The Equity Maturity Model

This is a framework for organizations to evaluate social equity maturity of their services and products. The model has four sections: Privacy-Security-Data, GBA+, Equity and Finance and Records. Diverse groups includes, but never limited to, BIPOC, 2SLGBTQQIA+, Neurodivergent, People with Disabilities, Socio-Economic status, Rural Residents, and Gender Diverse & Gender Non-Conforming Folx. This framework uses the Intercultural Continuum Model to demonstrate the shift from monocultural ways of being to intercultural and offers a path towards achieving the best possible services for all peoples.

The quoted words are followed by definitions relevant to the Equity Maturity Model. Definitions of acronyms can be found below.

Our Team

Shivagani Murti, Product Owner

Julian Subda, Framework SME

Derek Roberts, Technical SME

Tech Product

1.1 Privacy, Security and Data

Tier	Mindset	Content
0	Denial	"Confirmation Bias": Data collection uses an unauthorized, passive and casual approach. An example of this approach is conversations among selected and immediate colleagues. Stereotypes are common within the Product, and systemic challenges and barriers of oppressed groups are perpetuated. Data is used for surveillance capitalism, meaning substantial cost-savings are searched for as Product grows, instead of investing in the Product for ethical development. Cost-savings then contribute to, maliciously or not, six degrees of traumatic impacts. These impacts can last more than one generation. Investments only come when protecting against liability. More time is spent planning than building the Product's framework with residential experts. Planning does not include a complex feedback system, prioritized feedback or tangible measures of the Product's impact to all communities in the Province. Because data collection did not have a purpose and ethical processing did not occur, the Product is completely outdated prior to release.
1	Polarization	Privacy and security are rooted in protection of capital assets, or other property. For publications and communications, Public Relations and related business units do not include layers of systemic oppression, individual and/or community rights, vulnerabilities and challenges. They write to discredit. There are frequent discussions streamline processes and avoid incidents, but no implementation. "Hypervisibility": Because confidential and ethical data collection is unavailable, systemically oppressed communities experience further ostracization. This happens because of fear of retaliation, being simply forgotten about and/or assimilated into social dominant group. The Product team is indifferent because of team homogeneity. "Walking on Thin Ice": Minority-centric project elements are acknowledged with fear of open conflict among product team and stakeholders. This creates inequalities and large data gaps in research and communications. Product data are collected from random sample(s) of higher ranks instead of operational users who implement, maintain, and use the product. Often, data collection is non-consensual and derived from the Product team's assumptions of an individual/community. These assumptions are based on infrequent and specific instances.
2	Minimization	The Product team explores open and big data, intentions, information sharing, security and privacy risks before building the Product. But, exploration uses unethical questions and resolutions. Emotional labour of equity seeking minorities for "learning" is common - equity seeking minorities are considered the same as research tools (like Google) instead of human beings. Product's data is collected from management with assumption data collection is substantial and methodical. Socio-economic status is a strong barrier to qualitative and quantitative feedback. Equity seeking minorities' feedback is censored and/or reworded because their feedback is considered political. The Product team will see the present as a logical state of existance. Product's feedback process follows antiquated methodology, is irregular, biased or non-existent. Feedback is only initiated if a large problem is brought forward or a large investment is involved.
3	Acceptance	"Quick wins": There is a shift in acknowledging complexities of the Province because they are considered unavoidable. The Product team starts using an intersectional approach. They connect with respective experts for research and consultation, instead of building image that raise their social standing within the organization. Government is beginning to be perceived as a civic community. The Product Team begins to cultivate their relationships with Provincial communities. This includes advocates against aggregated data and for deaggregated data. Advocates' committement to social equity is respected, including their work against physical and psychological harms to improve socciatal living standards. Indigenous Peoples are not monolithed and their Sovereignty and principles of ownership, control, access, and possession (OCAP) are undisputed and respected, is acknowledged and respected. Open communication channels are beggining regarding Product's impacts. The feedback collected is equitable regarding negative, neutral and/or positive, on Indigenous lands, peoples, policies and laws. The promise to integrate the Respectful Relationship, specifically the public participation spectrum and E-GAP, is embodied. The approach accentuates authentic partnership between the Product team and Provincial communities, and abolishes performative efforts.
4	Adaption	Necessity governs data collecton. Necessity is determined through community engagement, internal and externally. Product self-assessment tools include Equity Impact Assessments for Provincial communities. Robust feedback system incorporates empathy, confidentiality, and open-ended questions. "The Grandmother Perspective": The Product team protects human rights, modernizes infrastructure and services for the Province, comprehends community dignity is mandatory in all presentations, and circumvents poverty through the Product. Marketing and capitalistic characteristics of data collection are actively challenged and overcome. "Innovation": Application of intersectionality is active and failing forward is normalized to embed the four elements of deaggregated data (emotion, mind, spirit and body). This method aligns to Two-Eyed Seeing for wholesome health and technology. Security reviews are conducted daily to maintain momentum between modern risks and threats, and the progressive era of fortified civil rights.

