Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) was introduced to celebrate differences and ensure fairness. Although DEI strategies have achieved significant progress, they face criticism that undermines their effectiveness.
The Gap Between Intent and Action
DEI efforts comprising performative gestures rather than authentic initiatives to create systemic change have yielded short-term public relations benefits. Still, it has not delivered the momentum needed to dismantle deep-seated inequalities. With the rise of woke washing and misaligned corporate practices, people have grown increasingly aware of the gap between intention and action.
Organizations have felt compelled to participate in political and social movements. But these actions fuel sentiments of division rather than unity, making organisations wary of implementing or expanding their DEI strategies due to concerns over potential repercussions.
Diluting DEI to percentages and quotas has led to a box-checking mentality and unintentionally alienated individuals and communities who feel their unique identities and experiences are being overlooked to achieve statistical clout at the expense of creating an inclusive environment that promotes belonging and equity.
Beyond Western-Centric Approaches
The current approach to DEI is designed on Western principles, limiting its relevance in multicultural contexts. The West represents a fraction of the global population, but interventions around DEI reflect skewed historical and cultural experiences. This dynamic has, unfortunately, marginalised the voices and experiences of individuals from the Global Majority, a group that includes a rich variation of cultures, traditions, and socio-economic conditions. Such a limited worldview has resulted in strategies that do not move the needle in terms of addressing the nuanced needs of marginalised communities outside of conventionally Western ideals.
A Proactive and Human-Centered Approach
The future of DEI will go beyond performative representation, recognition, and the celebration of distinguishing and unifying aspects. Instead, it will focus on a proactive, human-centred approach. This means asking thoughtful questions, identifying and engaging visible and invisible stakeholders, and demonstrating self-reflective empathy, awareness, sensitivity, and humility in the collective desire to reshape DEI. In true countercultural form, individuals will redefine how they want to be treated rather than adhere to the outdated principle that treating others as we would like to be treated is best. These harmful assumptions have contributed to the current DEI issues we seek to address.
Towards a Fairer Future Through Transformative DEI Practices
A genuine commitment to DEI must reshape core organizational cultures and attitudes to ensure that individuals are valued, regardless of their lived experiences. Creating environments where everyone is heard – not just listened to – will enable organizations to address the current shortcomings of DEI and promote a fairer, more considerate strategy for all.
This article was inspired by Lily Zheng’s HBR digital piece “What Comes After DEI?” published on HBR.org on January 23, 2025.
