107 - Realities and Prospects for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the International Development Workforce – Using Data to Weave a Complex Story

Abstract Information: The last three years – including the globalization of Black Lives Matter anti-racism protests and COVID-19 – highlighted the social fractures in our world and inspired a culturing tipping point for those working in the global development sector. Against this backdrop, Social Impact (SI) and the Canopy Lab were inspired to take a magnifying glass to our workforce - to untangle the structures, rules, and relationships that influence who advances in our sector. The stories from the data reveal how our sector is struggling to be a diverse and inclusive place, especially at the leadership level, and the diversity of future leaders is at risk unless organization- and industry-level changes are made. This session will discuss key findings and important questions that arise based on this data. For example, “What are the implications on the global development sector and our hard-won DEI advancements? How can we reimagine an industry that supports equity and inclusion in its workforce?” Our session will examine how measuring DEI can tell different stories than that which meet the eye and how those stories can spur action. By taking structured approaches to measuring DEI and connecting the dots between these studies through storytelling, we can improve our dialogue, actively listen to the study participants, and learn how to create more inclusive spaces.

Relevance Statement: Our teams see two primary components relevant to the field of evaluation: 1. Contributing to approaches to measuring and advancing DEI through storytelling, including the development of tested tools, language, and evaluative processes to measure DEI. Measuring DEI is complex and requires an approach reflective of the fluidity and nuance required to understand individual and institutional identities. The systematic approaches that underpin our studies provide the foundation to weave a powerful story of how individuals experience their profession, what they want in their future, and how organizations are attempting to meet these wants or missing the mark. Both the Social Impact and Canopy Lab teams have learned and adapted approaches to how we ask questions, analyze responses, and present information on such a complex and context-specific topic as DEI. We measured DEI in different ways – at the individual level, via the Canopy Lab studies, and at the institutional-level, via the BRIDGE surveys. Our teams can contribute to the field of evaluation by sharing these learnings and learning from others who have done similar work. 2. Evaluating ourselves to spotlight gaps. We frequently conduct evaluations of our programs and spend time discussing and debating the intricacies of our methodologies, including how to be more inclusive and responsive to traditionally marginalized populations. Rarely are we, ourselves, the subjects of an evaluation. Through our two studies, we ask ourselves: “What are the implications for the field of evaluation when our workforce is neither diverse nor inclusive? How can we, as evaluators, contribute to responsive and transformative evaluations if we lack a workforce that reflects our communities and the lived experiences of what is being evaluated? What does the future of evaluation look like if our industry fails to be a space that supports the advancement of women and other underrepresented groups into leadership positions?” As our studies highlight, our sector is struggling to be a diverse and inclusive place at the decision and change-making levels. These challenges are likely to persist if a disproportionate number of women and other underrepresented groups continue to reduce scope or leave the industry due to non-work responsibilities. What are the opportunities to reimagine our industry and hold ourselves and our colleagues accountable to becoming an inclusive and equitable space?