Diversity programs have been around for almost 100 years. Yet numerous studies suggest that these programs do very little to support a long-term reduction in implicit (or unconscious) bias, change behaviours or alter workplace demographics.
Despite this lack of success, DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) programs have become a staple requirement in most corporate environments. This has partly been driven, especially in recent times, by a combination of social justice movements such as #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter, political correctness and the “woke” movement.
Given that Diversity programs and DEI are often used synonymously it is worthwhile unpacking the individual components of DEI. This is because a more sophisticated and nuanced appreciation of what these terms mean will potentially help us to clarify what we hope to achieve via these programs, and therefore ascertain the most effective strategies to utilise in order to deliver our intended outcomes.
Diversity: most simply comes down to demographics. It is the breakdown of groups and how they are represented within an organisation’s workforce, in particular those groups that have traditionally been underrepresented and/or disenfranchised. Most people think of diversity as being based on those characteristics that make someone’s identity relatively easy to distinguish, for example race and ethnicity. But diversity also includes a broader range of social identities and experiences, which may not always be obvious, these include socio-economic background (class), gender identities, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, disability and neurodiversity.
Equity: is often used synonymously with equality, but they actually mean very different things. Equality means that individuals or particular groups of people are granted the same resources and/or opportunities. Equity, on the other hand, takes into account an individual’s or group’s different circumstances, including their social identities and life experience. Equity therefore strives to allocate the resources and opportunities required, so that as much as possible, individuals and groups are able to reach an equal outcome.
Inclusion: is very different to diversity. Inclusion is where people, irrespective of their social identities and life experience, feel welcome, valued and included. It means everyone is seen as a whole and equal human being. And at the same time, there is an awareness of the potential hardships and disadvantages people may have endured due to marginalisation and discrimination based on their social identity. Hence, while an organisation can have a diverse workforce, based purely on its demographics, but it does not necessarily mean there is an inclusive culture if people do not feel welcomed, valued and included.
The reasons that most DEI programs fail to produce the desired results are varied and complex. In order to increase the probability of the success of DEI programs, these reasons need to firstly be identified, and then strategies to address these reasons included in the philosophical and strategic approach to how these programs are delivered.
Here are the top five reasons (in our experience) why most diversity programs don’t work. These reasons should not be seen as discrete or standalone strategies, but rather as an integrated and holistic approach to increasing the effectiveness of DEI initiatives, where there is an interrelationship and synergy between each of the reasons.
Reason #1: The DEI program is not aligned with the mission and vision of the organisation.
Every organisation has a performance imperative! For a sporting team or organisation this is relatively clear – to win a certain number of games in the season or to walk away with the premiership cup. For those organisations in the corporate sector, performance is measured by annual revenue, EBITDA (Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) or the growth of the business by a certain percentage. Not-for-profit’s also have performance measures, even if they may not be as clear or explicit. For example, it might be to increase the number of beds in a homeless shelter by a certain amount or have greater public awareness of domestic and family violence. Or in the case of a social action organisation, performance might be measured by the extent to which they create change in legislation or increase political advocacy.
This performance imperative is captured in the mission and vision of the organisation. Everything an organisation does, every dollar it spends, every person it recruits, every initiative it launches, has to be in service of the mission and vision of that organisation.
One of the main reasons DEI programs do not work is when they are not aligned with the mission and vision of the organisation. Organisations often launch diversity initiatives in order to maintain optics for shareholders and other key stakeholders; grant them increased legal protection in the event of a discrimination lawsuit; or to create the appearance of being progressive and politically correct. Sometimes DEI programs are also launched as a way of bringing the brand back into the “good graces” after a well-publicised event, indicating the organisation’s lack of diversity awareness. For example, in May 2018 Starbucks put 175,000 workers through a one-day diversity training in response to the widely publicised arrest of two Black men in a Philadelphia store.
DEI work is costly in terms of an investment of time and money, but also emotions. Therefore, given the cost to run such programs, there must be a commercial benefit for the organisation. The key question therefore that organisational leaders need to grapple with is: Is there sufficient commercial benefit from delivering a DEI program that we can causally link such a program with the vision and mission of the organisation?
If there is no clear connection between DEI work and the vision and mission of the organisation, the program will be done as something “on the side.” Over time, rather than something which provides the organisation with a competitive advantage, the program will prove to be a distraction from core business and the success of the organisation by diverting resources and focus away from the organisation’s performance imperative. Without a clear commercial benefit from such a program, the organisation will find it increasingly challenging to fund the program, not just financially, but also emotionally, and as a result, it will peter out without delivering the desired outcomes.
