Chess Avant-Garde, Global Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Social Impact at LiveRamp- Default to Action

Chess Avant-Garde leads Global Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Social Impact at LiveRamp, where they integrate DIB strategy into the company's framework and equip teams to participate in equity and social justice on a global scale. Before LiveRamp, Chess worked at Niantic, PatientPop, and the University of Michigan, advancing culture strategy and equity programs. They also founded WOU Collective, a community for leaders working at the intersection of equity, inclusion, and social impact.

On this episode of Reimagining Company Culture, Chess walks through their approach to measuring diversity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives, the difference between impact and intent, and what it takes to hold space for uncomfortable conversations at work. The phrase that anchors the conversation is default to action, and it shapes how Chess thinks about everything from policies to performance reviews. We have pulled the practical lessons together here, with broader research and patterns from across AllVoices DEI solutions for People teams.

Default to Action: What It Looks Like in Practice

Most DEI work fails not because the values are wrong but because the operating cadence is wrong. Companies say the right things, then run quarterly programming and call it a strategy.

Chess argues for the opposite cadence. Action by default means leaders make decisions that reduce harm even before all the data is in, then iterate as more is learned. The framing is uncomfortable for many People teams, because it asks for accountability without certainty. SHRM's research on inclusion, equity, and diversity has been pointing to the same conclusion for years: organizations that wait for perfect signal lose ground to those that move on partial signal.

Measuring DIB Initiatives: Beyond Headcount

Chess pushes hard against representation as the single metric. Counting people is easy. Measuring whether they thrive is the harder, more important task.

What metrics actually capture inclusion?

The strongest setups combine three layers. Quantitative behaviors like internal-mobility rates, pay-equity gaps, and attrition by demographic. Qualitative signals from focus groups, exit interviews, and stay interviews. Real-time data from employee engagement pulse surveys segmented by team and identity. Each layer alone misses something. Together they show whether inclusion is real.

How do you separate impact from intent?

Impact is what the policy or behavior does. Intent is what the leader hoped it would do. Chess argues that DEI work has to center impact, because employees feel the impact whether the intent was good or not. The test is simple. Ask whether marginalized employees experience the change as supportive. If the answer is unclear, the data needs to come from them, not from leadership.

What Actually Works in Holding Space for Hard Conversations

Principle 1: Set ground rules before the room is hot

Hard conversations break down when the rules of engagement are unclear. Chess recommends agreeing in advance on what confidentiality means, who gets to speak first, and how disagreement gets named. The structure protects the people most likely to be talked over.

Principle 2: Train managers to facilitate, not perform

Most managers default to fixing or smoothing. Both behaviors shut conversations down. Facilitation training teaches managers to surface disagreement and hold it without resolving it prematurely. Concepts like workplace psychological safety become operational rather than abstract once managers can demonstrate them in real time.

Principle 3: Document and follow through

Hard conversations only build trust if employees see what happens next. Chess emphasizes documentation. What was said, what was decided, what is being monitored. Without that loop, the conversation is theater.

Where Employee Relations Fits in DIB Work

DIB strategy and Employee Relations are usually run by different teams, often with different reporting lines. That separation creates blind spots. ER cases are some of the clearest signals of where inclusion is failing, and DIB strategists rarely see the data.

That is why ER infrastructure matters in any serious DIB program. AllVoices HR case management tracks every reported issue with full context, then surfaces patterns by team, manager, and category. An anonymous reporting tool lets employees raise concerns without fear of retaliation, which is the precondition for any DIB strategy that relies on lived experience.

How does ER data fold into DIB reporting?

Strong setups include three numbers in their DIB scorecard: cases opened, cases resolved, and time-to-resolution by demographic. The combination tells leadership whether the system is fair, whether it is working, and where the gaps are.

Frequently Asked Questions About DIB and Social Impact at Work

What does DIB mean and how is it different from DEI?

DIB stands for diversity, inclusion, and belonging. DEI adds equity to the mix. The terms are used interchangeably in many companies, but the structure matters. Diversity is who is in the room. Inclusion is whether they participate. Equity is whether the system gives them what they need. Belonging is whether they feel like they belong. Strong programs measure all four.

How do you measure social impact at a company?

Most teams use a mix of community investment metrics, employee participation in volunteer programs, and outcomes for the populations the work supports. Chess Avant-Garde emphasizes measuring outcomes for affected communities, not just inputs from the company. Anything else is reporting on effort rather than effect.

What is the role of a Global DIB lead?

The Global DIB lead is responsible for embedding diversity, inclusion, and belonging into the company's operating model. That means working with HR on policies, with managers on behavior, with product on representation, and with the executive team on strategy. The role is broader than DEI strategy, because it sits across functions rather than inside one.

How can ER teams support DIB strategy?

By sharing patterns from case data with the DIB team, by participating in policy reviews, and by training managers on the behaviors that prevent bias and harassment. The strongest People teams treat ER and DIB as one operating system, with shared dashboards and shared escalation paths.

Why does default to action matter for DEI work?

Because waiting is its own decision. Every quarter spent gathering more data is a quarter where harm continues. Default to action does not mean acting recklessly. It means making the smallest reversible move that reduces harm, then iterating from there.

The Bottom Line for HR Leaders

Chess Avant-Garde's frame puts the burden of progress on the system, not on the people the system has historically failed. Default to action, measure impact rather than intent, and hold space for the conversations that produce real change. None of those moves require a budget. They require courage and a clear operating cadence.

The practical step for most People teams is to connect DIB and ER data, then audit where the loop is closing and where it is not. The patterns will tell you whether your inclusion strategy is real or rhetorical.

Book a walkthrough of AllVoices to see how DIB leaders and ER teams use the same platform to act on lived experience.