EDI Maturity Model

EDI is a focus area for many businesses. But everyone has their own take on how to approach it and how to measure success. This makes it hard to take a sector wide view on EDI progress and opportunities. 

The Global DEI Benchmarks or the EDI maturity model as we call it in the rail industry (everyone loves a maturity model in our industry) has the potential to provide the rail sector with a single, transformative framework for evaluating and advancing inclusion across the rail sector. A universal language for EDI maturity that will highlight common areas of challenge providing opportunity for collaborative solutions.

The model allows businesses to assess their EDI capability and ability to embed principles across 15 categories, each with a ladder of standards and behaviours from inactive level to best practice. From responsible sourcing to job design to communications, businesses can see where they stand in many different areas and this can help them to develop a roadmap for what they can do to be better.

This approach drives long-term cultural change by embedding EDI into leadership, operations, and strategy. The audit fosters accountability and alignment across the sector, encouraging a shift from reactive practices to proactive cultural transformation. It positions the industry to embrace diversity as a strategic advantage, improving innovation and community representation.