Reason #2: There is insufficient psychological safety
In a previous blog, Leading for Psychological Safety, I discussed the benefits of psychological safety and some of the strategies organisations can utilise to create more psychologically safe cultures. The second most common reason that most diversity programs do not work is lack of psychological safety. As I will discuss further in Reasons #3 and Reason #4 successful diversity programs require participants to explore their own personal experiences, hurts and biases and then link these insights to those behaviours that either support or undermine an inclusive culture. This cannot happen in an environment where there is no psychological safety.
Reflecting on one’s personal experiences is challenging enough, let alone in an environment where we do not feel psychologically safe. Furthermore, engaging in diversity programs in a more personal manner and potentially sharing intimate and painful experiences to do with racism, sexism, homophobia etc (Reason #4) is unlikely to occur in the absence of psychological safety.
Therefore, before the DEI initiatives are embarked upon, organisational leaders should first ensure there is the psychological safety required to support and validate the personal reflections, explorations and discussions that are essential if these initiatives are to be successful.
Reason #3: Leaders underestimate what it takes to make meaningful change
This work is challenging. And it is perhaps the lack of understanding and/or acceptance of this statement that makes organisational leaders underestimate the complexity and challenge of creating truly diverse, equitable and inclusive cultures.
One of the cornerstones of DEI programs is working to address unconscious or implicit biases. Implicit bias is when we have attitudes towards people or associate them with certain stereotypes or assumptions without our conscious knowledge. However, these biases do not occur overnight. In most cases they have been created, and then perpetuated by a constant stream of subliminal messages that we receive from those close to us such as family and friends, but also media, advertising and pop culture. These messages subtly yet powerfully inform us of which social identities and experiences are more accepted, and which we should perceive as someone different from ourselves or “the other”. These messages are also deeply embedded in dynamics of structural discrimination and the systems of oppression which justify and reinforce the marginalisation and devaluing of certain groups of people.
These biases therefore are firmly entrenched in our psyches, at both the individual and collective level. Consequently, it is extremely difficult to sustainably change personal and implicit biases, especially when DEI programs are delivered through a modality that is more didactic and less personal (as per Reason #4), and they do not include an emphasis on the personal development of participants (as per Reason #5).
Furthermore, the majority of these trainings involve one or two short sessions. While these sessions are relatively cheap and enable organisations to tick the “diversity training” box, they will not be effective in unravelling the conditioning that has resulted from a lifetime of messages we receive about people and groups that are different to our own. This makes it unlikely these “one and done” kind of diversity programs will be able to make any difference at all in the long-term behaviours of participants, and therefore deliver the intended outcomes to the organisation.
DEI work should be seen as a cultural initiative. And culture is a muscle – it requires ongoing work to increase its strength, capacity and effectiveness. Going to the gym once has little benefit, but when we work out regularly over weeks and months, we start to see the benefits. This is why it is critical that DEI initiatives are linked to the mission and vision of the organisation (as per Reason #1). It is this alignment which provides the sustenance and the strategic focus to ensure that these programs supported and engaged with as long-term initiatives; for this is the only way that they will be able to make a significant and lasting change.
Reason #4: Death by PowerPoint
The only way for this work to be successful is if it is personal. Stories shared and stories heard transform cultures; they remind us of who we are; anchor us to our intrinsic natures; and also help to contextualise and explain individual traits and idiosyncrasies. However, when DEI programs are delivered primarily through a lecture or presentation, participants feel spoken at, perceived as the perpetrator, or even told off. This creates a disengagement, perhaps even a defensiveness, which undermines psychological safety (as per Reason #2), and therefore prevents participants from being engaged in a more personal exploration of their beliefs, attitudes and feelings about those people with social identities that may be different to their own.
There is a big difference between talking about training and actually going to the gym and doing the work out. Additionally, as we know, results from training only occur beyond the point where we feel uncomfortable; stopping a workout at the first signs of discomfort will fail to yield significant benefits. However, most Diversity programs are designed around talking about those cultural dynamics relevant to DEI. Doing culture, and therefore working out our “cultural muscle”, requires us to engage in a more personal, intimate and vulnerable way with these complicated and sometimes painful themes. The best results from DEI programs occur when participants are actively and personally engaged in the process; this also requires them to be slightly uncomfortable as they explore topics and themes that are on the fringes of their comfort zones.
