Purpose

The template helps clarify the opportunity and justification of DEI efforts in alignment with the company’s mission and objectives. It also provides visibility into the current DEI landscape within the organization, highlighting the key DEI issue areas and supporting data points that illustrate the urgency of those issues.

How to use this tool

A variety of levers can be used to create the business case. Using this tool helps create a compelling business case(s) that leverages internal and external data to show the importance of DEI. Senior HR leaders or DEI practitioners should own this document. They can begin by listing the company mission and then detailing which business OKRs can be most impacted by a DEI strategy. External DEI trends and data points should be included to support the case. Focusing on the business’s industry and direct competitors is more compelling. The current landscape section is where the DEI issues that are most pressing for the organization are identified. Finally, it is important to consider including a mix of issues that can be resolved over the long-term and short-term.