Skip to main content

10 Takeaways from the 2020 Houston NEXT: An ERG Summit

Published Oct 26, 2020 by Casey Schrade

Diversity & Inclusion Best Practices Panel

The Partnership convened nearly 700 business leaders, diversity and inclusion officers, HR professionals, recruiters and ERG leaders at the third annual Houston NEXT: An ERG Summit October 15-19. The summit explored how Houston can and should take a leadership role in addressing diversity, equity, inclusion and justice for our region and workplaces.

Through presentations and discussion groups, thought leaders and attendees shared best practices, challenges, recruitment/retention needs and suggestions on championing D&I in the workplace. Here are 10 key takeaways: 

  1. Diversity and inclusion should carry as much weight as any other business measurement in your organization. Diversity of thought and including different voices at the table can help drive business impact and outcomes. Encourage leaders to include a diversity and inclusion component within their performance review metrics. 
     
  2. Use employee resource groups (sometimes called business resource groups) and employee networks to engage people around common passions and interests. Dr. Terri Cooper discussed how Deloitte uses their employee councils as a source to host courageous conversations. “The purpose of these councils is to bring together people of different backgrounds and different experiences to engage in conversations regarding what’s happening in the community, employee well-being, professional development and perhaps most importantly, issues relating to diversity and inclusion.”
     
  3. Executive sponsors, allies and advocates are key supporting elements that allow for employee resource groups (ERGs) to have the greatest impact. Organizations must consider how to measure the success of their ERGs. Are they tied to your talent attraction and retention efforts? Do you look to ERGs for promotions, leadership abilities, etc.? Do you source ideas from your ERGs for innovation within your organization, like policies and procedures?
     
  4. ERGs and employee networks are all about deliberate action and driving culture. Jeff Dingle shared that accountability, matched with elaborate training and a culture of inclusive thought, is the deliberate action Jacobs is taking to drive culture further toward an inclusive environment.
     
  5. It is important to continue to drive research to understand the needs of each generation in the workplace. In a 2017 Deloitte study, it was apparent that many new professionals in the workforce no longer wanted to be seen from a one-dimensional perspective. Young professionals were looking for ways in which they could embrace their multi-dimensional characteristics, come together and create a more collaborative environment to learn from each other, share experiences and truly create an inclusive culture.   
     
  6. Waste Management's Tiana Carter emphasized organizations are reevaluating all aspects of business as a result of the pandemic. Take the step to consider a workforce evolution taskforce, comprised of individuals with different backgrounds, at different levels and different subject matter expertise, to evaluate the need to evolve an organization's business model, workforce, processes, procedures and pandemic response efforts. Be in a position where you are ready to act. You may not have all the answers right now, but transparency is more important and valuable for employees and team members. Be okay with the possibility of having to say, “we may not always get this right but we’re going to try.” It’s that effort that makes people want to go on a journey with you. 
     
  7. All diversity and inclusion efforts start with communication, transparency and accountability. It is important your inclusion and diversity strategy is based on the needs of the employees and what they want, versus what you think they may want and need. Work to understand your employees through courageous conversations at all levels, pulse point surveys, discussion forums and share the results.
     
  8. Attendees shared what an inclusive corporate culture should look like. It's where employees feel they can bring their true selves to work every day without the fear of being judged. Employees are completely comfortable to speak their mind, certain levels of leadership are in the room for D&I discussions and employees can speak comfortably without fear of retribution. Everyone has a voice and access to resources. 
     
  9. The distributed approach adopted by Matt Mullenweg's company Automattic gives employees a great deal of personal freedom and autonomy to get the job done in a space of their choosing and in their own way. “When people are really happy and fulfilled in the rest of their life, they bring their best self to work,” Mullenweg said. He interviews managers in his Distributed podcast to share best practices and he also shares his Distributed Work's Five Levels of Autonomy and encourages companies that can "enable their people to be fully effective in a distributed fashion can and should do it far beyond after this current crisis (the pandemic) has passed."
     
