“Diverse teams who have cohered at a team — this means they’ve done some work — outperform homogenous teams,” says ABA SVP Naomi Mercer. “Diverse teams who haven’t done that work of inclusion underperform homogenous teams.”

On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — sponsored by SmartStream — Mercer goes beyond diversity to explore how banks and other businesses can apply intersecting practices of diversity, equity and inclusion. Distilling insights from her new book, DEI Foundations, Mercer discusses:

• How to learn from mistakes in DEI practices.
• The importance of moving unconscious biases into the conscious environment where they can better be addressed.
• The usefulness of DEI self-assessments and audits in building DEI strategies.
• How banks of all sizes are seeking to be more diverse, equitable and inclusive.

Learn more: Download a copy of DEI Foundations.