Equity is one of IHI’s values

Equity is a continuous improvement journey. Over the past 10 years, IHI has learned the importance of working at the individual, interpersonal, and institutional levels to advance equity.

To achieve our mission to improve health and healthcare worldwide, IHI is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and being an anti-racist organization. In 2018, staff came together to redefine IHI’s organizational values of love, courage, equity, and trust.

What this means at IHI: We work to develop and maintain systems, policies, and procedures that eliminate gaps in our organization and in our work. We tell the truth about inequities, value all voices, and recognize that everyone’s ability to thrive is interconnected.

Improving equity at IHI

To successfully work with others to improve equity, IHI must also do its own work internally. Diversity, inclusion, and equity require the expertise and perspectives of people with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.

Our internal equity work has a dual aim:

• Develop a workforce representative of the communities where IHI lives and works.
• Cultivate a working environment where all staff can thrive and achieve their full potential.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to diversity, inclusion, and equity. IHI has staff based in the United States, Ethiopia, and countries around the world. We continue to work with staff and partners globally to maintain diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces wherever our people are based.

Transparency and accountability matter. IHI is committed to publicly reporting data on diversity, inclusion, and equity. We believe it is important to be transparent about both our successes and challenges, model the behavior we hope others will emulate, and improve these measures over time.

Developing a representative workforce

With guidance and support from the IHI Board of Directors, our internal equity efforts began with a focus on increasing the diversity of IHI staff, leaders, and board members.

We track these data over time to evaluate equity in recruiting and hiring processes, strengthen talent pools at every stage, and improve representation across IHI. While diversity is important, IHI recognizes that diversity alone is never enough to foster inclusion and equity.

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Cultivating an environment where all staff thrive

Improving diversity is only the beginning. We must also listen deeply to staff experiences and be willing to identify inequities in the workplace. We need to be willing to look for inequities in the experience of people in the workplace.

For years, IHI’s employee satisfaction scores were consistently high when reviewed in the aggregate. In 2017, as part of our internal equity improvement efforts, staff could voluntarily identify as White or as a Person of Color in internal surveys. This enabled IHI to begin stratifying data by race and ethnicity and pairing data with stories of staff experience.

What we learned: The first stratified survey showed a 28 percent difference between staff of color and White staff in agreement with the statement, “Overall, IHI is an excellent place to work.” Approximately 96 percent of White staff agreed or strongly agreed, compared with 68 percent of staff of color.

This finding challenged us to look deeper at staff feedback and other markers of experience. It continues to inform changes and improvement ideas that can strengthen the experience of all staff across the organization.

Some of IHI’s efforts include:

• Designated safe spaces for staff of color to discuss their experiences and offer mutual support.
• Racial justice affinity groups for White staff and staff of color, led by external coaches.
• Regular diversity, equity, and inclusion training for all staff.
• Ongoing work to improve the transparency of IHI’s promotion and compensation processes.

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