  10. Mullenweg shared there is a difference between remote and distributed work. "The work must get done. When you're in the early levels of distributed autonomy, the people who aren't in the office might actually be remote. They might be operating at 70-80% of someone who is there (in the office). That's a perfect opportunity to identify that and see what you need to do in how you hold meetings, how you communicate and operate to allow them to be fully productive." If you can operate decentralized and work in a distributed model, "you'll be primed to succeed in the coming decades." 

Learn more about the Partnership's Talent Resources Group here. Click here to learn more about the Partnership's work to advance racial equity and justice. 

Related News

Membership

New Partnership Members in September and October

11/22/23
The Greater Houston Partnership welcomed 17 new member companies in the months of September and October. The Partnership works to connect companies with resources, information and networking opportunities to help increase business while also providing a platform to influence the direction of the region. New members joining in the months of September and October include: Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.: Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. is a real estate investment trust based in Pasadena, California that invests in office buildings and laboratories leased to tenants in the life science and technology industries. Website.  BridgeYear: BridgeYear connects underserved youth to careers and educational pathways that provide economic stability and independence. Website.  Career Management Partners: CMP is a minority and woman-owned talent firm in the business of developing people and organizations across the full talent life cycle—from executive search and leadership development to organizational development and career transition support. Website.  CMIT Solutions Houston SW: CMIT Solutions provides managed IT support and cybersecurity services for businesses located in Houston.  Website. Coterra: Coterra Energy is a premier, diversified energy company well positioned to deliver superior and sustainable returns. Website. Easley, Endres, Parkhill & Brackendorff, PC: Easley, Endres, Parkhill & Brackendorff, PC is an accounting firm offering professional accounting services worldwide with specialties that include oil and gas, litigation support, business valuation and transition, tax and estate planning. Website. Enterprise Products Partners LP: Enterprise Products Partners LP offers an integrated energy infrastructure network that provides midstream energy services to producers and consumers of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, refined products and petrochemicals. Website. Genesys Works: Genesys Works' mission is to enable underprivileged high school students to join the economic mainstream by providing them the knowledge and work experience required to succeed as technical professionals. Website.  Henner & Scarbrough LLP: Henner & Scarbrough LLP Providing broad spectrum legal counsel to the construction industry in the USA and globally. Website. Metropia Inc.: Metropia’s technology transcends the traditional MaaS by incorporating transportation systems operations, behavior change intervention strategies and ESG reporting. Website. Parker Wellbore: Parker Wellbore provides advanced wellbore construction solutions for transitioning energy markets. Website. Southwest Schools: Southwest Schools is a choice-based charter school providing a fulfilling educational experience that can be adjusted for each student.  Website. The Branch School: The Branch School works to inspire every child to love, learn and lead in an atmosphere of genuine acceptance and support. Website. The Hunton Group: The Hunton Group is a multifaceted synergistic group of companies providing innovative systems, professional OEM service, comprehensive solutions and high-quality products to its customers. Website. Trevino Consulting Group: TCG is a boutique firm designed to work with primarily, but not exclusively, non-profits, to strategically assist them in moving to the ‘next level’ – however they define that to be. Website.  Umbrage: Umbrage is a crafts-based studio focused on designing, developing and delivering enterprise software while simultaneously forging a process that emboldens change management within an organization. Website.  WGA Consulting Engineers: WGA Consulting Engineers is a professional consulting firm that specializes in commercial site development, land development, utility district services, hydraulics & hydrology, water & wastewater and environmental consulting services. Website. Click here to see the Partnership's Membership Directory. To learn more about membership with the Greater Houston Partnership click here, or contact membership@houston.org.
Read More
Membership

