WHAT IS THIS PROJECT?

The DEI IMPACTS project is a collaboration between Partners in Diversity and Portland State University researchers, assessing the impacts of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in Oregon and SW Washington. It is a large-scale regional study of  about 50 organizations.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

We are seeking medium-to-large organizations (100+ employees) that are interested in enhancing DEI initiatives at their organizations and that are a member organization of Partners in Diversity. We are specifically seeking organizations based in Oregon and SW Washington, and are seeking feedback from employees who work and live locally.

WHAT IS REQUIRED OF MY ORGANIZATION?

Researchers will interview one leader of the organization  (likely HR managers, DEI specialists, or executives with knowledge of DEI policy/practice at the organization). Organizational representatives will then be asked to distribute anonymous surveys to local employees via internal channels and encourage employees to participate. The last chance to participate is February 2024.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS FOR MY ORGANIZATION OF PARTICIPATING IN THE PROJECT?

There are several benefits to participating in this project, including:

  1. A free report compiled for your organization summarizing key indicators of DEI policy success

  2. Access to the full regional report, allowing you to compare your organization’s outcomes to other organizations in the area and understand common challenges and solutions

  3. A clear signal of commitment to outcomes-driven DEI policy. By partnering with independent researchers, your employees will know you value their unfiltered feedback and you are committed to understanding the impacts of the policies and practices you’ve spent time and money implementing.

WE ALREADY DO REGULAR ENGAGEMENT SURVEYS AT MY ORGANIZATION. WHY IS PARTICIPATING IN THIS PROJECT HELPFUL?

Beyond the insights you can learn with a regular engagement survey, this project offers:

  • Ability to compare outcomes across different organizations in the same region

  • Independence of researchers, allowing for more employee confidence that feedback will be anonymous and secure

  • Questionnaires developed by experts and validated research

  • Exploration of links between policies and individual & organizational outcomes

  • Ethical oversight from Portland State University’s Institutional Review Board

WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH THE DATA?

Data will be used in three ways:

  1. Compile data for exclusive report shared only with you

  2. Compile data from participating organizations to create a regional DEI policy/practice impact report, shared publicly without organization-specific details.

  3. The data may be used to write articles for scientific journals, with organization names omitted unless permission is explicitly granted

WHAT IS THE COST OF PARTICIPATING?

There is no cost associated with participating. Reports will be compiled free of charge, and no consulting fees will be assessed from organizations.

WILL PEOPLE KNOW IF MY ORGANIZATION PARTICIPATES?

We will only disclose organizational participants with explicit permission. Beyond providing your organizational representative with the report summarizing findings from the project, we will never share findings specific to your organization. Names or identities of specific employees participating in the project will NEVER be shared.

Our surveys are designed to ask the following research questions:

  • What is the current state of DEI policy and practice in Oregon and SW Washington organizations?

  • What are the tangible, bottom-line benefits of effective DEI policy/practice for organizations?

  • What is the impact of DEI policies and practices on employee well-being, retention, and commitment?

To answer these questions, we will be asking about existing DEI-related policies, employee well-being, organizational commitment, turnover intentions, sense of inclusion, team functionality, and overall satisfaction. A draft of the questionnaire items can be found here.

WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU MEASURING IN THESE SURVEYS?

HOW DO I GET STARTED?

If you are a representative of your organization, you can start by attending an info session with the researchers. You can sign up for such an info session here: https://forms.gle/Hz71gkD3kRK9rCSP7. If you have specific questions, you can also email us at hello@parternsindiversity.org. If you aren’t a representative of your organization but think that your organization could benefit from participation in this project, you can send the link to this info page to an organizational representative (e.g., HR manager) and encourage them to attend an info session.

WHO IS RUNNING THIS PROJECT?

This project is a collaboration between Partners in Diversity and Portland State University. Specifically, diversity experts Dr. Claudia Toma, Ph.D. and Dr. Tessa L. Dover, Ph.D. will be in charge of collecting and analyzing data, and Partners in Diversity will administer the project and translate the findings into actionable suggestions for Oregon and SW Washington employers

WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS OF THE RESEARCHERS?

Together, Drs. Toma and Dover have published more than 75 articles in scientific journals and have worked with countless organizations to measure the impact of policy on employees.

Dr. Toma is a professor of organizational behavior and leadership at the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management at ULB in Belgium. She teaches MBA and Ph.D. students and conducts research on leadership and diversity management in organizations. She is on a Fulbright Fellowship at Portland State University this year, working on this project and its European arm in Brussels.

Dr. Dover is an associate professor of applied social psychology at Portland State University. She teaches undergraduate and Ph.D. students and conducts research on the psychological impacts of DEI policy, including factors that facilitate or impede effective DEI management.

WHO IS OVERSEEING THIS PROJECT?

This project has been approved by Portland State University’s Institutional Review Board, a body that oversees research involving human participants. This board is charged with ensuring that research is conducted in an ethical and transparent way and that all participants understand their rights before participating in research. If you would like to contact Portland State University’s Institutional Review Board, you can contact them at (503) 725-5484. The protocol number for this project is 238253-18