Discussion Five

Our theme for this week is social responsibility in talent development. Before posting, please read the "Talent Talk" below. This is an interview that I conducted with Halima McWilliams, MS, PHR, CDP, who is Associate Principal, HR Operations & Culture Director at Corgan. I conducted a series of these Talent Talk interviews for my forthcoming textbook, Principles of Talent Development. After reading Halima's thoughts about "conscious inclusion," then please respond to one or more of the following questions:

Talent Talk Interview: Halima McWilliams, MS, PHR, CDP

Associate Principal, HR Operations & Culture Director at Corgan

What impact can DEI have upon employee engagement, retention and organizational competiveness?

For prospective or current employees of any organization, being able to connect to not only your work, but to the organization's culture, feeling that you belong and having psychological wellbeing are core ingredients to one's sense of belonging. This connection to the organization has a positive effect on retention of employees, engagement, intrinsic output and sense of purpose for self and the organization.

In your experience, what are the most effective methods and talent development practices to create an inclusive community?

A mixture of traditional methods such as unconscious bias or as I call it "Conscious Inclusion" learning, coupled with smaller, more intimate opportunities such as listening sessions and community conversations are essential elements in creating an inclusive community.

Creating and intentionally embedding DEI learning content into all aspects of business are imperative for helping to reframe thinking and ultimately impact more inclusive behaviors and actions. It is my belief that responsible and conscious organizations are pushing out DEI and cultural learning as well as providing opportunities for employees to pull down information, learning resources, and approach the content at their own pace. Normalizing conversations, practices, policies and actions about DEI helps to make it not so scary for people to talk about. These conversations are a necessary part of creating a positive employee experience for everyone.

Can you think of an example of a talent development DEI success story?

What I have seen in the past few years that has been widely successful is ensuring that HR Business Partners, Learning & Development practitioners and People Managers have increased their individual and collective competence regarding DEI. This increased competence has allowed for DEI not to be shouldered by one influencer of the organization, i.e. the Chief Diversity Officer, but now that there is shared understanding. This scales the influence and impact that HR can have with the organization and help to advance better and more inclusive people practices.

One example is HR Business Partners working with their client leaders in the arena of succession planning and talent reviews. They approach those discussions with better intention and curiosity around why women, differently abled people or people of color may not be moving as quickly through an organization or getting similar stretch opportunities. With HR and Learning practitioners being better equipped with the right language and competence to facilitate those conversations, it not only amplifies HR as a true business partner, but it also demonstrates continued commitment to disrupting and redesigning systems that leave untapped talent on the margins.

Question one or more of the follow questions below after reading interview above.

1. What steps could your organization take to foster conscious inclusion?

2. In addition to succession planning, what strategies can HR business partners implement to reach untapped talent?

3. What other observations or comments do you have in response to Halima's comments?