Discovering Your Organization’s ‘Love Language’: A Strategic Approach to DEI

Article By: Arinjayan (AJ) Chandrasekar, Administrative Volunteer

Diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) are not just trending topics; they are critical to fostering sustainable business growth and creating impactful workplace cultures. While many organizations aspire to attract and retain diverse talent, a pressing question remains: Is your organization truly prepared to welcome this talent, or are you merely recruiting into a system that has yet to evolve?

At PARKER HR Solutions, we embrace a human-centered DEI approach inspired by Sharawn Tipton, Chief People and Culture Officer at LiveRamp. Her insights reveal the importance of introspection, alignment, and tangible action in embedding DEI into company culture. Let’s explore how to discover your organization’s unique “love language” to elevate DEI from policy to practice.

 

START FROM WITHIN: DEI BEGINS AT HOME

One of the most common missteps we see in DEI strategies is the “outside-in” approach — aggressively recruiting diverse talent while neglecting to create an inclusive internal environment. This often results in revolving doors: talented individuals come in but quickly leave due to a lack of belonging, equity, or psychological safety. Sharawn Tipton emphasizes that internal reflection is the first step to effective DEI (Paradis, 2024). Conducting comprehensive audits—such as PARKER HR’s “equity walkthroughs”—is critical. These assessments follow the employee lifecycle, identifying barriers such as:

 

Diverse Representation: Are interview panels inclusive?

Promotion Equity: Are criteria unintentionally favoring specific demographics?

Feedback Mechanisms: Is feedback culturally sensitive and inclusive?

This approach allows organizations to unearth biases, revise policies, and foster a culture where inclusion is experienced authentically.

 

ALIGN DEI WITH BUSINESS OUTCOMES, NOT JUST MORALS

In today’s metrics-driven corporate world, DEI must connect to business objectives. Tipton’s recommendation to integrate DEI outcomes with KPIs and executive accountability underscores this principle (Paradis, 2024). At PARKER HR Solutions, we advocate embedding DEI into Objectives and Key Results (OKRs), ensuring measurable outcomes like:

Reduced turnover among underrepresented groups.

Enhanced team innovation.

Growth in diverse leadership pipelines.

By tying DEI to tangible business metrics, companies can ensure sustained momentum beyond moral imperatives.

 

DON’T JUST OPEN THE DOOR — PREPARE THE ROOM

Recruitment is a popular focal point in DEI strategy, but bringing people in before the culture is ready is a recipe for high turnover and brand damage. As Tipton emphasizes, the environment must come first (Paradis, 2024). Diverse talent can spot an unwelcoming environment within the first week: coded language, microaggressions, being “the only” in a room, or not having their voices heard. Before expanding outreach to historically marginalized communities, companies must foster a culture of inclusion and equity from the inside out (Paradis, 2024).

 

Creating an environment that champions equity requires proactive steps such as:

Inclusive leadership workshops.

Safe spaces and psychological support for underrepresented groups.

Ongoing assessments of pay equity and advancement opportunities.

At PARKER HR, our “cultural readiness assessments” help organizations determine whether they’re genuinely prepared to support diverse talent, ensuring DEI efforts are sustainable.

 

WHAT’S YOUR ORGANIZATION’S DEI ‘LOVE LANGUAGE’?

Every company has a unique culture — its own way of communicating, connecting, and celebrating success. Sharawn Tipton calls this an organization’s love language, and it’s the key to authentic DEI messaging and meaningful integration (Paradis, 2024). For some organizations, data is their language: metrics, dashboards, and tangible numbers clearly communicate DEI progress and hold people accountable. Others thrive on storytelling — sharing personal impact narratives that bring DEI to life. Still others rely on relationship-building and deep community ties to foster inclusion and belonging (Paradis, 2024).

At Parker HR, we specialize in helping companies discover and harness their unique DEI love language to make inclusion not just a policy but a lived experience. For example:

A healthcare provider might demonstrate DEI’s impact through improved patient outcomes and stronger team cohesion.

