Daly challenges MSC commanders during Project Inclusion update

Photo By Eben Boothby | Army Materiel Command's Commander Gen. Ed Daly is challenging his subordinate leaders to conduct self-assessments and identify ways to promote diversity and inclusion throughout the organization's enterprise in support of the Army's Project Inclusion initiative.  

REDSTONE ARSENAL, ALABAMA, UNITED STATES

08.18.2020

Story by Alyssa Crockett 

U.S. Army Materiel Command   

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – After directing his 11 major subordinate commands to conduct 30-day self-assessments of the current diversity demographics within their organizations, Army Materiel Command’s top leader Gen. Ed Daly met with his commanders Aug. 14 to discuss their outcomes.

Daly charged the commanders in a July 23 meeting to embrace the Army’s Project Inclusion initiative that seeks to improve inclusion and diversity across the force, and gave them a month to develop back-briefs on their assessments and action plans.

“I want to know how each command sees themselves, the way the workforce sees you — it’s all about perception versus reality,” he said.

During the meeting, commanders briefed feedback they received from listening and sensing sessions they conducted in their respective organizations, which helped identify diversity and inclusion strengths and challenges each organization faces.

A prevailing theme throughout the meeting was hiring processes and practices, a challenge Daly says he plans to carry out a holistic review of in the upcoming weeks.

“I firmly believe I need to put something out that gets after hiring and recruiting,” he said. “I intend to publish a hiring policy within the next thirty days. It will leave latitude with the MSCs to execute with intent.”

Commanders also identified compliance with Army policy regarding public display and depiction of flags and other information related to Project Inclusion.

Daly challenged commanders to continue their efforts to see themselves better, adding that focusing on listening sessions will play a key role as commanders develop their action plans.

“Next time, I want you to tell me what you’ve learned from your listening sessions,” he said. “Listening sessions are only as good as how well you run them. Soliciting honest, candid, universal, comprehensive, holistic feedback from the workforce is the purpose of the sessions. If you’re running them correctly, you should be asking things like: How well are we doing in regards to the program we have in place? What are the problems in that program? What would you like to see different about it?”

In the next month, Daly wants to meet with AMC leaders to organize a framework that shows: what actions leaders plan to take and the effects they will achieve. In an effort to identify those actions, he wants to ensure employees are starting to feel tangible results of the changes implemented by leaders.

“I want you to leave no stone unturned.” Daly said. “I want to know, are you starting to feel the effects of it? Is the workforce starting to feel the effects of it? Where are we still missing the mark on this? Where are our blind spots? Where are our unconscious biases?”

Daly wants employees throughout the AMC enterprise to be willing to facilitate productive conversations about race in the workplace, which he says is vital to increasing diversity and inclusion in the organization.

“I want to make sure that people get comfortable talking about the uncomfortable,” he said. “I need people to start talking about it and have dialogue. Only with a culture change can we really make progress.”

During closing comments, Daly highlighted the importance of organizations fostering a culture that prioritizes diversity and inclusion programs and practices.

“There are many studies and empirical data that shows diverse organizations perform so much better than homogenous organizations – whether it’s based on experience, gender or race,” said Daly. “We want diversity — diversity of thought, diversity of gender, and more – this is critical and we are doing this because, quite frankly, it makes a difference.”

• Date Taken: 08.18.2020
• Date Posted: 08.18.2020 10:40
• Story ID: 376234
• Location: REDSTONE ARSENAL, ALABAMA, US