DEI policies work best when they are designed to include everyone and are backed by evidence
As the U.S. becomes increasingly polarized, diversity, equity and inclusion – also known as DEI – efforts have been touted as a way to bridge social divides and promote a sense of belonging for everyone, especially for those who have been traditionally excluded or marginalized.
But in recent years, a backlash has set in, with many institutions defunding their diversity and inclusion efforts in response to pressure from workers, lawsuits and even state governments. Ironically, critics say that DEI efforts fail to include diverse perspectives – for example, by emphasizing certain backgrounds while neglecting others.
Some argue that these programs actually worsen the problems they’re intended to solve.
While it’s easy to dismiss the backlash as purely a result of bigotry – as not all criticisms of DEI are made in good faith – it’s important to consider how DEI efforts themselves can be made to be more inclusive, in order to garner the support necessary to help society as a whole progress. The insights I share are drawn from my experience as a professor of educational leadership who has extensively researched and taught about workplace inclusion, as well as my time spent as a human resources professional dealing with these issues from an employer’s perspective. The bottom line is that true inclusion cannot occur when people continue to feel alienated.
Building a better DEI training
Unfortunately, many of the most popular DEI efforts – for example, short, one-shot diversity training sessions – haven’t been found to be effective, at least not as they’re implemented. In other words, they haven’t been shown to improve workforce diversity, especially in leadership. In fact, they can sometimes even be counterproductive, reinforcing microaggression and bias instead of reducing them.
Research suggests these problems result from how programs are structured and implemented. These programs often prioritize achieving quick, symbolic victories – such as merely providing the training without consideration of its effectiveness or simply mandating the next round of hires be people from particular backgrounds – at the expense of tackling long-term, systemic issues that led to such problems in the first place. This allows bias-laden daily practices to continue unabated.
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