1.2 GBA+

Tier	Mindset	Content
0	Denial	The Product team is homogenous and works in silos, as it is thought to be suffficient to address the diverse audience, contributing to mistrust of intentions and outcomes. "Western Caste System": Product decisions are centred top-down and maintains the interest, care and/or unjust distribution of power and voice of those with higher socio-economic status; intimidation and assimilation tactics are indisputable. "What do they mean by that?": The Product team is the only group with a common understanding of language and vocabulary and this is projected onto the Product without considering how words and phrases impact those who have been systemically oppressed. Multiple formal and informal complaints, which demonstrates unethical and prejudiced characteristics, have been submitted about the Product and/or Product team etiquette and the ineffective processes.
1	Polarization	"Colin 27": Censorship is common because the default individual of interest is white, cishet, married, male, able-bodied, neurotypical, and has an average family, and incorporating diverse folx is considered political; low scale of cultural humility is common. Though the Product's foundation is for everyone, the product group engages with the ally industrial complex in regards to equity. Indigeneity and social identity factors are seen as a concept that needs to be segregated and addressed in specific ministries rather than a cross-government initiative. Consideration of Provincial communities, or diverse populations, is a burden, and though collaboration is sought, resistance to being equitable because the Product team does not see this affecting the majority; rather than amplifying the voice of those who are not represented by ontological staff, their concerns are ignored or overpowered.
2	Minimization	"Don't Rock the Boat": Positive culture is prominent, as is positive communications, and this directly relates to maintaining fragility in work, progress and mindsets, undermining progress through conflict; any perceived negative feedback is taken personally. Product collaboration between divisions and ministries are in forming stages, with minimal champions, and reputation building is underway; the same issues of conformity is replicated throughout this process as the Product team has not confronted their biases and stereotypes. "Stepping on Toes": Feelings of exclusion centres on challenging the default culture and staff often feel undermined, unhappy and threatened, taking away from the core issues of systemically oppressed groups being excluded from the same living standards as privileged folx. Combination of anti-oppression language and vocabulary is only considered when there is a complaint, political initiative and/or scandals.
3	Acceptance	Terms of Reference is framed with the Provincial communities and global standards in mind and includes objective, scope, responsibilities, information sharing agreements, Privacy Impact Assessment(s), Equity Impact Assessments, and is managed as a living documents to align with intersectional national and provincial changes. "Decolonized Approach": The Product team has undergone various challenges, active trainings and learnings, and confrontational situations that they are prepared to accept the Province is much more complex than normally accepted in the past; the team actively plans on how to leverage skill sets, talents, expertise and resources for creating an intercultural Provincial Product. The Product team organizes themselves, and continuously adapts to new environments in a way befitting the current and future context, and frequently visits the past to evade replication of horrific events and stop the residue from these events. All stereotypes and biases that the Product enables undergo a review process because project group is undergoing cultural(s) awareness and Indigenious based Systems Thinking.
4	Adaption	Product project group embodies BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, Neurodiverse, Disabled folx, Rural Residents, Socio-Economic Diverse, and Gender Diverse & Gender Non-conforming Folx. Iterative improvements of the Product is based on an intricate feedback system as it incorporates Equity Impact Assessments for all groups, empathy, confidentiality, and open-ended questions in order to provide a platform where everyone is heard, especially communities directly harmed by colonization. Polite and non-offensive language is used, and accessibility, such as Braille, automated speech recognition systems, visuals/tools for PWD, Neurodiverse, etc., is incorporated. The spirit of all United Nations Declarations (i.e. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) and International Decades (i.e. International Decade for People of African Descent) is embodied within the framework and content of the project, and characteristics of the Product Team.

