Successfully approaching diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) in tech almost paradoxically combines a business-led acumen with the baseline philosophy of “humans at the heart of it,” according to Senior Director of DEI Initiatives and Partnerships at Extreme Networks Demetrius Cunningham.

Cunningham has over two decades of experience in tech. He joined the networking company four years ago through the Aerohive Acquisition, working in business development and leading the Black@Extreme initiative until he was brought on as senior director of DEI initiatives to work alongside Chief Diversity Officer Kimberley Basnight. Because Basnight is also SVP of talent, Cunningham was brought on to meet the need for “someone that is solely dedicated to DEI.”

“It’s about the people… Let's make sure that we listen to our people. Obviously leadership will have their initiatives, but it's about the people, and Extreme really, really listens to that. That's our competitive advantage," Cunningham told SDxCentral.

When it comes to Extreme’s effort in DEI, “the foundation is built around career, culture, community and commerce. And when you start to affect all of those areas, especially the commerce piece, that's when you start to move the needle,” Cunningham explained.

“We are approaching this as a business function, because it's so important and it spans multiple parts of our business. It's important [that] you have a consistent structure.”

Without a strategy to unify the enterprise-wide goal surrounding DEI and company culture, the work will become scattered and much more likely to become another box to check on the list, Cunningham noted.

When focusing on culture and community within the enterprise, Extreme's work-helm centers around a DEI council, “where you have influential leaders throughout the organization who can help drive those initiatives and also help to keep you on track.”

In extending the work into commerce, Extreme as a networking company looks to expand diversity beyond “its four walls” into the enterprise ecosystem through initiatives like its supplier diversity program and DEI Partner Badge program.

“We are trying to see ways where we can help even our partners who may be minority-owned businesses or veteran-led businesses – whatever their status is – trying to help them from an equality standpoint, making sure that they also have that spotlight.”

The council also aids in implementing training on unconscious bias – which is rolled out to the leadership team and “cascaded” down the company, according to Cunningham.

Additionally, “a majority of our leadership team are executive sponsors for our employee resource groups (ERGs). That coupled with a people-lead approach helps to advance what you're trying to do from a DEI standpoint.”

ERGs have become an essential component of DEI success in tech, and for the groups to be successful: “You have to listen to your employees,” Cunningham explained. That means looking throughout the organization and identifying where there are “appetites” for official groups and sponsorships.

“If I'm creating a certain initiative in a vacuum, and I'm not listening to anyone else, it's not going to stick; you're not going to drive the change,” he explained. “So that's what's been really key for us in terms of advancing DEI within the four walls of Extreme.

Three years ago, Extreme only had one employee resource group (ERG). Since then, Basnight and Cunningham has helped expand the company to eight [with a ninth in development] – which were catalyzed by the racial reckoning of George Floyd’s murder.

ERGs, while centered around supporting a specific demographic, are open to anyone. This access for allies to bring in their support promotes intersectionality within the workplace, a major contributor to retention and advancement. Making sure that companies identify those intersections is critical, according to Cunningham.

“Some companies, they may not offer a budget to the DEI efforts, and you hear a lot of people in this space, who may have to go to various organizations and business functions to request funds. That's not the case with us. So it's an important part of what we are doing internally. I couldn't be more proud of where we are. It's a journey though.”