A world without DE&I? What leaders should know before going with the flow

DE&I, reclaimed for the real world ahead

There is still more to say about that “D” for diversity. The reason we think leaders will agree on the importance of embracing difference is simple: A wealth of research shows that fostering diverse teams and perspectives enhances creativity, improves decision-making, reduces mistakes, and expands the appeal of products and services – to name only a few benefits.

DE&I’s detractors ignore such proven gains in favor of spreading slurs (like “DE&I puts diversity over merit”) and sowing fear (of incompetent “DE&I hires”). Drill down and you will find these anxiety-boosting tactics and images to be the oldest tricks in the book, based on anecdotes gone wild and exceptions-to-the-rule rather than systematic study. Indeed, this is the “anti-woke” strategy: simply plant fertile feelings of doubt. Observe for yourself how little interest they show in reviewing the evidence. Why bother learning the finer points, when you can spread enough suspicion that no one dares to look closely?

Dear leaders, you can be those bold souls who look closely. How does DE&I serve, not obstruct, the principle of merit? By blocking the biases that rule out countless competent candidates who do not make it past our less conscious shortcuts. Similarity bias, described earlier, is one of many. There is also proximity bias, for example, when we draw on recent or frequent time spent with people to prioritize them for opportunities. Or intuition bias, that ‘sixth sense’ whispering in your ear that you know things – say, about certain types of people – that you do not. We may follow our instinct that someone doesn’t “fit the mold,” without realizing how expanding that narrow box could allow more people and, thus, the company to excel. DE&I is about ensuring that a diverse talent pool can not only find your organization but find it interesting, welcoming, legible, maneuverable, and rewarding – a community where they too can be seen, belong, make their mark, and want to stay. Far from scary, “DE&I hires” like this enrich the organization.

“E” is for equity, the equally important fairness part mentioned earlier. Simply opening to difference after years of not doing so is not enough to activate fairness. Over time, bias works its way into organizational and societal systems, like the structures we create (divisions of labor, hierarchies of value) the practices we repeat (“how things are done around here”), and the cultural norms we enforce (what is perceived as ‘normal’ and ‘weird’). To enable true equal opportunity, we must tend to those official and unofficial systems that, however unwittingly, maintain inequality.

To be sure, diagnosing and dismantling these systems is a difficult and nuanced enterprise that requires deep expertise and care. No surprise, then, if some programs still falter here. Should we abandon fairness because it is hard to achieve? Since when do glitches along the way to solving wicked problems invalidate the whole enterprise? Who would advise leaders and organizations to give up on a challenge so easily? So it should be with DE&I.

The industry standard is clear. Contrary to “anti-woke” accusations, equity unequivocally does not mean favoritism for some identity categories at the expense of standards or quality. Smart approaches to equity are tailored. They investigate which biases are in play in any given context and how exactly these are shaping organizational systems, such as recruitment, hiring, evaluation, promotion, and retention. Based on comprehensive analysis, they make strategic adjustments to structure, practice, and culture to stem the tide of bias and breed new habits of equity. The guiding question is not so much “How do we go and get more diversity?” but, rather, “What is it about our organization already that prevents us from attracting and sustaining diversity?” The guiding rule: Fix the system, not the person deemed ‘different.’

This brings us to the “I” for inclusion. The blunt truth is that in the absence of meaningful inclusion, diversity may well increase conflict, and equity can give rise to resentment. Essentially, inclusion is a safe container that ‘holds’ everyone. It fosters a sense of security – a kind of fundamental ‘OK-ness’ – for all members, both dominant and marginalized, on the road to transformation. As this suggests, safety does not mean that we won’t be asked to take risks or challenged to change. It means that there is space for us to be ourselves, feel seen and heard, disagree and know we can survive it, make and mend mistakes, and try and try again.

Inclusion is what gives everyone access to support and to thrive, even when things get hard. It is not only about including certain kinds of people who were once excluded. This is key. The call ‘to be inclusive’ asks us to shift focus from who is to be included (the excluded) to the includer (those who seek to stop excluding). At first, this may seem to defeat the purpose but go with us one level deeper. If you attempt to include by making space for an excluded “other,” there is already a power distance in play: you, positioned as a benevolent host, invite the guest inside and do them the honor (favor?) of tolerating the difference made by their presence. What if, instead, you turn this relationship around and ask, “What might I have missed all along by not including “others”? (How) is my being, experience, knowledge, and even joy suffering from their exclusion? What must I let go of – or open up to – to heal these limitations?” In this way, inclusion holds the possibility to expand everyone’s horizon of potential by enriching our connectedness.

In the end, there is no way around it: If leaders want to reap the benefits of diversity, they must dedicate themselves to equity and inclusion as well. D, E, and I, together, are defined as the capacity to relate and organize ethically across complex differences. Now, can you imagine a skill that will be more essential as the global polycrisis unfolds?