What is the CCI?

The Community Culture Index (CCI) is one of the first highly-localized, data-driven assessment tools meant to quantify a region’s performance to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) best practices. The tool includes questions about an organization's workforce, talent management strategies, external partnerships, governance, and DEI strategy. The CCI was developed by the staff of Hinton & Company, a Chattanooga-based consulting and advisory firm focused on helping organizations create impact through inclusive leadership. Hinton & Company was founded in 2021 by Wade Hinton, a nationally regarded diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) expert, former corporate executive, and an attorney who has worked in the DEI sector for years.

When will the report be released?

Early first quarter 2023.

Who is responsible for administering it?

The CCI was developed by the staff of Hinton & Company, a Chattanooga-based consulting and advisory firm focused on helping organizations create impact through inclusive leadership. Hinton & Company was founded in 2021 by Wade Hinton, a nationally regarded diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) expert, former corporate executive, and an attorney who has worked in the DEI sector for years. Data, from survey creation to presentation of results, will be led by Ph.D. level consultants who have 10+ years of experience promoting DEI and managing large-scale data.

Who is sponsoring this project?

The CCI is made possible through a collaboration with the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga. Investing partners include Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, Benwood Foundation and Footprint Foundation.

Who will have access to the information I provide?

We take data privacy seriously. The survey tool will use Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption (also known as HTTPS) for all transmitted data. Only Hinton & Company and our data team will have have access to the raw data. Project partners and sponsors will have access to a deidentified version of the data that does not allow them to connect the responses to the name of the organization that provided them. The report will include a summary of responses across organizations that can be shared widely, and you will have access to the report.

What happens with the data?

Hinton & Company will use aggregate responses to generate a detailed community report identifying areas where organizations show up with regards to inclusive business practices. We seek to highlight opportunities for participants to invest and partner to foster DEI in their workplaces. We will also rank participants by organization type (Large Business, Small or Medium Business, and Nonprofit or Government) with regard to their DEI health.

The data will be accessible to the staff of Hinton & Company, our data teams, our investors and media partners for the purpose of aggregate data communication.

If a survey participant would like to privately discuss their organization’s specific score with Hinton & Company, please contact us.

Will anyone know that my organization participated in the survey?

A list of participating organizations will be included in the report in the 'Acknowledgments' section. This is an opportunity for your organization to show its commitment to DEI. However, you will have the option for your organization's name to be excluded from the Acknowledgement section of the report.

Will I be able to see how my organization compares to others?

Only in aggregate. Because this report is confidential, there will not be an opportunity to compare your organization to others in the index.

Why should employers take part?

There are several clear benefits to employers who take part in the CCI, beginning with their own competitiveness in the marketplace. Abundant data indicates that younger, in-demand workers demand that their employers make serious and sustained commitments to diversity and inclusion. In August 2021, the Washington Post reported that “America’s 50 biggest public companies and their foundations collectively committed at least $49.5 billion since Floyd’s murder... to addressing racial inequality — an amount that appears unequaled in sheer scale.” While the results of these initiatives have been mixed, the CCI evaluates progress at the most meaningful level to many citizens and business leaders – what’s happening or not happening in their hometowns. The CCI is the first tool of its kind to measure DEI health at the local level across multiple sectors simultaneously.

Simply put, if you want your business to recruit talented workers, DEI is a non-negotiable part of the equation.

Why is this being done now?

The pivotal summer of 2020 is now slightly more than two years in the past, so this is a reasonable time to evaluate how much progress has been made – or remains – on the commitment that employers made to DEI work in the aftermath of the George Floyd murder, the #MeToo movement, and widespread disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of the CCI is not to single out any specific workplace, but rather to help entire communities hold themselves accountable for their efforts in this space.

I keep reading about similar surveys of DEI efforts for companies across the United States. How is this different?

The CCI is purely local in how it is being distributed and what it intends to measure. While the CCI is being launched in Chattanooga, Hinton & Company intends to expand the CCI to other markets throughout the Southeast, including Memphis, Knoxville, and Birmingham. If you are interested in launching a CCI in your municipality, please contact us.

My company already has a DEI program and/or Chief Equity Officer in our workplace. Isn’t that enough?

Many employers may see their own DEI efforts as an acceptable status quo but they may still be unsure to what degree their peers and competitors are doing more. This index will address those questions by providing transparency into what entire sectors are doing. Following the publication of our community index report, individual survey participants will have the opportunity to privately discuss their organization’s specific score with Hinton & Company if they wish.

Who is the best person in my organization to answer these questions?

Depending on the size of your organization this will vary from the CEO or Executive Director to the Chief Diversity Officer, Director of Human Resources or People and Culture. Whoever may have the most information about your organizations workforce, culture and partnerships.

Can I change my responses after I finish the survey?

Yes. Until the closing date of the survey in late November you will have access to go back in and edit your responses. Once the survey has been closed responses will no longer be able to change.

Can I save and come back to the survey if I don't have time to complete it all at once?

Yes. The survey will allow you to save your progress and finish at another time.