Stop the Presses! Reasons Why You Need to Stop Eulogizing DEI
Despite recent headlines, DEI is far from dead—it’s being forced to evolve. This article explains how and why DEI remains vital and why the work has to continue despite the distracting headlines. Enjoy!
Recently, headlines have buzzed with stories of companies like Tractor Supply Company, Lowe's, Brown-Forman (you may know them as the brand behind Jack Daniel’s), Harley-Davidson, John Deere, and Ford “eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)” in response to external pressures. However, this is only part of the story. While it may seem that DEI is “dying,” the truth is it’s merely being pruned—and still thriving and evolving.
Why do I say this? True DEI is multifaceted work that extends beyond race and gender or the popular, often misconstrued, monthly 3Fs of diversity-themed “food, festivals, and famous people” checkbox calendar. DEI is a practice focused on guiding organizations on how to prepare, respond, and sustain strategies to meet the needs of increasingly diverse stakeholders. It’s not a one-off initiative but an integral way of doing business. I’d boldly claim that every functioning organization in the U.S. engages in some form of DEI work, whether modifying physical and accessible workspaces, assistive technologies, offering parental leave, supporting remote work, or providing zero-tolerance harassment policies. These aren’t initiatives that threaten anyone; they are human and community-centered approaches to optimizing a business.
Think of it as a type of change management across four major strategy areas: workforce, society, organizational culture, and marketplace. (See my “4 Dimensions of Organizational DEI Strategy” below for a summary.)
Four Dimensions of DEI in Practice was created by Dr. Brandon L. Wolfe.
Courtesy of bwolfephd.com.
Click here to see a much larger expansion.
To further unpack this, here are my long-overdue two pennies.
Don’t Believe the Media Hype: Why DEI Isn’t Dying (Or Going Away)
Yes, DEI offices and efforts have been dissolved in various sectors. Lawsuits have emerged (I predict more are on the way), and some companies are cutting back on DEI efforts due to conservative-led activism. However, the larger media narratives conveniently ignore how the work continues despite opposition. Recent data shows that 80% of C-Suite executives are still investing in DEI initiatives. While 36% plan to continue at the same level, 44% plan to increase or develop new initiatives. DEI is not just about social justice or the moral imperative; it’s simply good business.
Which leads me to my next point.
The Business Case for DEI Remains Solid… and it’s Expanding
DEI is not merely about compliance; it’s a critical driver of business success in both local and global markets. Here are a few examples of companies maintaining momentum:
Meeting Consumer Expectations: Edelman’s 2024 Trust Barometer reveals that 62% of consumers are more loyal to brands that actively address social issues. Ben & Jerry’s, for instance, has built a strong brand reputation through its active support of social justice causes, reflecting the growing consumer preference for socially responsible brands.
Attracting Talent: According to Glassdoor, 76% of job seekers consider diversity essential when evaluating potential employers. LinkedIn’s research further supports this, showing that companies with robust DEI practices experience a 22% lower turnover rate. There are a list of companies who are doing extremely well in this area, but I’d like to point attention to another recent study by Little Mendleson law firm who surveyed more than 320 senior executives. What’s significant about this study is that 91% of respondents said the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling did not cause their organization to de-emphazie diversity. In fact, senior executives state they are more supportive. The rewards of good business far outweighs the possible backlash.
Gaining a Competitive Advantage: Dovetailing from my last bullet point, a study published in the Harvard Business Review found that companies with diverse teams are 50% more likely to innovate successfully. Google is renowned for its diverse workforce and they actively and intentionally recruit employees from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. This diversity has driven the creation of innovative products like Gmail, Google Maps, and many other groundbreaking services that have transformed the tech industry. I’m showing my bias here, but I think that Google has one of the best diversity annual reports. They are not perfect, but I think they are top 5 in the game in mastering how to tell their evolving DEI story.
Cultivating a Profit Ecosystem/ROI: There are at least 16 studies highlighting DEI as a revenue engine. This notion goes beyond virtue signaling with statements and symbols, but real investment that can generate return on investment (ROI). Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase and self proclaimed, “full-throated, red-blooded, patriotic, unwoke, capitalist CEO” remains committed and has led the investment of their $30 billion commitment to close the racial wealth equity gap and advance economic inclusion by pouring into opportunities such as supplier diversity, business loans, home lending advisors and other avenues to financial inclusion. To date, it’s the biggest racial equity commitment by any US company. According to their last impact update, they are close to reaching their goal since the 2020 announcement. In doing so, he’s basically positioned the company to shift the financial inclusion playing field in a way that gives them multiple touch points in wealth generation from historically underrepresented and untapped groups.
How DEI is Evolving
The next phase of DEI will focus on deeper structural changes within organizations. This evolution challenges companies to balance global diversity and local nuances, requiring a learning curve for policies and regulations. The future is exciting, and here are 10 emerging DEI trends for organizations to consider:
Rethink core DEI business integration by developing customized frameworks that support your current and aspirational standing. Advancing DEI is essential for long-term success, but organizations will have to pace their efforts in line with their capacity and mission. Push for progress while educating, empowering, and broadening participation through inclusion at every level to ensure sustainable practice and a culture of work aligned with core goals. I call this inclusive excellence.
