Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: How GutCheck thinks about DEI in terms of Agile HXI and Product Development Strategy 

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) has, wonderfully, garnered a great deal of attention in the business world over the past year. Appreciation and understanding of people’s diverse backgrounds, experiences, and the rich variety of systems in which we live, lead to a more holistic and authentic understanding of one another. This deepened awareness contributes significantly to the development of empathy and the formation of more vibrant and creative communities and workplaces. Along with the increased emphasis on the importance of DEI has come a recognition that shifting perspectives and behaviors to be more intentional about these topics can be a challenge, especially as we recognize that many traditional systems and ways of thinking were designed without these considerations in mind.

At GutCheck, our core beliefs align strongly with an inherent commitment to, and increasing support of, DEI initiatives. We believe DEI should be an integral part of business, both internally as it relates to employees, environment, and culture, as well as with respect to our clients, partners, and all other external parties. We’ve adjusted our recruiting and hiring approaches to be more inclusive and have established a regular cadence for our DEI Committee whose objective is to continually improve our understanding and awareness of ways in which we can increase our openness and inclusion. We also recognize that this will be an ongoing effort, full of learning and humility about where we have opportunities to improve over time.

Our commitment to DEI is anchored in empathy and a desire, as individuals and in the course of our business, to continue to understand people authentically and with ever-increasing depth. This quest for empathic and authentic understanding of people is what has driven the development of our Agile Human Experience Intelligence (HXI) products and capabilities – going deeper than traditional research and considering dimensions of human experience that are sometimes disregarded or pushed to the margins. A meaningful part of the human experience is related to the interactions between individuals and the way that they and others perceive them in the context of complex and shifting systems and structures around race, gender, power, sexual orientation and identity, and countless other dimensions. As we delve further into HXI development, incorporating these concepts thoroughly and thoughtfully will be a challenge, but one we are tackling with excitement as we appreciate what an important part of human experience they represent.

At GutCheck, we are excited about the vast opportunities that expanding adoption and exploration of DEI concepts offers. We believe that market research is just starting to scratch the surface of really understanding people in rich, multidimensional ways. We know that investing in internal DEI efforts will drive our company forward both in terms of our strategy and in reinforcing the values we aim to live by. We also know that helping our clients develop a more robust and authentic understanding of people will help them develop products and solutions that communicate and bring a greater benefit to the people they serve.