When implemented properly, DEI policies enable companies to tackle the entrenched inequalities that have limited positive change. The noise we’re seeing in the culture wars should not drown out what is obvious to smart leaders: the benefits of diversity, equality and inclusion far outweigh any arguments around the cost of implementation or “hassle factor”. DEI is a progressive and basic requirement of good management. It should be a given.
There are numerous studies demonstrating the positive correlations between gender, ethnic diversity and a company’s financial performance. Smart bosses look far and wide for the very best talent, ensuring that race, gender or sexual orientation is never considered relevant in the hiring process. Maximising talent and having diversity of thought comes from the creation of an inclusive culture where individuals are provided with fair opportunities. DEI must not consist of well-meaning but ineffective initiatives. Companies that are accused of diversity-washing have clearly missed the point – DEI is a strategic imperative, not a social initiative.
Despite the cull of such initiatives in the US, smart employers will recognise that most workers are broadly in favour of promoting genuine diversity and inclusion, and will retain the best principles. Efforts to ensure that recruitment continues to draw from a bigger and broader talent pool will continue, along with fairer, more systematic ways to evaluate candidates, such as blanking out names on CV’s and asking every interviewee the same questions.
In a recent survey by a McKinsey division, nearly three-quarters of workers believe workplaces have become more respectful and inclusive over the past decade. The aim of making workplaces fairer and genuinely more inclusive should not reverse, even if the acronym itself becomes threatened. If we think of DEI as being a reflection of having the very best aims and intentions of improving workplaces, perhaps these points are worth reflecting upon:
Diversity means we actively seek differences in our teams.
Equity means we ensure that all employees have the necessary tools and resources to work to the best of their ability and we recognise that individuals might also need both different tools and different supports.
How can companies best accommodate and genuinely support those differences whilst making individuals feel included?
Inclusion is something we crave as humans fulfilling an innate social need for belonging that we’re hard-wired to want.
Inclusion means that people feel valued, welcomed, respected, represented, and heard. It’s about being able to contribute and have a voice. But it can be hard to measure. There are clear ways companies can track diversity and set targets around same. But inclusion is harder to assess. Leaders must focus their efforts on ensuring they are actively listening and self-reflecting, especially in relation to their own management style. This should include fostering accountability whilst also helping to effectively resolve any conflicts that arise by remaining vigilant to small, but negative behaviours within their teams that can result in exclusionary tactics. Leaders should aim to personally and professionally work on having strong values and personal integrity.
Part of this means remaining vigilant and focused on equity whilst actively identifying and removing systemic barriers. By actively including others, you create the conditions for people to feel connected, which greatly improves people’s moods, sense of positivity which can also impact on their health.
In 2016, The Neuro Leadership Institute in New York identified six benefits of inclusion and the impact of these habits on employees. Some of the key findings were:
Inclusion actually makes us smarter – when people feel excluded, cognitive function declines and they can, in turn, prize short-term gain that can lead to risk taking.
There are knock-on benefits to that “feel good” factor of knowing that people want to work with you – it creates a spirit of co-operation, support and can often lead to other good deeds, including charitable donations. It can help people self-regulate which in turn, can help when dealing with negative encounters. It can also improve our ability to feel more resilient and give us the ability to persist with difficult and frustrating tasks.
Feeling included gives us a greater sense of purpose which helps provide meaning to our lives. Feeling excluded correlates with greater feelings of social anxiety and decreased self-esteem.
In short, integrating DEI into a business strategy offers clear and obvious advantages from creative solutions and better problem-solving to having a more productive team who are genuinely satisfied with their company’s commitment to DEI. Critically, having diverse teams who know they can confidently contribute and that their views are not only heard, but valued, will help prevent "groupthink" and therefore improve decision-making processes and company performance.
But sometimes a spiritual and philosophical outlook can be a useful way to remind ourselves of the inherent value of deeper connections, best summarised by this proverb:
“A lot of different flowers make a bouquet.”
- Written by Domini Kemp
