Today's Obstacles of DEI work
Lindsay Gaskins
CEO | Board Member | Trailblazer | Propelling People, Ideas, and Organizations Forward.
As the facilitator of three DEI roundtable discussions during the fall of 2023, I had the opportunity to hear from DEI practitioners, CEOs, marketers, and ERG leaders from the United States and England. They shared many obstacles in today's environment that make it difficult for them to do the work they are drawn and motivated to do. Please add your obstacles in comments.
Disclaimer: These are individual obstacles and are neither ranked nor collective?
?? Fear of being targeted prompts proactive reduction in DEI initiatives
?? Struggling with ineffective DEI Approaches
?? Hate groups are demanding visibility as a backlash
?? The "Walking on Eggshells" Dilemma is making it hard to have real conversations
??? It is unclear what do we do with Religious Minorities in time of conflict
??? There is still a lot of institutional blindness to systemic problems
?? Silence vs. Cancel Culture is dominating action and inaction
?? Those that have achieved success are complacent
?? Unconscious exclusion is hindering progress
??? DEI Politicization continues to divide us, instead of seeing how DEI can unite us
?? There is a lot of Generational Bias causing clashes in strategy
?? ERG Groups are becoming echo chambers and or being asked to do too much
?? Lack of Clarity in Measuring DEI Impact
?? There is Fear and Resistance at all levels causing inaction
?? The 'Why' of DEI is getting lost
With a growth mindset-- I look at all of this and think there has to be a way through.
DEI Roundtable Attendees: Participants included Chief network leaders, DEI practitioners, leaders, and consultants, along with CEOs, marketers, and ERG leaders from the United States and England, who engaged in three 1-hour sessions over the course of fall 2023.