MBN USA
March 02, 2023
Arora shares perspective on going from Z to A
By Junish
Arora, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer
As the new DOC Chief Diversity
Officer (CDO), I wanted to share my perspective on the first critical year in that
role. While it cannot be overstated how important it was for me to navigate the
stakeholder universe and perform a comprehensive review of Diversity, Equity,
Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA), it was also key to go from Z to A, from
DEIA Zeitgeist to DEIA Avatar.
From my initial interview for the
CDO position to my meetings with DEIA partners and stakeholders at DOC, it was
clear that this was the “right time and the right place” for DEIA efforts to
flourish at the agency. There was a strong sense of DEIA Zeitgeist at DOC.
Zeitgeist is German for “spirit of the age” or the social and cultural
circumstances of the time. My job as CDO is to tap into that energy and
enthusiasm for DEIA efforts and use that current to power the infrastructure
for sustainable DEIA strategies, policies, programs, and processes. As CDO, I
need to establish a governance structure, build a community of practice, and
align resources ‒ all of which work to imbed DEIA in the workplace.
The other realization I had as
CDO was that my role required me to transform employees into DEIA Avatars.
Before they were hit movies or virtual reality characters, Avatars were an
Indian concept in which a deity descends from the cosmos and takes human form.
This incarnation undergoes the lived experience of a human and is a powerful
agent of change. In the DEIA context, Avatars serve as a dynamic metaphor for
empathy and understanding different and divergent perspectives; they “walk in
another person’s sandals” and step through a semblance of their experiences. It
is also worth considering that some people might not have the benefit of
sandals, shoes, boots, or bootstraps.
In your journey to become a DEIA
Avatar, you, too, can do this by:
- Joining one of the 100+ Affinity or Employee Resource Groups across the Department
- Participating in DEIA training at the
Commerce Learning Center (such as Exploring Your Role in Workplace DEI (*4
min)) *For Commerce employees only
- Planning, organizing, or participating in
Special Observance or commemorative events to acknowledge the
contributions of the diverse communities that make up our nation
- Mentoring or coaching your diverse
colleagues
- Taking time to discuss DEIA topics in your
staff meetings to create a culture of openness and belonging.
As CDO, I also have the
responsibility to drive leadership accountability and communicate change
priorities, which further entrench DEIA in the workforce. To the employees at
DOC, I hope this post inspires you in our efforts to capture the DEIA Zeitgeist
and become DEIA Avatars! And as always feel free to reach out me at [email protected]
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