In November, the ACEC Research Institute released its first-ever Diversity Roadmap report using data gleaned from a sixmonth process designed to help member firms execute against their diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEI&B) goals.
The Diversity Roadmap is a comprehensive, data-driven tool that assesses the maturity of a firm’s DEI&B program. It then takes it a step further, offering actionable suggestions on how a firm can make further progress on its diversity journey. With the Roadmap, firms have at their fingertips what they are doing well, what they can improve upon, and what they can do to bridge those gaps. To participate, firms were asked a series of questions about their practices in a variety of areas: workplace, workforce, marketplace, and supplier/community. They were then scored on their answers to specific questions in each of these sections, as well as overall.
The Roadmap also collected information about responding firms’ size, location, revenue, and demographic composition of employees. Taken together, these data provide a unique look into the state of the engineering industry’s progress toward a more diverse workforce.
And that progress is not merely a “nice to have” or even the “right thing to do.” Chad Clinehens, president and CEO of Zweig Group, which sponsored the study, contends that creating an inclusive and diverse workforce has become nothing short of a business imperative. “This is about solving a business problem and empowering not only [firms] but the industry in becoming more competitive for workplace talent,” he says. As employers across every sector continue to fight for qualified workers, workplace culture is an important front on the recruitment battlefield.
At the time of this writing, nearly 200 ACEC member firms have participated in the Roadmap initiative, signaling both a willingness and an appetite for creating those diverse workplaces. The data show that most member firms are early in their journey: 80 percent scored as “aspiring,” 17 percent were assessed as “emerging,” 3 percent were “managing,” and 1 percent were “optimizing.”
These numbers tell part, but not all, of the story. When drilled down, the data reveal that firm leaders show significant support for DEI&B issues. One important point: The majority of responding firms have a CEO or president who always or often articulates a commitment to those issues (68 percent). This support is less common down the leadership chain. The takeaway from these numbers is that implementing and integrating DEI&B initiatives will require “tone from the top” leadership at an organization’s highest levels.
One of those leaders is Kimley-Horn President and CEO Steven Lefton, who stated that building a diverse workforce is critical to the future success of the engineering industry. “We are fortunate to be part of an industry that improves how people live, work, and play,” he says. “Creating these inclusive communities is only possible by fostering diverse perspectives, skills, and backgrounds.”
That sentiment was echoed by Mead & Hunt CEO Andy Platz. “When the diversity of the end user is reflected in our project teams…we are empowered to implement projects that address unique needs within a community,” he says. “This intentionally inclusive approach is one of the ways we can best serve our clients and their communities.”
Respondents to the study seem to agree in principle. More than two-thirds (68 percent) of firms have initiatives for creating an inclusive work environment for all employees; nearly as many (64 percent) have mechanisms in place for actively recruiting diverse candidates. Nearly half (49 percent) are seeking to broaden awareness of DEI&B topics, while 42 percent communicate the importance of these issues to their employees. Though 24 percent report having no DEI&B initiatives, these firms’ participation in the study would seem to signal at least some level of willingness and interest.
Interestingly, the study found that smaller firms—those with 25 or fewer employees—provide a stark contrast to the largest firms (more than 500 full-time employees). While smaller firms are less likely to have DEI&B strategies in place, they demonstrate their commitment in other ways. At small firms, the leader of the firm is often also the leader of DEI&B initiatives, providing a direct tone from the top that larger, more complex firms may find more difficult to achieve.
Overall, the study found that, irrespective of size, engineering firms are aware of the need for DEI&B processes and initiatives, and they do not find DEI&B to be an unnecessary burden. The will exists; it’s the implementation and execution that’s uneven. Smaller firms lack the resources to stand up robust programs, while larger ones contend with the innate complexity of implementing wide-scale change.
Still, the authors contend, for engineering firms there is both opportunity and obligation in DEI&B—and the Roadmap provides clear actions that firms can take to seize the opportunity and rise to the obligation. And it has never been more important that they do.
“It’s critical to be intentional about fostering inclusive, diverse, equitable cultures and workplaces where people of all backgrounds feel like they belong and thrive,” says ACEC Research Institute Chair Mike Carragher, president and CEO of VHB. “Our industry is a remarkable one to be part of, and together we can accomplish tremendous engineering feats, truly making a positive impact on our communities and our world.”
Continue on your DEI&B journey. Access the Diversity Roadmap report by scanning the QR code.