DEI IMPACTS in Oregon and SW Washington

Partners in Diversity & Portland State University are excited to announce a new research project aimed at understanding the impact of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in regional organizations. The DEI IMPACTS Project aims to survey employees from 50 medium-to-large size organizations based in Oregon and SW Washington. We aim to learn:

  1. What is the current state of DEI policy and practice in Oregon and SW Washington organizations?

  2. What are the tangible, bottom-line benefits of effective DEI policy/practice for organizations?

  3. Which policies and practices have the biggest impacts on employee well-being, retention, and commitment?

Only by surveying employees in a wide range of organizations can we pinpoint the policies and practices that create the outcomes organizations care about: retention, attraction, productivity, and organizational commitment. This is why your organization’s participation in this project is crucial; we can’t do it without you!

Benefits for Your Organization:

  • A free report compiled for your organization summarizing key indicators of DEI policy success

  • Access to the full regional report, allowing you to compare your organization’s outcomes to other organizations in the area and understand common challenges and solutions

  • A clear signal of commitment to outcomes-driven DEI policy. By partnering with independent researchers, your employees will know you value their unfiltered feedback and you are committed to understanding the impacts of the policies and practices you’ve spent time and money implementing.

Benefits of This Project Beyond Standard Internal Surveys:

  • Compare outcomes across different organizations in the same region

  • Researcher independence, allowing for confidence that feedback is anonymous and secure

  • Questionnaires developed by experts and validated research

  • Exploration of links between policies and individual and organizational outcomes

  • ·Ethical oversight from Portland State University’s Institutional Review Board

The DEI IMPACTS Project consists of:

  • 1 (one) interview (30-60 minutes) to be conducted with leaders (e.g., HR managers, DEI specialists, executives with knowledge of the organization’s DEI policy/practice)

  • An organization-wide anonymous employee survey in 2 (two) parts (10-15 minutes each)

Interviews and surveys will be conducted by Portland State University researchers Dr. Claudia Toma and Dr. Tessa L. Dover. These researchers are experts in organizational DEI policy and have worked with organizations in both the U.S. and Europe. As a Partners in Diversity member, your commitment to building a maintaining a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace is clear. Join us in strengthening this commitment by participating in the DEI IMPACTS Project, the first of its kind in this region.