great it was that these other senior executives had decided to spend their evening with us, because they cared about their LGBT teammates and wanted us to know that we had their support. Their message, as I shared it, was this: you can be LGBT and still have a successful career here, if you work hard and make an impact, just like every other employee.

Engaging the majority in ERG work doesn't need to be restricted to "executive sponsor" or guest speaker roles, either. Some of the most passionate and engaged volunteer leaders of an LGBT ERG that I previously worked with don't identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender; they're straight people who are committed to making the company a better place to work and our society a better place to live, and sometimes they work harder for those causes than many of the LGBT leaders I know (myself included). In short, if your senior leadership team isn't feeling included by your ERGs, then you're probably not engaging them effectively.
Inclusion Councils vs. ERGs

Deloitte's alternative is inclusion councils, which will give senior executives (who, again, tend to be fairly similar in terms of gender, ethnicity, etc.) more of an opportunity to participate in changing the diversity climate at the organization for the better. This is a great offering, and indeed, these kind of councils are not exactly a new concept. Most large organizations have a "Diversity & Inclusion" council of some sort, and many have multiple levels of councils. (At a previous employer, for instance, there's a Global Diversity & Inclusion Council of senior executives from each major division, and then each of those divisions has its own D&I council that helps implement the strategic guidance of the corporate-wide council.) These are great organizations, with the opportunity to make a real impact, but they're not a suitable replacement for ERGs.

First, vastly more people have the opportunity to participate in ERGs. Virtually every employee can participate in one -- or more -- of the ERGs at their organization. While Deloitte hasn't announced many specifics about these inclusion councils, they almost certainly won't be viable platforms for nearly as many participants. At many large organizations, anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 of the employee population is involved with at least one ERG. When you consider the scope of very large organizations, with hundreds of thousands of employees, you can see just how many people ERGs can include. If Deloitte's inclusion councils are like similar councils that I've seen in organizations -- again, we don't have specifics yet -- then they probably have no more than 10-20 or so members on a council... Even if we assume dozens or even hundreds of councils (which seems unwieldy), that's just not providing an opportunity for very many people to directly engage.

Furthermore, an inclusion council quite simply doesn't have the resources to accomplish everything that ERGs can accomplish. Many organizations have areas of focus for their ERGs that revolve around helping to bring in diverse talent, supporting and developing those employees, creating an inclusive workplace culture, and contributing to business development and community partnerships with diverse customers and clients. An inclusion council can help with some of this, certainly, but it's unlikely that it can have the same impact across the board. One senior diversity leader at Deloitte is quoted as saying that will allow managers "to have a direct role in creating an environment that will keep employees of all backgrounds from leaving the company and help attract new talent." That's a great objective, but again, it doesn't come close to addressing all of the value proposition of ERGs today.

Perhaps most importantly, regardless of any potential flaws or limitations, the undeniable truth is this: when run effectively, ERGs can add significant value to their members, their leaders, the organization, customers or clients, and communities. In my opinion, it doesn't make sense to eliminate something that has been adding unique and meaningful value... and certainly not because some straight white men at the top of the organization are feeling left out.

To be blunt: the fact that you may not be feeling like ERGs are valuable to you is no reason to take them away from many other people who still find extraordinary value in the groups. And as my colleague and former teammate Erika Irish Brown wisely noted, eliminating ERGs potentially "caters to the status quo and comfort of senior leaders instead of the individuals these groups are meant to develop and support."
The Bottom Line

In many cases, ERGs have opportunities to be more open, more inclusive, and more impactful. Inclusion Councils, too, can add great value in certain specific areas, but they don't add value in the same way, or for as many people. The solution isn't to end one in favor of the other; it's to continue to refine and improve both.

Guest Contributor:
Kevin England, Ph.D. is an educator and researcher in the fields of Human Capital and Diversity & Inclusion, with a particular focus on Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). His doctoral dissertation focused on the experience of becoming an ERG leader, and he continues to research and consult about ERGs and other Diversity & Inclusion programs.