DEI Is Dead, Long Live DEI
Target, CitiBank, Pepsi, PBS, the U.S. Government — slashing DEI efforts.
Costco, Delta, Apple, Procter & Gamble — doubling down on DEI.
And everyone is talking about it, from your neighbor to the highest office in the land. Opinions range from the need to correct for the assault of DEI to the need to correct for the assault of anti-DEI. Personally, I’m not sure most people leading the conversation actually know what DEI is. So do we even know what we’re arguing about? Are both sides talking about the same thing? Probably not. But when has that ever stopped a good culture war?
I’m a DEI consultant. Or maybe I’m a former DEI consultant. I haven’t decided. What I have decided is that I help teams create supportive organizational cultures so they can work well together, invest personally in the company’s mission, and innovate with the creativity that comes from the consideration of many different perspectives.
This doesn’t mean I’m doing DEI. In fact, in some situations, I am definitely, certainly, decidedly not doing DEI — even if I’m doing the exact same thing when I am doing DEI.
Diversity, equity, inclusion, access, belonging, and justice — these are the terrifying buzzwords that supposedly signal the downfall of civilization. Or, if you’re less into moral panics, they simply describe efforts to make workplaces, schools, and communities function better for a wider range of people.
Supporters of DEI often reference the moral and business cases for these efforts. The moral case is simple: recognizing our shared humanity and treating each other accordingly. But apparently, warm and fuzzy isn’t everyone’s vibe. The business case, on the other hand, argues that having more perspectives in decision-making leads to greater revenue, better innovation, and lower turnover.
Personally, I think both are true. But, again, I’m not really doing DEI.
I’m here to think about what DEI means in a world increasingly hostile to it. Bad-mouthing and punishing DEI programs, leaders, and policies won’t change the reality that companies still need engaged, innovative, and motivated teams to succeed.
I’m not doing DEI, but I do wonder: What should leaders do if they want their employees to enjoy their work, feel supported, share their out-of-the-box thinking, and invest in the company’s success as much as its founders and executives?
Apparently, today’s answer for more and more companies is to avoid even thinking about increasing diversity in hiring, ensuring equitable practices, or implementing inclusive policies. Heaven forbid they foster a sense of belonging, ensure employees can access the resources they need to excel, or integrate justice throughout the organization.
That said, there are some strategies that can help companies retain happy, creative, and productive employees. You know, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Companies can intentionally design high-performing, inclusive team cultures that foster engagement, retention, and creativity — all of which drive success and profitability. Here’s how:
- Understand Your Team: Who are your employees, and how do they feel about their work environment? Asking these questions helps identify roadblocks to productivity that stem from disengagement. Even more importantly, talking with your team about their experiences highlights the root causes of disengagement — at least the ones within the company’s control.
By the way, this is team research, not DEI.
- Analyze and Improve Policies and Procedures: Once you’ve identified productivity barriers, examine company policies and procedures. Can they be modified to reduce disengagement? Are you adhering to practices just because “that’s the way it’s always been done”? Challenging the status quo is a powerful way to uncover areas for improvement.
While this also isn’t DEI, there is evidence that this type of review is most effective when it includes people from different levels of the organization and a variety of backgrounds. If one person can’t identify or solve a problem, someone else probably can.
- Build a Strong Team Culture: Improving company culture requires actually having a culture. What kind of culture does your company want to foster? One focused on personal and professional growth, interpersonal relationships, creativity, or positivity? Once that vision is clear, you can identify the resources, programs, activities, and supports needed to shape it.
Again, this isn’t DEI. It’s just designing a workplace people actually want to show up to.
Of course, some companies might prefer a hierarchical, highly ordered, and task-driven culture. That’s fine — though these teams will likely struggle with negativity, low participation, and complacency. They’ll get things done, but they won’t grow, and the best employees will eventually leave.
I’m not necessarily doing DEI. I help leaders and teams intentionally design organizational culture that leads to high-performing teams. It just so happens that sometimes, these efforts require employees to know that their leaders and organizations are supportive and inclusive, maybe even equitable and diverse.
But don’t worry. If that makes you uncomfortable, we can just call it “effective leadership.”
