Leveraging Competition Tracker to Refine Your DEI Strategy

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are not just social imperatives—they’re strategic differentiators. Indian organizations are increasingly recognizing that a robust DEI strategy directly impacts innovation, employee engagement, and brand reputation. Yet, many companies still struggle with an essential component of strategic growth: keeping pace with what competitors are doing in the DEI space.This is where a Competition Tracker becomes an invaluable tool. By systematically observing and analyzing DEI initiatives across the industry, companies can gain a clearer picture of best practices, identify gaps in their own approach, and course-correct with precision.

Why DEI Needs Competitive Intelligence

Traditionally, competition tracking was reserved for market share analysis, pricing strategies, or product development. But in a world where inclusive values drive consumer choice and talent mobility, DEI cannot be left out of the intelligence loop.Consider this: Tata Steel publicly shared their transgender inclusion policy in 2022, setting a new benchmark for inclusion in manufacturing. Soon after, several industrial players, including JSW and Vedanta, began publishing their own inclusive workplace initiatives. This domino effect shows how competition tracking can inspire action and trigger positive systemic shifts within an industry.

Refine Your DEI Strategy by Benchmarking Industry Leaders

Tracking the DEI playbooks of your competitors helps you identify what works—and what doesn't. For instance, in the IT sector, Infosys, Wipro, and Tech Mahindra have made headlines with women leadership programs and neurodiversity hiring. These aren’t just checkboxes; they are strategic programs tied to business KPIs.A robust competition tracker helps you answer key questions:

• Which DEI themes are competitors prioritizing—gender, LGBTQIA+, disability, generational inclusion?
• Are they aligning DEI goals with ESG reporting?
• How are they communicating these efforts to stakeholders and job seekers?

By benchmarking against these insights, your organization can refine your DEI strategy to stay ahead and stay relevant.

Using Competition Tracking to Identify Gaps and Opportunities

One of the biggest advantages of DEI competition tracking is discovering what your competitors aren’t doing—and using that as a strategic opening.For example, while many Indian banks have launched initiatives focused on gender diversity, very few have explored caste-based inclusion or regional representation in leadership roles. This gap is an opportunity for early movers to build a truly intersectional DEI strategy.FMCG giant Hindustan Unilever has integrated rural and underrepresented community hiring into their talent strategy, creating both social and competitive capital. Such actions help redefine industry expectations, and they offer replicable models that other companies can adapt.

Refine Your DEI Strategy With Real-Time Data and Trends

DEI is not static. Trends evolve with socio-political movements, generational workforce changes, and global shifts. A Competition Tracker, when used effectively, offers real-time intelligence that supports agile decision-making.Let’s take the example of startups in India. Many unicorns, such as Razorpay and Zerodha, are openly discussing mental health and neurodiversity—topics rarely touched five years ago. They’re not just speaking; they’re acting, offering inclusive insurance coverage, mental wellness days, and support groups.Having access to such trends as they unfold allows HR leaders to make informed adjustments. It enables you to refine your DEI strategy based on what is resonating with current and future talent pools.

Integrating Competition Tracker Into Your DEI Toolkit

Here’s how to embed a competition tracker into your DEI journey:

• Identify key players: Focus on competitors, aspirational brands, and DEI champions within your sector.
• Define tracking parameters: Monitor hiring patterns, board diversity, inclusive benefits, DEI communications, and awards/recognition.
• Use tools and platforms: DEI dashboards, LinkedIn tracking, Glassdoor reviews, and ESG reports are goldmines of information.
• Turn insights into action: Host monthly DEI review sessions with leadership, and translate findings into pilot initiatives.

At Sapphire Human Capital, we recommend integrating DEI competition tracking into quarterly strategy reviews to ensure your organization remains a leader—not a laggard—on inclusion metrics.

Case in Point: The BFSI Sector's DEI Evolution

In the last two years, India’s BFSI sector has seen a quiet revolution in DEI. Axis Bank, for example, has launched the ‘ComeAsYouAre’ charter, focused on LGBTQIA+ inclusion. Following this, HDFC Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank have started similar inclusive hiring and infrastructure policies. These responses are not just coincidental—they are competitive, reactive, and strategic.By using a competition tracker, smaller banks and NBFCs can learn from these steps, understand stakeholder responses, and develop uniquely tailored programs that elevate both social impact and market presence.

DEI as a Strategic Business Lever

Refining your DEI strategy using competition tracking is not just about catching up—it’s about leapfrogging. Organizations that proactively study and respond to the DEI ecosystem will attract top talent, earn consumer trust, and future-proof their operations.In a world where values matter as much as value, keeping an eye on what others are doing—and doing it better—might just be your most strategic move yet.Are you ready to move beyond awareness and into action? Discover how Sapphire Human Capital’s DEI advisory and benchmarking services can help you build a strategy that’s not just inclusive—but ahead of the curve. Let’s talk.