Continue deepening and expanding the talent development shift beyond training to education for cultural competence AND cultural humility as an ongoing learning process. DEI 2.0 goes beyond surface-level diversity thinking. It dives into cultural humility and relationship building. Meaning, embracing the notion that working with diverse cultures is an ongoing learning process that we all should remain open to. For instance, in the US, equity work is largely framed in understanding the unique social dynamics shaped by historical injustices like slavery, but in Europe, it’s colonization and indigenous rights.
Increasing complexities of creating global DEI standards with local accountability to ensure equity across borders. Advocating fairness across borders is complex, requiring both a macro and micro lens. What drives equity in one country may not resonate in another, whether addressing slavery’s legacy in the U.S., colonialism's scars in Africa, genocide memories, and other caste system remnants. The challenge—and the opportunity—is finding that delicate balance between global standards and local accountability.
Greater call for centralizing psychological safety and trauma-informed leadership approaches inside the workplace. Creating a truly inclusive workplace culture requires psychological safety where employees feel secure to express their ideas, share their identities, and take risks without fear of marginalization or punishment. Within this lies the complex understanding for organizations to recognize how overlapping identities (race, gender, disability, etc.) affect experiences of discrimination and trauma. Trauma-informed leadership, inclusive policies, and psychological safety practices will be key to creating truly inclusive environments where everyone can thrive, particularly those from historically marginalized groups.
The expansion of data and how diversity metrics can be used to create equity-centered systems. While diversity metrics (e.g., representation and hiring) have been a key focus, the future of DEI 2.0 will shift toward equity-centered systems and measuring processes that address systemic barriers, biases, and disparities in pay, opportunity, and access. This will require organizations to rethink and redesign their structures, policies, and processes to promote true equity, not just representation.
Sealing the virtual handshake and social contract between DEI in innovation and new technologies. The future of DEI will be marked by the integration of ethical AI and inclusive technology that considers how innovations impact marginalized communities. As AI continues to evolve, there is a need to proactively prevent algorithmic biases and design technology that is accessible and beneficial to all. This also involves harnessing data-driven insights to drive equitable outcomes in hiring, promotions, and all forms of stakeholder engagement from human resources to annual reporting (I’m imagining interactive virtual reality data walkthroughs).
Growing and strengthening advocacy of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives. The next wave of DEI will be intrinsically linked to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives. As companies face increasing pressure to address climate change, DEI 2.0 will focus on the intersection of climate justice and social responsibility, ensuring that environmental sustainability efforts benefit marginalized communities and do not perpetuate inequities. This is important to know among your emerging Gen Z workforce who have been amplifying their call for universities on social responsibility and company divestments for at least the past three years.
Addressing the challenge of relationships, capacity building, and finding DEI common ground in polarizing times. Is it connection, community, or connection and community? DEI efforts will advance human and community-centric approaches with a move toward hyper-personalization, using technology and data to drive culture and tailor employee experiences, benefits, and development opportunities to meet individual needs. This will ensure that each employee feels seen, connected, and valued, with access to resources and support that reflect their unique backgrounds and aspirations while at the same time pushing us further into the ring of civil discourse to teambuilding among differences.
Even greater calls for radical transparency and accountability. Organizations will face increasing demands for radical transparency regarding their DEI efforts and outcomes. Anti-DEI activism has leveraged stakeholder responsibility as a tool to disrupt efforts. That same lens will also be used to drive support. The future will see companies adopting real-time DEI reporting tools, open data sharing, and third-party auditing to ensure they are held accountable not just for their commitments, but for the tangible impact they are making on employees, communities, stakeholders, and the overall marketplace. Not to mention, the scrutiny of leaders and their ethics as a checks and balances.
Build adaptive, resilient DEI strategies that can evolve with social, political, and economic shifts. This is the part where I will remind readers of the importance of a senior executive DEI leader, but there’s more. Organizations will need not just a chief diversity officer (CDO). They will need to double down with integrative systems and infrastructures for CDOs and the entire organization’s involvement at multiple levels. With rapidly changing societal norms and technological advancements, the future of DEI 2.0 will focus on building adaptive, resilient DEI strategies that evolve with social, political, and economic shifts. Organizations will need to maintain flexibility in their DEI frameworks, responding swiftly to emerging challenges, from new forms of discrimination to the changing needs of a global workforce. No one division can handle it all. It’s time to rethink strategy and resource allocation here.
Thank you for reading!! I hope this helps and offers a little reprieve for those worrying about the future of DEI. Successful organizations have mastered maintaining a strong brand while remaining agile in the face of time. Much like nature, organizations must evolve to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse society and changing times or be rendered obsolete. I would also caution each other not to be so quick to silence the critics. They too are invested in the future as part of the community–regardless of their role. Listening to an old interview with Jaron Lanier (futurist, virtual reality pioneer, computer scientist, and philosopher) helped me to reframe the criticism and pushback:
To me, criticism and optimism are the same thing. When you criticize things, it's because you think they can be improved. It's the complacent person or the fanatic who's the true pessimist because they feel they already have the answer. It's the people who think that things are open-ended, that things can still be changed through thought, through creativity---those are the true optimists.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Did I miss anything? Do you have personal experiences or observations to add? Let me know! ✌🏾+🫶🏾
Footnotes is a newsletter dedicated to exploring trends in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, while also serving as a platform for me to re-engage with writing and stimulating meaningful conversations in this field. Your participation is greatly appreciated. Please note that the views and opinions expressed in these communications are solely my own and do not necessarily reflect those of any affiliated entities. Thank you for joining the discussion.
