The Critical Role of Line Managers in Making DEI a Reality

There is a lot that has been said about how important it is to secure executive and senior management buy-in for DEIB and while that is true, we have oftentimes overlooked the one critical lever: Line Managers. While executive and senior leadership sets the tone, the values, and the strategy, it is the middle managers who hold the keys to an organization’s culture. They control the employees’ day-to-day experience and are responsible for executing and turning strategy into reality. Thus, to effect change and transform the culture of a company, line managers need to be aligned, bought in, engaged, empowered, and equipped with the training, policies, framework, and tools they need to operationalize DEIB in the day-to-day management of the organization and its teams.

• Understand the critical role of line managers in operationalizing DEIB in the organization
• Identify the potential challenges in engaging line managers
• Take away tools and resources to help line managers practice conscious inclusion in day-to-day management