As a prominent influencer of diversity, the Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leader at Deloitte US has made a magnificent contribution to paving the way to a culture fit for the industry’s most driven workers. The HR Digest had the opportunity to interview Kavitha Prabhakar who provided some illuminating insights on how Deloitte US is equipped to drive change in its workforce, and what lessons have been reinforced over the past year to help the innovation engine become future ready.
The HR Digest: Under your leadership, Deloitte continues to make great strides in the field of diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I). In these past few years, you also implemented several strategic initiatives to build a company that helps people from all walks of life accelerate in the workplace. How do you measure the value these programs bring to the company?
Kavitha Prabhakar: In terms of our DEI efforts, we are continuously challenging and reevaluating our understanding, our policies, and our processes. We’ve made progress, but we want to make much more–we are on a journey without a finish line. All three aspects (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) have an inter-related–and equally important–role in driving progress. DEI is at the very core of our purpose as an organization and our success as a business.
Measuring value is the measurement of equity, it’s not about meeting numbers, rather, it’s about understanding the value it brings to the business. We set the standard for DEI by creating the culture and the systems that ensure everyone is empowered to thrive as their exceptional selves and reach their full potential.
What other initiatives are you most proud of at Deloitte?
I’m proud of many of the initiatives we’ve put in place and the strides we continue to make as an organization. One example has been the meaningful progress we’ve made toward our mission to improve experiences for our Black professionals and communities, including the launch and execution of Deloitte’s Black Action Council (BAC) in June 2020. As a founding co-chair, this was a responsive action to societal events, and we created the council to help us identify and drive interventions for our Black professionals that has had a positive impact on all our people. Additionally, the release of our first DEI Transparency Report last year was a huge accomplishment. It has helped us improve and make better-informed decisions around our DEI efforts. We shared our workforce data for the first time, and we are building on this so that leaders have access to the data they need to make informed decisions that advance our DEI agenda. And we are extremely excited for our second DEI Transparency Report to be released later this year.
From your perspective, what are the most immediate opportunities for companies around cultivating a culture where diversity, equity, and inclusion are woven into its fabric, both internally and externally?
The truth is, building a culture of equity is not a quick fix, it should be very deliberate and strategic, but that said, actively taking simple, everyday actions toward allyship should be a priority and can start immediately. Some steps toward allyship include active listening and using your voice to address non-inclusive behaviors. A shift in mindsets doesn’t happen overnight. You can drive equity as an outcome by identifying and addressing opportunities for potential bias in systems, policies, and processes
But, as a start, leadership buy-in is of utmost importance when trying to shift a company’s culture is ensuring they are championing the changes, starting with the CEO, moving to the board and so on. A top-down commitment to these cultural changes is the best way to ensure there’s a reciprocal devotedness to an equitable culture throughout the organization.
We try and celebrate our people, not for how well they fit into our culture, but for everything they add to it–we don’t think of culture as a box employees need to fit into.
“Measuring value is the measurement of equity, it’s not about meeting numbers, rather, it’s about understanding the value it brings to the business.”
What experiences, people, or philosophies have most influenced the way you view and practice diversity, and why?
Deloitte welcomes having uncomfortable conversations where individuals can hear and share a wide variety of thoughts and perspectives that are listened to and respected. I’ve always loved this because getting to a real place of equity and inclusion, you need to challenge our own biases in the DEI space as an intentional act of self-awareness. It takes reflection, it takes understanding, and it takes time. It’s not always about just absorbing and learning in order to do better; at times it’s unlearning too.
We should consciously and constantly challenge ourselves to think about where our ideas or behaviors come from and ask ourselves if they reflect our personal values or if they’re simply concepts that have been imposed on us by society or perhaps learned at a very young age when not entirely understood. When we realize that we have an idea, a perspective or a behavior, that is a reflection of biases we have the responsibility to each other to engage in unlearning so we can better show up as allies. As a proud immigrant, mother, and woman in technology, I have personally benefited from the power of allyship while continuing to action allyship for others.
“The truth is, building a culture of equity is not a quick fix, it should be very deliberate and strategic, but that said, actively taking simple, everyday actions toward allyship should be a priority and can start immediately.”
Do you have any initiatives or areas you plan to focus on in the coming years?
We have been championing 2022 as a Year of Allyship, through that we’re introducing expanded resources to help our professionals take more active roles in the practice of empathizing with the experiences of others, looking out for biases, and actively using their voice and power to advance equity.
We’ve also recently launched our DEI Institute, created to pursue sustained equity and belonging for all. The Institute plans to provide cutting-edge research, bold points of view, and impactful events that can help business and community leaders drive meaningful change in workforces, marketplaces, and society. The DEI institute will be a catalyst for change by driving ground-breaking research on emerging DEI trends and issues, building on seminal research such as The Equity Imperative, convening and collaborating with organizations, thought leaders, academics and businesses, and leveraging Deloitte’s experience and network to champion DEI in business.
Sustaining efforts around DEI involves ongoing commitment, investment and action and Deloitte is steadfast in its journey to advance equitable outcomes, and I’m thrilled to be here to witness everything the future holds.