1.3 Ethics

Tier	Mindset	Content
0	Denial	"Western Caste System": Product decisions are centred top-down and maintains the interest, care and/or unjust distribution of power and voice of those with higher socio-economic status. "Firefighting": Generational planning is compromised because priorities are changed without change management tactics; this approach demonstrates the majority and higher socio-economic status for shallow reasons. Infantilizing employees and clients, internal or external, is normalized in which authoritative representatives approve decisions feel they know what is best for an individual, team or organization, without considering 6 degrees of trauma or empowerment. Personal ambitions and insecurities overtake prosperity of the public; the Product team works to increase the reputation of entities that directly relate to Executive and/or themselves rather than the Province as a whole.
1	Polarization	The standards of legislation stewards (i.e. Office of the Human Rights Commissioner) is exceedingly difficult to meet by the public entity as protection of the organization's reputation is the objective and surveillance is the means; learning of boundries is retroactive and through legal decisions instead of proactive learning. There is absence of topic exploration sessions, such as mandatory information, among the Product team which would otherwise specify scope, comprehension of roles and responsibilities, and application of ethics, as the sessions only occur among folx of higher socio-economic status. Capital is the biggest, if not only, aspect of a decision. The fear of isolation/being disliked stops implementation of appropriate measures and safeguards when there is a breach of any kind.
2	Minimization	"Angel Complex": Emotional maturity of the Product team are underdeveloped and their insecurities hinder their ability to collaborate on a new bredth of ethics infused into methodoliges; the focus is to be content in superiority over another area instead of progress, halting any form of change. Since values are not anchored ontologically, transgressions are rarely managed and toxic environments are created as often, the targetted individual, area, or community becomes knowingly or unknowingly ostrachized. Any risks or opportunities for societal evolution considered minimal are often ignored until it become a large problem and opportunity, then the firefighting approach overtakes the Product team's priorities. Education is seen to be relevant if it correlates directly with the Product team's job rather than a necessity for continous Product growth, innovation stimulator and risk reducer.
3	Acceptance	The entity functions as a civic community and acknowledges every barrier and challenge found in all phases of life for residents born, raised in British Columbia and new British Columbians. Reconcilliation of the Canadian settler state with Canada's history of genocide, slavery and indentured servitude history is multi-scalar and occurring within many cross-cutting on all operational scopes: as individuals, as team members, as organizations, and as projects; the Product benefits from the in-depth approach as complexities are constantly and consistently engaged with rather than a focus on "Quick Wins". Unjust and unethical policies and laws are being challenged through the Product for the pursuit of societal evolution - continuous improvement of the Province has become the default objective as the Product team has cognitively shifted from individualism. Because corporate and shared accountability has transformed into an ontological concept, the Product team works with the awareness that all their records can become public records and actively minimizes or abolishes the mindset of ownership, capital and public disrepute correlations when they arise.
4	Adaption	The entity functions as a partner to the community, as the transposition from punitive entity to a collaborative entity is complete, and is in partnership with all communities to ensure an adequate standard of life; the Product team epitomizes this in their work. "Inter alia" (Among other things): Consent exists in the realm of bona fide, in which it is actively sought from clients and communities, and their right to withdraw is unconditionally respected; the Product team ensures an efficient mechanism that assess whether consent was freely provided, determining what data stays and leaves with the Product when consent is removed, and intersectional ethical concerns of consent. The Product's specific purpose is always in sight and every decision that is made in regards to the Product is filtered through the mindset of 'public affairs' - community data is never used to remove fundamental individual and community rights, and actions are focused on rather than intention.

1.4 Finance and Record Keeping

Tier	Mindset	Content
0	Denial	Because team momentum is being built and varied communication, there is an overpowering amount of information and documents and record management policies are either ignored or unknown. The Product's initiation is from the desire to decrease capital rather than spend to improve organization efficiency.
1	Polarization	The finance team has not been included in project's long-term planning, only when procurement is a possibility and/or when funding is needed. Records management is acknowledged and approached with simplicity rather than complexity such as consideration of electronic EDRMS folders, off-site records maintenance, different types of storage, etc.
2	Minimization	Cost-optimization is in the exploratory phase.
3	Acceptance	Collaboration with Records Advisors are underway to initiate accurate ARCs and/or ORCs classification for Product documents and decisions; the Product team can differentiate between transitory records, highly sought records and finalized records, as they have shifted into independent record management practices.
4	Adaption	The intersect between human rights, privacy and security, democracy and records management is acknowledged and respected; Staff are aware of cultural genocide and the colonized world - historical denial is actively avoided, accountability of the past is taken, and present activity is to ensure all data retention policies are aligned with OCAP and E-GAP frameworks, do not cause wholesome harm to communities and Final copies are saved in PDF form on the LAN and/or the EDRMS system for easy retrieval in the case of litigation, Freedom of Information Reqests, training sessions, and/or succession planning.

Acronyms and Links

IDC = Intercultural Development Continuum

BIPOC = Black, Indigenous, People of Colour

LGBTQIA2S+ = Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, TransGender, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, 2-Spirited, More Affirming Identities (+)

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