The Attack on DEI vs Peter's Principle

The far right and some conservatives have a war on DEI. I was listening to a guest on FOX News, who stated that DEI, like affirmative action (AA), was designed to limit the number of [competent] Whites and Asians who were hired/promoted, and that before DEI [or AA] the workplace was based on merit. These fallacies exist for people who apparently only see women, people of color and other marginalized groups rising to a level of incompetency. Peter's principle is a non-bias theory that states that competent people rise to their level of incompetency. And affinity bias (favoritism/nepotism) undercuts the belief that organizations had a strict adherence to 'meritocracy' before DEI.

In the development of the "White Male Module" for the management diversity training at Darden Restaurants in the early-2000s, meritocracy was addressed. White males shared their concerns about being pushed out by women and 'minorities' and feeling that they were being asked "to pay for the sins of my father's and my father's father." However, while participating in the module, it became clear that across race/ethnicity and gender, people could point to someone who was less qualified being promoted over them. And it was a White male participant who pointed out that sometimes, “It's not what you know. It's who you know.” Another White male stated that not all of us are a member of the 'old boys' club'".

DEI is not far right or far left. It does not give preference to one group over another. The "D" wants diversity of representation and thought. The "E" strives to see that everyone has the resources they need to reach their full potential, knowing potentials may vary across skill sets. The “I" creates an environment where respect, integrity, belongingness, and transparency flourish.

In the 1990s, there were DEI professionals, who addressed the stereotype that Asian employees were promotable in technology, i.e., the research, but not to management; and that all Asians were good at math. These stereotypes could be straight out of an episode of "All in the Family", spouted by Archie Bunker. We campaigned for the acceptance of a broader style of management. ?

The myth that 'protected groups' receive preferential treatment extends to people with a disability. When I was heading DEI for a national laboratory, an employee called my office to ask whether his loss of hearing in one ear meant he would qualify as a person with a disability. I told him, "Yes." He wanted to know what he needed to do to apply for a particular job/promotion. I walked him through the process, and he said, "No, no! I always had to do that! What do I have to do now that I am a member of a protected group." A lightbulb came on; it was the first time I totally appreciated the myth that some employees believe that protected groups were "just given promotions," "just automatically hired."

Peter's principle is at play when instead of giving an employee honest feedback regarding their proficiency, the supervisor tells the employee it is because ' you know, it's because the company wants to hire more women and minorities;' when, in fact, the outside hires were primarily White men. The supervisor has reached their level of incompetency and needs training to give constructive feedback and in how to provide employee development.

DEI is attacked even though research sending out thousands of résumés has shown, when evaluating identical applicants, men are more likely to be called and considered for hire than women. When Bain and colleagues conducted a résumé audit study with equally qualified female and male résumés, in comparison to men, participants were 25.3% less likely to refer a woman to the position requiring a "high-level of intellect" than to a position without that intellectual requirement. DEI strives to address the bias that men are smarter than women. Please note that women demonstrated the same preferential bias in referring men for the position requiring a "high-level of intellect". It is not about the oppressor and the oppressed. It is about bias. It is about socialization. It is about the fear of the unfamiliar.

Moss-Racusin and colleagues' research found that with equally qualified résumés; the résumés with a male name was rated as more knowledgeable and experienced and was recommended to receive a higher salary offer. According to research by Miller, what is perhaps more indicative of gender bias effecting pay is as the number of women increase in traditionally male-dominated occupations, the average compensation for the occupation decreases, even if education and work experience are held constant. Research by Ashton has shown when education is held constant Black women and Latinas in the United States are at the bottom of the pay pyramid. DEI strives to mitigate the bias.

The University of Chicago and MIT study conducted by Bertrand and Mullainathan found similar results for race as Moss-Racusin and colleagues found for gender. When approximately 5,000 résumés were sent to over 1,300 employment web-based job offerings in Boston and Chicago, White applicants with average résumés were called back 27% more often than Black applicants with exceptional résumés. Yet the far right will make comments on Fox and Friends or Gutfeld, such as, "Do you want a DEI hire piloting your plane?"

Well, Tammie Jo Shults, a woman pilot successfully made an emergency landing of a Southwest plane that had a blown engine with shrapnel busting out the jet's windows on Tuesday. April 17, 2018. She was probably hired through DEI outreach seeking more diversity in the cockpit. Former U.S. Navy Lt. Tammie Jo Shults, also, was one of first female fighter pilots in the U.S. Navy. It is amazing no one commented that she was a DEI hire.

It is also amazing when White males reach their level of incompetency, no one blames it on their race or gender. In fact, if Peter's principle is only pointed out when it occurs with a member of a marginalized group, it is a bias. However, when a woman or a member of a marginalized group makes an error, you hear people talking about the DEI [or AA] hire.

When Enron went bankrupt under the helm of Kenneth Lay, there was a scandal. But no one said, "That's what happens when you have a traditional [White male] leader!"

Let me be clear, I am not saying every DEI program is perfect. But neither is every marketing, financial strategy, sales strategy, safety strategy, communication strategy perfect. I have been clear in previous articles and posts that DEI and wokeism are not synonymous.

DEI seeks to ensure that corporations seek the best talent from the entire talent pool and avoid truncating the talent pool based on a myopic bias. Peter's principle can be at play regardless of race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ancestry, ability/disability/differently able, etc. When individuals generalize to an entire group because the failure of one or a few members of that group,” but do not generalize to their own group for the failure of one or a few members of their own group, "Houston, we have a problem!”