DEI DIDN'T WORK? The Road To Recovery

Saying DEI didn't work is a bold statement I know, but it's true for many. The reason it didn't work is not due to DEI at it's core, but instead it's due to the ingenuine efforts and attempts from Senior and Executive leaders at companies. Many of them were not really committed to the real meaning of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). I mean let's be honest, companies were saying they were committed to DEI and yet their executive suite couldn't communicate the difference between equality and equity in practice; and most were certainly not interested in learning.

Now recent events paired with failed attempts has provoked a lot of companies to denounce DEI efforts, but how can you denounce something that is designed to meet basic human needs when done correctly. Of course when you jump into something as if it's a fad or a "bandwagon" without really understanding the history for the need and the immediate and residual impact, you'll fail in many cases.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs demonstrates that humans all have the same subset of needs to function. Now the way these needs show up can differ from person to person but everyone has these needs and DEI is meant to be one way to solve for deficiencies in these needs that exist in different settings. For this article, we're highlighting the workplace. When done correctly, you'll notice companies who lead with equity and inclusion are more easily able to successfully diversify their workforce in numerous ways and are usually the companies who are the most innovative. Now let's do a high level overview of the relationship with DEI and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. In short, with equity and inclusion you're able to touch the following needs identified by Abraham Maslow:

1. Psychological Needs- mitigating bias and elitism in your hiring and compensation process alone address the human need for shelter, food, etc as bias in these processes robs individuals of an adequate compensation for jobs they qualify for, which then impacts quality of life (the ability to pay bills, etc)
2. Safety- focusing on the employment aspect of this particular need, I believe this one is pretty self explanatory. People need employment to meet the physiological needs listed above.
3. Belonging: People who feel isolated at work and experience discrimination will not feel like belong and this will negatively impact psychological safety and well being in the workplace.
4. Esteem- When people are robbed of opportunities and feel isolated, their esteem is impacted, which again, affects mental health, psychological safety, and overall well being.
5. Self Actualization- Of course when self esteem, psychological safety, and mental health is damaged or low, it's harder to to be the best version of yourself. When you're able to be the best version of yourself, your performance also reflects that.

If DEI was approached from a basic human needs lens, with people committed to doing right by others, we wouldn't have seen so many failed attempts at DEI. DEI isn't the problem, it's the people responsible for decisions that fuel or diminish DEI in the workplace. So here's 2 questions to ask yourself to help you self assess if you're really committed to the change and impact DEI can bring:

1. Why does DEI matter for our employees and why does it matter to me?
2. What is my role in seeing DEI through to fruition that results in positive change?

Now that we've established your commitment, here's two steps to start down the path of recovery.

1. Find your personal connection to DEI. Stop making it about just gender and race (people constantly shy away from discussing the black experience but that's another story for another day). Take DEI for what it is-- addressing a deficiency in human needs for survival. Some people literally go into depression because of the toxicity of their workplace, so someone with authority has to decide when enough is enough, and he or she will lead by example for positive change.
2. Stop going for the optics you see about DEI. Take it a couple steps at a time while letting data from your employees inform your efforts so you can see the impact of change along the way. You can call your efforts whatever you like as long as the essence of the work and the impact of the work addresses the fact that people are treated differently based on their outward appearance and based on disclosed hidden differences from what society deems as "normal".
3. BONUS: Change requires resources and mobilization of people. Stop being selfish and cheap with your budgets and truly commit to the work.

I've been fortunate to have consulted companies who were part of the problem and companies who were part of the solution; so I've seen both sides of this dichotomy. This work is about the employee experience, psychological safety, and overall well-being as human. Treat it as such.

What else would you add?

Reference:

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-23902918

https://www.thoughtco.com/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-4582571