Partnership Members Making News - August & September

10/26/23
The Greater Houston Partnership celebrates our members making important announcements and sharing news about their operations and impact in our community. Learn more about some of those announcements over the last month below.  Business Moves After selecting Houston as its home for carbon capture, utilization and storage operations, Drax signed a lease in the Energy Corridor.  Exxon Mobil’s Baytown manufacturing facility is expanding with the addition of two new chemical productions units. The $2 billion expansion is part of the company’s long-term growth plan.  Mallard Bay, a Louisiana-based online Airbnb-style marketplace for booking guided fishing and hunting trips, expanded their offices into Houston. Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas broke ground on its new production facility in Houston. The new campus will support the manufacturing of key electric warehouse products.    Education  ConocoPhillips is the new official partner of both the Houston Dynamo Football Club and the Houston Dash. The partnership will connect soccer and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) for local students and educators through scholarships, curriculum and theme nights at Shell Energy Stadium.  In honor of its upcoming centennial in 2027, the University of Houston has unveiled plans for a $35 million transformative campus revamp that includes the creation of Centennial Plaza, a multi-purpose gathering space at the heart of the campus. The University of Houston unveiled its new UH-DGH Center for Hydrocarbon Exploration, which will serve as a data center focused on India’s offshore basins, and its geoscience data to investigate production data and exploration.  The University of St. Thomas announced a new 100 percent online graduate degree program - Master of Healthcare Administration, which will begin in spring 2024. Energy Transition New York-based clean energy startup Amogy, a company dedicated to turning ammonia into power, is expanding to Houston with a new manufacturing facility set to open next year. Baker Hughes announced a partnership with Virginia-based Avports to develop, implement and operate onsite solutions for the airport industry with the goal of reducing emissions. Cemvita Corporation announced an agreement with United Airlines, where the company will supply up to 1 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from their first full-scale SAF plant. Microsoft has launched a new energy hub, the Energy Transition Center for Excellence, that will support companies as they evolve their business to become more sustainable and climate-conscious.  Alongside ADNOC, OXY announced they will evaluate investment opportunities in Direct Air Capture facilities and carbon dioxide sequestration hubs in the United States and United Arab Emirates in hopes of developing carbon management platforms to accelerate net-zero goals.  A group of Rice University engineers have developed a record-breaking scalable photoelectrochemical cell that converts sunlight into clean hydrogen. The efficiency rate of 20.8 percent, which has yet to be reached with this type of technology.    Health Care  Harris Health System completed a $48.5 million renovation of Ben Taub Hospital’s emergency department inside the Ginni and Richard Mithoff Trauma Center. HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest opened its hybrid operating rooms as part of its $69 million expansion. The new rooms feature space and technologies for cardiovascular, electrophysiology and surgical procedures.  Houston Methodist ranked alongside Dallas’ UT Southwestern Medical Center as the state’s best hospital, according to U.S. News & World Report. Kelsey-Seybold Clinic is expanding its Cypress location with the addition of a 120,000 square foot building that will include space for an ambulatory surgery center. Texas Children’s Hospital opened its newest building, the Pavilion for Women Tower II. The new medical tower houses women's services outpatient clinics and connects to the Pavilion for Women via a new sky bridge. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center broke ground this week on a new $668 million research facility at the Texas Medical Center’s Helix Park.   Innovation  Axiom Space has signed its fourth mission order with NASA to send a private astronaut mission to the International Space Station.  CLEAR, a secure identity company, announced a partnership with LinkedIn that expands digital safety. Through a new feature, LinkedIn members in Mexico can verify their identity with the CLEAR verified program for free.   Hines rolled out a new smart building platform that allows employees and employers to book spaces within buildings, order food from nearby restaurants, book on-site fitness classes and access the building via their smartphone or smartwatch. Houston Methodist has opened its new Tech Hub at the Ion. Spanning 1,200 square feet, the hub will serve as a common ground for innovators across industries to promote collisions and innovation. Texas A&M University announced plans for a new $200 million research and training facility, funded by the Texas Space Commission. The new facility will serve as a critical resource for lunar and interplanetary missions.    Transportation Through a $10 million, 5-year contract, the Houston METRO will create its own bike share program. The program is expected to begin in 2024 and could grow to 100 stations. If you are a member and want us to help communicate news about your organization, please send a press release or information about the announcement to member.engagement@houston.org and we will share it with our content team for possible inclusion in an upcoming roundup. Learn more about Partnership membership.   
Read More

Related Events

Membership

2024 Annual Meeting

The Greater Houston Partnership's Annual Meeting will set the pace for 2024, convening business and community leaders to celebrate Houston's and the Partnership's work to advance growth and opportunity. The…

Learn More
Learn More
Executive Partners