When participants can be comfortably immersed in a room full of people and passively listen to a presentation delivered via PowerPoint, there is very little to support them to engage in a manner which is more personal, but also that they find slightly uncomfortable. As a result, programs delivered this way will do little to challenge the thinking, attitudes and cultural muscle that in the end will encourage and inspire participants to unearth their own reasons to be champions and advocates for a more inclusive culture.
Reason #5: DEI initiatives are not linked to personal development
While there are societal and experiential foundations to many of our diversity challenges and unconscious biases, they are also borne out of our own feelings about ourselves. Before we can be truly inclusive in terms of how we approach organisational cultures, we have to be inclusive of our own “inner diversity”. When we encounter developmental sticking points or “psychological blocks”, we are more inclined to project our own unconscious judgements of ourselves onto those around us. Psychological projections happen mostly unconsciously and occur when we misinterpret what is “inside” us as coming from what is “outside” us.
No matter how many diversity sessions and individual partakes in, if there are aspects of their own internal emotional landscape, that they are unable to accept, it is unlikely they will be able to welcome and include that aspect or trait in one of their colleagues. This is why for DEI initiatives to be successful they have to be built on a foundation of personal growth and self-awareness. This is especially pertinent for organisational leaders and/or those sponsoring DEI programs.
Therefore, DEI program participants, including organisational leaders, need to be supported to wrestle with and resolve their own internal judgements and barriers to the diversity that is within us all. While I have listed this as the fifth and final reason that most diversity programs do not work, I firmly believe that this is where all diversity programs need to start. Before we can genuinely welcome, value and see the benefit of the diversity in our colleagues and teammates, we have to be able to welcome and value the diversity within ourselves.
I am a big believer in the age-old wisdom: If something is worth doing, it is worth doing properly. We are all aware of the research endorsing the benefits, both culturally and commercially, of creating more diverse and inclusive organisations. Yet, when DEI programs that are initiated as a way of ticking a box or to simply satisfy political correctness, organisations are unlikely to experience these commercial benefits. This is not only a waste of resources, but it also cultivates a cynicism in organisational cultures which is not conducive to engagement, talent retention and optimal performance.
Creating more diverse, equitable and inclusive cultures requires us to genuinely and wholeheartedly invest, not only financially, but also emotionally in these programs. Hopefully, being aware of the main reasons why these programs frequently do not deliver on their promise, and then addressing these reasons accordingly, will not only support the success of these programs, but also support the performance imperative of your organisation.
Without doubt, one of the most pressing challenges of our times is diversity!
How we include and welcome the experiences and perspectives of others, particularly those are different to us, is something that many of us grapple with. And while most of us associate these challenges with our organisational lives, similar adversities reverberate into political and social arenas, as well as within our families and relationships.
From one perspective, it appears that as a species, we are still in our infancy in terms of our ability to get along with each other in terms of being able to collaborate with, communicate with and understand difference; or at least those who we perceive are different. So please indulge me as I push the bounds of my metaphor a little bit further..
When we are learning to walk, trips, falls and bruises are an inherent, potentially unavoidable part of the process. In fact, falling over can be seen as a sign that the toddler is “working” at their limits, stretching themselves, and thus gradually increasing their capacity in order to at some point take their first steps unassisted. Therefore, trips and falls are not only unavoidable, they are also an essential part of the maturation process.
Our struggles with diversity are similar. The confusion and inadequacy many of us experience in this area is perhaps more a function of the fact that we are still in the early stages of the maturation process, rather than a reflection of the (lack of) desire we have address these challenges. This particular set of “developmental sticking points” are a relatively new occurrence the long history of humanity. The current culture means that never in our history has there been such a strong and intense focus on themes such as diversity, inclusion, equity, racism, gender identity, transphobia etc. This also means that embedded in these developmental sticking points are questions and challenges that we are required to collectively address, perhaps for the first time in our history?
This needs to be seen as part of our maturation process in terms of how we approach diversity, diverse perspectives and inclusion. Therefore, the same encouragement, empathy and generosity of spirit that we would extent to one of our beloved children as they learn to walk, needs to be central in our attitudinal approach to working with challenges of diversity, in whichever sphere of our lives these challenges emerge. Just to be clear, I am advocating for that empathy and generosity of spirit to be extended to other people, but also, and perhaps most importantly, to ourselves.
My latest blog, brings the focus back to the challenges we face around diversity, Equity and inclusion within our organisations. It is my belief that most of us want to create more diverse and inclusive cultures, but in some ways, we are still “learning to walk” in terms of knowing how to do this effectively. So my latest musings, contained within this blog, discuss the top five reasons why most diversity programs don’t work.