It’s likely obvious to anyone paying attention to organisational diversity, equity and inclusion that we are at a challenging moment and a point of peak divisiveness. For all the positive intent of organisational DEI, there are still a significant number of people who don’t see the value in it or, even worse, take an adversarial stance towards it.
Many of our clients have asked what the current social and political climate around DEI means for them. Should they still be following through on their strategies? What follows is an exploration designed to encourage further dialogue. For the purposes of brevity and focus, we will be specifically discussing DEI in an organisational context. We see 3 key “needs” for DEI to be effective in 2025:
1. The need for clarity
Too often we see DEI discussed in broad brush strokes – ‘DEI is good’ or ‘DEI is bad’. This is neither helpful nor accurate.
The language we use often lacks a clear agreed-upon meaning. And in the case of DEI, words have become charged and loaded over time. Terms such as ‘woke’, ‘right’, ‘left’, ‘diversity’, ‘equity’, ‘equality’, ‘inclusion’ and of course the acronym ‘DEI’ itself encompass many different concepts and ideas. Using these terms as catch alls becomes potentially harmful and counterproductive.
We often find that when people take the time to share, explore and come to a clear consensus on goals and language, they discover they are working towards the same ends.
Most organisations and individuals wouldn’t find much contentious about the following objectives:
- Employees who are healthy, happy and productive
- A fair opportunity for everyone to do great work and achieve success
- A mix of people with different backgrounds and perspectives contributing their experience and ideas
- Business growth fuelled by new products and services reaching more customers
These are some of the fundamental, highly motivating aims of DEI initiatives which often get lost when we are not liberated from the distraction of nebulous pieces of charged language.
We need to make sure the ‘why’ is clear and compelling to unlock the potential to explore the ‘how’ of achieving those shared aims. This is our starting point. We need to not be wedded to any existing approach but, instead, focus on the smartest way to make change and get to the outcomes we need.
2. The need to shift mindset
It’s easy to understand and empathise with charged emotional responses we see on LinkedIn and other platforms. But the result of anything that can be perceived by any side of the discussion as judging, blaming, shaming, etc. simply serves to create defensiveness and entrench current ways of thinking. Any action which creates or solidifies ‘sides’ prohibits the inclusion of diverse backgrounds and perspectives and prevents genuine and constructive dialogue.
We need to see DEI efforts and conversations as ideas to be discussed and not sides to take. Given the increasingly charged nature of the topic, it is very easy to view any criticism of DEI activities as purely negative rather than an opportunity for learning.
One key way to address this is the adoption of a mindset of humility, curiosity and compassion. Whilst this can sound ‘soft,’ seeing other perspectives is game changing.
As a quick summary:
- Humility is recognising we don’t know everything and our beliefs and ideas may be incorrect.
- Curiosity is actively seeking out alternate perspectives, ideas and potential actions even though they may feel uncomfortable.
- Compassion is practicing active kindness to ourselves and others, recognising that, for the most part, people hold a positive intent (even when it may not appear so) and we are all trying to navigate a complex and difficult world.
To bring this to life, let’s use this mindset as a way to reframe criticism of DEI. Instead of being defensive (as is often human nature), we can reframe that criticism to see how it can help make our activity better, stronger and appeal to a broader group of people – which is vital for making change.
What does this mean for our organisations? Firstly we need to help our leaders and people practice this mindset. This can, of course, take the form of training for our people. However there are also systematic areas to consider too. For example, ensuring feedback mechanisms exist and are acted upon.
3. The need to actively involve resistors
Often when we are thinking about the work of DEI, we involve people from underrepresented groups or those who volunteer to support. This is, of course, important, it is rarely these groups that need to make change or need convincing about DEI efforts.
Often “resistors” (broadly, those individuals that might be sceptical / hesitant, or who are not on board with DEI ) are rejected and ignored in our efforts, or even shamed. Terms such as “pale, male and stale” are common, but ultimately aren’t conducive to bringing people on the journey. The result is that we create programs and initiatives that preach to the converted but don’t impact some of the biggest organisational decision makers.
We need to work with resistors to understand their perspectives and create programs that enable them to make change. The concept of co-design and creating ‘with, not for’ are not new in DEI, however, this concept isn’t often expanded to include resistors in the design process. This is likely a new approach for many, and we need to be willing to try new and different ways to make change.
A recent example of this with an organisation we worked with was discovering that our “resistors” to DEI were actually not resistant to DEI itself and all its positive objectives. They were resistant to the fact the organisation had launched three “DEI strategies” in five years with no action. The term “DEI” was meaningless, and they didn’t believe there was any positive impact to be had. Working with those resistors (amongst others), we were able to redesign the strategy to be an action plan with immediate changes that provided strong positive feedback.
It has never been a better, or more important, time to have a measured and constructive dialogue on how our organisations continue to pursue the fundamental goals which underpin DEI. This is an opportunity to foster connection, not fragmentation and aggression. To create cultures where everyone wins. The organisations that lean in and do this will have an even stronger employee value proposition.
Leaders for Good was founded on the principle that organisations have a profound opportunity to positively impact the world. This moment represents an opportunity for businesses of all shapes and sizes to not just create positive change and competitive advantage, but to role model what a productive and reasoned path forward might look like.
We’d love to hear your perspectives – please reach out to [email protected]
