While many of your employees will embrace the idea of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), it’s not unusual for even the most inclusive organizations to face some pockets of resistance. Much of the solution lies in creating understanding, establishing trust and ensuring follow-through. In this article, we’ll look at strategies and explore ideas for engaging employees in the DEI process in a way that can help create broad commitment for lasting change.
Sincere commitment and collaborative action are the hallmarks of successful DEI programs in the workplace—ultimately building employee trust.
Understanding the causes of resistance
First, let’s take a look at what causes resistance and how to spot it in your organization. Recent research from Gartner offers some revelatory findings that can help to better understand and interpret the situation in your organization.
It starts with acknowledging that as organizational commitments to DEI have grown, “so has the pushback to DEI efforts. Forty-four percent of employees agree a growing number of their colleagues feel alienated by their organization’s DEI efforts, 42% of employees report their peers view their organizations’ DEI efforts as divisive, and another 42% say their peers resent DEI efforts.”
So, what is the cause of this resistance? The short answer is fear—or what Gartner describes as “perceived threat” in these categories:
- Threat to individual identity: When individuals from dominant groups feel shamed or blamed, they may respond defensively to restore a positive sense of self.
- Threat to social identity: Dominant groups may push back if they feel targeted for their identities, sometimes citing “reverse discrimination.”
Gartner suggests that resistance often takes the form of denial with comments like “This is not a problem,” or disengagement “This is not my problem” or derailment “What about other problems?”
One of the best ways you can help employees embrace DEI is to root out resistance before it has a chance to take hold. A key way to do this? Be honest and forthright about what you are trying to accomplish and begin by taking an approach that makes everyone feel included and valued. Let’s look at five steps that can guide the way.
1. Deconstruct and demystify diversity, equity and inclusion
When faced with trying to embrace something new, it helps if we feel that we’re a part of it, rather than separate or like an “other.” One way to make this happen is to demystify DEI by tethering it back to basic human values that help establish common ground. You might start by using clear and simple language to explain DEI, such as:
- Diversity is about welcoming people of all types into the organization, including different cultures, religions, genders or other identities.
- Inclusion means ensuring that all employees feel included, and have a shared sense of purpose, belonging and appreciation.
- Equity is about fairness, offering help to those who need it, and creating a workplace where everyone has an opportunity to succeed.
The definitions above are just one way to interpret DEI, and there is no set standard that you must follow. Katica Roy, CEO of Pipeline Equity, a software company working to eradicate gender inequity, suggests choosing your own nomenclature when describing DEI.
How you refer to the work you’re doing to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace depends on your company and your culture.
The key message is that no one is excluded when it comes to DEI—and that everyone is part of a unique mix that makes up a diverse organization. It’s also equally as important to communicate what DEI is not about. It’s not about finger-pointing, shaming, blaming or otherwise vilifying any individuals or group of individuals.
2. Show how DEI can benefit the organization and everyone in it
As you develop and communicate your DEI plan, be clear about your reasons for launching the effort, explain what you want to achieve and why—working from the overriding premise that everyone benefits from an inclusive culture. Share research showing that organizations and their employees can be more collaborative, innovative, productive and profitable when they are diverse, equitable and inclusive. Consider some thoughts shared by the Forbes Human Resource Council which cited 15 Key Benefits of DEI to Communicate With Team Members, including that.
- DEI helps all employees to feel safe, respected and connected
- Diverse teams have an increased ability to innovate faster
- A diverse and inclusive environment retains employees
- Highly inclusive companies are 120% more likely to hit their financial targets
How employees respond to your general approach can help you quickly spot any existing barriers to DEI, if you are not already aware of them. Take the time you need to be prepared with outreach that will thoughtfully address any points of resistance. For more guidance, see this article from HR.com, How to overcome employee resistance to DEI efforts.
3. Create a learning environment that supports self-discovery
A survey of more than 19,000 HBR readers found that “one particular culture style differentiated diverse and inclusive organizations from those that were not: a learning-oriented culture that emphasizes flexibility, open-mindedness, and exploration, and can equip organizations with the ability to adapt and innovate.”
A holistic DEI learning strategy is about more than reacting to today’s environment; it is about developing the conditions for long-term behavior changes.
Cultivating this kind of learning culture includes shaping an educational plan that helps every employee and manager relate to the DEI effort in a personal and positive way. That includes offering training that feels inclusive and relatable, with specific tools and strategies that employees can carry through to real life. But it’s important to realize that DEI is a journey that takes time, consistency and reinforcement. It’s a long-term commitment. For that reason, training is best when it provides time for self-reflection, meaningful follow-up and complementary initiatives—such as annual training interspersed with programs like mentorship, sponsorship or employee resource groups.
4. Foster understanding through real-life stories
When we hear people share their stories in an authentic and compelling way, it builds a sense of understanding for their unique experiences. Stories help us transcend our own realities. They break down barriers because we as humans want and need to connect with each other. More than any other form of communication, storytelling can open our minds and enable us to embody someone else’s reality. It might be just for a few moments, but it can imprint onto our memories for a lifetime.
That’s why storytelling (real people sharing their experiences) is the best way to form interconnectedness—and helps us see that people can experience the same workplace in very different ways. Stories are a pathway to appreciating others and embracing DEI. But storytelling can also expose vulnerabilities, so you’ll want to introduce them with care in a safe environment where people have a chance to consider and reflect. If it is part of your training, then make sure that the stories are interwoven in a way that is thoughtful, sensitive and relatable.
5. Build trust with authentic commitment, real action and sincere communication
One of the most important ways to help your employees to embrace DEI is to ensure that your organization follows through on its commitments, that actions are concrete and tangible, and that communication is sincere and ongoing. If employees see demonstrable results, they will trust that the organization is not just talking about diversity, equity and inclusion, it is making changes that align with its values. That includes putting a focus on fairness through organizational systems, such as revamped recruitment, hiring and onboarding processes, equitable employee advancement and more inclusive meetings.
Final thoughts
At the heart of it, DEI is more than a program. It’s within the fabric of the organization. That means that every decision, action and communication should take diversity, equity and inclusion into account. When employees feel that commitment from the organization, they will refract it back in a way that can lead to meaningful and transformative change.
Ultimately DEI can become an integral part of who we are, like the very air that we breathe, rather than something that is dealt with in a separate way. Once there, the benefits of DEI will be so evident that embracing them will be a natural part of creating a more inclusive, collaborative and productive organization that makes it possible for everyone to succeed.
