Reconstructing Inclusion S1E13: The Role of DEI in Startups and Scaling Enterprises: Insights from Laura Smith

Reconstructing Inclusion Podcast

In this episode of the ‘Reconstructing Inclusion’ podcast, Amri interviews Laura Smith, a celebrated organizational researcher and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategist. Laura shares her journey from Detroit to Europe, her encounters with distinct cultures, and the notion of work in different countries. She highlights the significance of DEI in startup and scale-up companies, discussing a data-driven approach to understanding employee safety, company culture, and readiness to respond.

In this episode, Laura also talks about her experiences navigating DEI in various cultural contexts, particularly in the Nordic startup scene. They discuss the importance of intentionality in DEI work and the need for understanding the people and their contexts in the industries we serve. Laura shares her thoughts on the concept of 'becoming black', the meaning of work in different cultural contexts, and the important role of data in DEI work. She emphasizes the need to look beyond who's in the room, to ensuring conditions are created for them to thrive wherever they might be.

Timestamps

01:24 Getting to Know Laura Smith

04:25 Laura's Journey and Background

07:24 The Importance of Inclusion in Growth

09:55 The Work of ValiDEI

13:26 Understanding the Meaning of Work

17:29 Laura's Experience of Blackness

23:27 Transitioning to the World of Startups

24:07 The Importance of Intentionality in Startups

24:59 The Challenge of Inclusion in Startups

25:54 The Role of Diversity in Global Products

27:57 The Reality of Failure and Learning Opportunities

29:43 The Importance of Building Bridges in DEI

30:46 The Role of Investors in DEI

31:20 The Importance of Understanding People in DEI

33:16 The Current State of DEI in the Nordics

36:48 The Use of Data in DEI

41:57 The Personal Impact of Living Abroad

About the Guest

Laura Smith is an experienced organizational researcher, communications director, and strategist who helps companies discover impactful ways of becoming more inclusive, equitable, and empowering.

As founder of VALIDEI, an organizational research agency, she coordinates cross-functional research teams across Europe to deliver audits, experiments, and insights to support socially responsible businesses.

As a people-minded and data-informed professional, Laura develops organization-specific metrics, OKRs, and best practices for inclusive organizational development, communications, recruitment, and employer branding for growth companies.

She frequently collaborates with DEI and ESG agencies across the Nordics, subcontracting as a researcher or analyst. Learn more about her work by visiting https://www.validei.com/

About the Host

As CEO/Founder of Inclusion Wins, Amri B. Johnson and a virtual collective of partners converge organizational purpose to create global impact with a lens of inclusion.

His theory of change is focused on building ‘Inclusion Systems.’ Inclusion systems provide direction and momentum in the complexity of organizations that allow them to be antifragile—leaning into and engaging with resistance, stressors, disruptions, and disequilibrium and being stronger as a result of such engagement.

His book, Reconstructing Inclusion: Making DEI Accessible, Actionable, and Sustainable outlines how organizations can create inclusion-normative cultures and build approaches to DEI that are designed for and with everyone, unambiguously prioritized, and purpose-aligned.

Born in Topeka, Kansas (USA), Amri has worked and lived in the U.S., Brazil, and currently lives in Basel, Switzerland, with his wife Martina and their three kids.

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