For diversity programs to be truly effective, they should be embedded in an organization's culture and strategy and supported by its top leadership, diversity experts say.

“Diversity and inclusion efforts within organizations should be leveraged as part of an overall business strategy. I think of it more as a culture and strategy than as a program,” said Ray Carson, executive vp and chief human resources officer at Highmark Inc. in Pittsburgh.

“It aligns with the company's vision, mission and values and requires regular reinforcement through communication and training, in part to help keep our efforts focused on business outcomes that are essential to the success of our business,” he said.

Corbette Doyle, lecturer in leadership, policy and organization at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and the first and former chief diversity officer for Aon P.L.C., advises that insurance industry organizations treat the management of diversity “the way you treat management of other initiatives in the organization. Track results and hold people accountable for meeting or failing to meet those results.”

“What you don't want to do is set up metrics where people can jimmy the system. For example, if you set up a metric where you need to check off three women here, three African-Americans there, that's a mistake because your goal is not to just fill a seat. Your goal is to make your organization better,” she said.

Ms. Doyle also suggested insurance industry organizations create a diverse decision-making group and implement diversity in talent development programs. Sponsorship is integral to a successful diversity program, she said, with senior leaders advocating for the promotion of diverse talent.

“It has to come from the top. It's a change initiative,” Ms. Doyle said.

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Aon has embedded accountability for its diversity strategy into the organization through the use of “dashboards” that are updated quarterly and annually to show progress toward achieving greater workforce diversity, according to Lashana Jackson, Chicago-based senior human resources director-global diversity and inclusion.

“The dashboard gives leaders and the executive committee a view of what we look like at different levels of the organization,” she said. Among other things, it tracks retention and promotions after participation in its signature leadership and career development programs.

Ms. Jackson also works with business unit leaders to nominate colleagues to participate in the programs. One hundred individuals have completed the programs each year since they started six years ago, she said. But starting last year, Aon CEO Greg Case decided that the numbers be increased to 1,000 globally each year at all levels of the organization, Ms. Jackson said.

In a step toward embedding diversity into the culture at Willis Group Holdings P.L.C., the insurance broker recently launched a U.K. version of its U.S. Willis Women's Network, according to Celia Brown, New York-based group human resources director. The goal of the network is to promote the careers of all Willis associates based on ability and dedication regardless of gender, religion, race or background, she said.

“One of the things that made me squeamish about having a women's program is that a lot of women don't want to be treated differently,” Ms. Brown said. “But if something is preventing more diverse talent from getting into senior management, you've got to peel back the onion and find out why.”

The Willis Women's Network “will serve as a vehicle to establish a mentoring program to match up women and men who want to help up-and-coming women to advance their careers through mentoring,” Ms. Brown said. The network also will introduce these high-potential candidates to external career development programs and networking opportunities, she added, as well as “look at policy and other internal means to unlock people's careers. It's all about talent development.”

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Warren, N.J.-based Chubb Corp., which has been known for diversity initiatives dating back some 30 years, continues to evolve those programs to “take them to the next level,” according to Trevor Gandy, chief diversity officer.

For example, men are now becoming involved in Chubb’s 30-year-old Women’s Development Program, with senior women mentoring junior men. “That’s the broadened scope of diversity that we’re trying to apply at Chubb by breaking down the gender wall of who can be in the program,” Mr. Gandy said.

Chubb also has been working with a Harvard professor and a consultant to study the attitudes, stereotypes and other hidden biases that influence perception, judgment and action. The ultimate goal of this “unconscious bias training” is to “remove intention out of the equation on diversity,” Mr. Gandy said, “and help us understand that there is a science to why we behave the way we do. It really is the next level of diversity learning.”