Over the past 50 years, diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DEI) initiatives have become increasingly important in workplace culture, but with progress has come resistance. Early on, mandatory attendance at one-off diversity lectures was commonplace, but these sessions were ineffective and resulted in a lack of employee interest. Even with the shift towards sustained training models, resistance to DEI programs remains. This resistance comes not only from individuals from historically privileged groups, but also from employees who support the shift towards a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace.
To help tackle this resistance, it is necessary to reframe the conversation. This means shifting the focus from correcting individual behaviour to presenting initiatives as beneficial changes to the system. A recent article by Lily Zheng in the Harvard Business Review explores backlash to DEI programs and offers suggestions to help reframe the process to make it more effective.
Mandatory DEI training that focuses on individuals has been linked to fewer leadership roles for Black, Latino, and Asian employees of all genders, as well as white women due to resistance from existing leaders. Backlash resulting from affirmative action programs is just one example where data has shown this to be true. As part of the #MeToo backlash, there were reports of resistance to hiring attractive women and wariness by many men to the idea of working closely in teams or one-on-one meetings with women.
According to Zheng, the most common response when people are asked to change real things that affect them personally is to resist and reject. People feel they are being made wrong, which is a challenge to their self-esteem. Once the ego is involved, people take everything personally. In addition, employees from marginalized groups aren’t impressed by arguments about how diversity is good for “business outcomes” and often feel a “lower sense of belonging” and reduced interest in the organization as a potential employer.
Reframing the Conversation
Zheng recommends two possible examples to reframe the issue:
- Instead of retraining hiring managers who are perceived to be biased, address the entire recruiting process, implementing hiring panels, collecting data on race and gender in the candidate pool to identify outreach opportunities, and making hiring decisions based on resumes and interviews rather than the preferences of any particular manager.
- Rather than bringing in coaches for employees with disabilities and those who are neurodivergent, change the onboarding process, job definitions, and direct reporting in the management training system to accommodate these employees. This approach doesn’t emphasize differences and can help reduce separation within the workforce.
To reduce resistance and rejection, Zheng recommends five steps to shift an organization’s strategy:
- Collect data to diagnose specific inequities in your organization.
- Communicate about initiatives using a systems-focused framing.
- Appeal to “fairness” as part of change-making efforts.
- Lay out expectations for change alongside resources and support.
- Sustain momentum by affirming effort and celebrating wins.
These recommendations, coupled with demonstrated buy-in by senior management and sustained and tracked DEI initiatives, can help to lower the risk of backlash as an organization’s culture evolves.
Conclusion
While resistance to DEI initiatives remains a challenge, a shift in framing can help to reduce this resistance. Zheng’s suggestion to move away from correcting individual behaviour and towards presenting initiatives as beneficial changes to the system is a useful approach. By addressing specific inequities, communicating initiatives using a systems-focused framing, appealing to fairness, laying out expectations for change, and sustaining momentum, it is possible to achieve DEI initiatives with less risk of backlash.
Take action for a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. Reframe the conversation with a systems-focused approach, collect data, communicate initiatives, appeal to fairness, lay out expectations, and sustain momentum to achieve positive change with less resistance.
Reference
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[1] Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility. IDEA is the preferred term at CCDI Consulting as Accessibility isn’t a subset of other goals, but is an important workplace issue on its own.
[2] Zheng, L. (2022). To Avoid DEI Backlash, Focus on Changing Systems — Not People. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved Sept 29, 2022. https://hbr.org/2022/09/to-avoid-dei-backlash-focus-on-changing-systems-not-people.
[3] King, M. P. (2022). Tackling #MeToo Backlash Is How We Achieve Gender Equality At Work. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/michelleking/2022/10/07/tackling-metoo-backlash-is-how-we-achieve-gender-equality-at-work/?sh=ee3a09b4c7e1.
This blog was originally published by Diversio EDU (formerly CCDI Consulting) in Feb 2023.
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