Creating a D&I Network: tips from our GROW Network
We often hear from our dealer and broker partners that they want to set up their own diversity and inclusion (D&I) network, but they don’t know where to start, or that it seems like a complicated process.
At MotoNovo, we have learned from GROW (Generating Real Opportunities for Women), our internal Women’s Network, and from a number of other D&I initiatives that there are a number of things to consider when setting up an internal network. To help dealers on their D&I journeys, we’ve put together a whistle-stop tour of how they can get started.
Before we outline our learnings, we need to stress that there is no ‘right’ way to promote diversity and inclusion in a business and that the two most crucial factors are:
- Leadership support and engagement in the programme.
- A passion for creating a positive impact and a willingness to give it a go.
It's also important to stress that any impact an in-house network can make, no matter how small, is an achievement – every inch of progress is a success, and over time, these all add up.
Knowing where to get started can be tricky, but here’s the five-step process that helps us:
- Vision
- Objectives
- People
- Decision Making
- Support
Decide on a vision for your network
First of all, agree on the network's vision. What do you want to achieve, who is it intended to support, and how do you imagine it looking when it’s successfully underway?
For example, the Automotive 30 organisation, which aims to achieve a better gender balance within the automotive industry, has a vision to fill at least 30% of key leadership positions in the member organisations with women by 2030 through a “30 by 30” strategy.
Objectives
Once you have the vision for your network, set three to four ambitious, SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) objectives for your network actions alongside them to show how they will be met in practice.
These could include a greater diversity mix in your business or its leadership, the development of the business’ recruitment, training and career processes and policies, or ongoing involvement with other local networks, such as the Chamber of Commerce or FSB, to help gain fresh insights, for example.
People
Involve a variety of people passionate about improving diversity and inclusion. After all, this is usually done alongside a day-to-day job, so you need people with motivation. These should include people inside your business but could include external people whose skills can add to the group or as guest speakers/contributors.
Decision-making
A transparent decision-making process is critical. Hopefully, ideas, inspiration and discussion will flourish, but it is essential that these lead to action and outcomes. Experience says this is about establishing controls with roles, responsibilities and accountability.
You could nominate a chairperson who has the final say after hearing from the various group members, or you could put things to a vote. However you do it, ensure it’s clear and communicated to the network members from the outset.
Support
Earlier, we highlighted the importance of business leadership support and engagement in the programme. However, this does not mean that the network should be ‘top-down’ led, far from it. From our experience, being colleague-led while having a business leader as a sponsor is a valuable combination with the business leader supporting the chairperson, removing blockers, and managing budget requests.
Finally…
If creating an in-house D&I network is not feasible, join GROW and be part of a network designed to support D&I across the automotive retailing sector; the team can be contacted at [email protected].
