Can DEI Deliver?
The words Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) all sound very soothing and egalitarian, but they also sound ineffective and meaningless. What is this acronym intended to accomplish? I am sure that the answer depends on one’s perspective and position in the work force and the answers could be numerous. The words are simple enough and their meaning should be self-evident.
Diversity indicates a variety of opinions, perspectives and qualities. However, the measurement of that has been captured in the metrics of race, gender and sexual orientation. Achieving diversity at the corporate level is now measured by the percentage of ethnicities, race and culture that are identified within an organization. These metrics allow the enterprise to capture the data and to match it to the percentages of those categories that are apparent in society at large. If African-Americans represent 14.7% of the population and 14.7% of the Vice Presidents in the organization are African-American, then check the box and we can move on. This is too clinical and divisive; it identifies our differences on a superficial level without regard to the core reason of pursuing the objective. The intention is to level the playing field, attract the best talent and reward them equitably for a job well done. Turning this into a paper chase will not change attitudes or biases; it will not elevate attitudes; it will produce numbers.
Rather than Diversity, I prefer Recognition. Recognition that there is talent in every corner of the population. Recognition that this talent presents itself in different ways. Recognition that decision-making must incorporate new ways of thinking and identifying this talent. Recognition, that the Black, Latin, Asian and Indigenous people are a large part of a company’s customer population and that the brain trust of the company ought to incorporate those viewpoints in order to optimize outcomes. These folks may be “underrepresented” in the Boardroom or at the Venture Capital firms, but they are not underrepresented in the population.
Inclusion at least indicates that someone is part of something. They are not just a statistic. Or are they? If a company includes a couple of females on their Board of Directors they are going in the right direction. But is anyone listening to them? I suspect that at least some of us have heard stories of women involved at some level in a company but being ignored or even dismissed outright. I am a fan of inclusion, but inclusion means nothing if the person is window dressing. If one is to be fully included, they must be accepted. Acceptance is the conscious act of recognizing their talent, listening and incorporating that opinion into the final outcome. It reflects respect for the person and their opinions, a recognition of their experience and credentials. It is a far more personal and proactive effort to fully include them into the mix.
In many cases, Acceptance will require a recognition that the prior methods must give way to a new, more productive and open way of thinking. It may require a suppression of the desire to revert to a more comfortable set of criteria or parameters. It may require individual and personal growth that makes each of us better at what we do. The combination of Recognition and Acceptance lead to a sense of Community and Connection.
Community implies that a group of individuals has some shared values. Shared values imply that there is a foundation for building, that the goals can be debated and refined over time. Since one of the shared values in a corporate environment is likely to be the perpetuation and prosperity of the organization, a widely diverse set of experiences and perspectives can be extremely useful in addressing competitive threats, customer behavior and managerial style – all of which can help to move a company forward. This Community, built upon Recognition and Acceptance, can lead to a reinforcing loop of trust and accomplishment, especially if collaborative decision-making achieves the desired, improved results.
The E in DEI is Equity, and I believe this is the one word from that acronym on which I would linger and expand. In the world of DEI, equity is all about an equitable workplace where each individual is treated fairly, where opportunities are open to all. This is laudable, but this has been the case in employment law for some time and layering more bureaucracy and regulation into the mix is not necessarily going to improve things. The real Equity fix is to close the wealth gap that currently exists, and which is causing much of the conflict in our society today. Closing this gap will take effort at all levels of the economy and starts with early education. It starts with getting incentives for families correct and ensuring safe neighborhoods. However, if there is Recognition of these challenges, Acceptance of responsibility to address them and creation of Community around these hurdles, we will together deliver this Equity that is so necessary.
A new acronym to address this gap is RACE - not the kind of race that this discussion implies. I mean a race against time. This is the imperative of the current generation. Frustration with the pace of change is evident, including violent protests. Our nation has moved steadily, but ploddingly, along the path of equality for all. The pace of that change has been uneven with periods of rapid change followed by a seeming malaise of accomplishment. Today, the pace of change in technology and industry can be overwhelming and companies must use every resource available to develop the products necessary for the future, to compete in this turbulent market and to become a sustainable platform for its many constituents. This is no less the case for industry, academia, healthcare, government and finance. Innovation and ingenuity can come from anywhere. The sooner that we all Recognize this and Accept these varied talents into our respective Communities, the sooner we will fulfill the promise of an Equitable society and a level playing field for all.