
How to Build an Effective DEI Program in Your Organization: A Conversation With Dani Durante

A strong diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program is much more than a feel-good formality. For modern organizations, it’s a strategic imperative. An ethical workplace attracts and retains top talent , engenders customer loyalty and spurs business growth . Simply developing DEI initiatives isn’t enough—shaping a holistic program that will resonate with employees is critical to success.
Dani Durante , executive director of Global Inclusion & Impact at CSG, was recently featured in CMSWire discussing the real impact of DEI on the customer experience. Here, she shares actionable insights on how leaders can build effective DEI programs within their organizations.
How do you measure the effectiveness of a DEI program?
The efficacy of a DEI program is evident in the number of voices you hear in your workplace—the perspectives that are represented. If you look around your organization and see that feedback always comes from the same people or groups, you haven’t created a truly inclusive environment. It’s not just about holding space for everyone or meeting demographic goals; it’s about noting who speaks up in meetings, actively contributes to company culture or feels comfortable sharing their ideas in the workplace. It’s also about setting up your leaders to model and be accountable to leading inclusively. If there is an imbalance there, something needs to change.
Can you share examples of successful DEI strategies that have led to tangible improvements in organizational culture?
At CSG, we take a people-first, culture-first approach. We ask that people bring their most authentic selves to work. In return, we foster an inclusive environment that prioritizes employee experience. Our flexible-first approach empowers employees to choose when, where and how they work, allowing for better work-life integration.
Our DEI initiatives are designed around education and action. We foster inclusivity in the workplace by encouraging conversations around identity, culture and the unique facets we can leverage through our diversity.