A startup could lean into bold narratives of innovation and disruption to energize DEI efforts.

A financial services firm might require robust ROI reports to justify the value of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs).

When you speak your organization’s love language, DEI becomes part of the culture, not an obligation, but a source of pride.

 

BREAKING BARRIERS: FINDING DIVERSE TALENT AND PROVIDING DEI’s TRUE VALUE

The idea that diverse talent is hard to find is a myth (Paradis, 2024). What’s often missing is intentionality in outreach. Sharawn Tipton encourages partnerships with affinity organizations like the National Society of Black Engineers and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (Paradis, 2024). At PARKER HR, we recommend going further — hosting internships and scholarships for first-generation college students, attending cultural career fairs, and partnering with Indigenous and newcomer employment centers.

But outreach alone isn’t enough. Relationships matter. If underrepresented groups don’t see your company actively engaged in their communities, your employer brand won’t resonate. Investing in visibility and community partnerships requires long-term commitment, but the rewards — authentic connection, trust, and a strong talent pipeline — are lasting. At the same time, in an era of shrinking budgets and growing skepticism, proving the ROI of DEI initiatives is more important than ever. The numbers speak clearly: high-performing Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), improved retention rates, and stronger employee engagement are all hallmarks of successful DEI strategies (Paradis, 2024). We strongly recommend that every DEI initiative include built-in measurement mechanisms — such as pre- and post-program surveys, performance tracking, and structured feedback loops. This allows your DEI efforts to speak the language the C-suite truly understands: measurable business outcomes.

 

DEMONSTRATING THE ROI OF DEI INITIATIVES

At PARKER HR Solutions, we believe DEI success must be measured not just by good intentions but by concrete outcomes that enhance both employee well-being and business performance. That’s why we partner with organizations to conduct comprehensive DEI assessments, craft tailored strategies, and implement actionable initiatives that align deeply with their unique culture and business objectives. Instead of treating DEI as a peripheral or compliance exercise, we help embed equity and inclusion into the core of organizational systems — spanning hiring practices, employee development, leadership accountability, and succession planning. Our approach centers on defining clear, measurable DEI success indicators, including:

Improved engagement and satisfaction scores among underrepresented groups

Reduced turnover rates and increased employee retention

Greater representation in leadership pipelines

The creation and impact of dynamic Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)

With ongoing data tracking and structured feedback loops, we enable organizations to demonstrate the tangible ROI of their DEI efforts in areas such as:

Enhanced employee retention and morale

Boosted team innovation and collaboration

Strengthened brand reputation and client trust

Closer alignment between company values and operational outcomes

Most importantly, we ensure DEI is embraced not as a fleeting initiative or a checkbox exercise, but as a vital, measurable driver of organizational identity and sustainable growth. We empower leaders to clearly articulate and evidence how inclusion fuels performance — fostering workplaces where diversity is not only welcomed but meaningfully sustained.

 

STAYING INSPIRED IN A CHALLENGING LANDSCAPE

DEI work is inherently challenging—especially amid social, political, and economic headwinds. Yet, it is precisely these challenges that call HR leaders, DEI practitioners, and executive sponsors to remain inspired and deeply connected to their “why.” As Tipton wisely reminds us, a truly effective DEI starts with understanding your organization’s unique culture and aligning your strategy accordingly (Paradis, 2024). DEI is not a one-size-fits-all playbook; it must move to the rhythm of your business while remaining anchored in the unwavering conviction that equity and inclusion are fundamental—and worth the fight (Paradis, 2024).

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

Building a genuinely inclusive workplace isn’t about checking boxes or following trends. It’s about reflecting honestly on who you are as an organization, speaking your unique love language, and crafting systems that honor every individual’s right to belong. At PARKER HR Solutions, we walk alongside our clients on this journey—one where DEI is not just a strategy, but the very heartbeat of their organizational culture.

 

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Reference:

Paradis, T. (2024, March 12). Chief People Officer in Tech Shares Tips to Retain Diverse Talent. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/diverse-talent-diversity-retaining-chief-people-officer-2024-3

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