When I think about the opposite of diversity, inclusion and equity words like cronyism, sexism, racism, and privilege come to the fore. Only the very selfish, smug, paranoid or weak would be ok with that becoming the dominant culture, as it once was to a significant extent. In many ways, DEI was supposed to be the antidote to these vile ideas. Nevertheless, it only took a few words from one man for the entire concept of DEI to begin to unravel. Champions of diversity, equity and inclusion such as McDonald's seemingly walk it back without even asking themselves why they supported it in the first place. The baby seems to have gone out with the bathwater.
When people say that DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) is “on the nose,” they might be referring to the idea that these initiatives can sometimes feel overly emphasized, performative, or forced. That right there is the problem - and it is a problem.
Essentially, it could imply that DEI is being pushed so hard or in such an obvious way that it loses its authenticity or depth, potentially feeling more like a checkbox exercise rather than a genuine commitment. Slogans replaced thinking, policies and programs replaced education, performance indicators replaced performance. We started celebrating Diwali and would automatically think that all corporate events needed a welcome to country even though no-one ever asked an aboriginal person if that was the best use of our time and energy in helping them recover 200 years of trauma. Women who had no business being on a shortlist were put on it anyway so we could demonstrate commitment to diverse hiring. Whole departments were set up outside of HR (probably because HR itself was a part of the "problem"), such as when I was at Campbell's Soup, led by an African American lawyer lady. We let it get silly.
All the while white Chairmen were showing their bona fides by putting women into the HR, marketing and legal jobs at the top of companies. The measure of DEI became about how many female CEO's there were - as if they were ever going to get there from those functions. It began to look a bit tokenistic but you couldn't say that. It was all so serious we had to report to parliament on progress and closing the gender pay gap. All we needed to see lots of women moving into CEO roles was some work-life balance so that these women could continue to be mothers and carers. Very naive - the people who get to the top of Fortune 500 Companies are maniacs who can work 80-100 hours a week and who know that their time with their families is a price they have to pay. I worked for 5 of them - same profile - generally, but not always, men.
So the focus became on appearances or “checking off” DEI metrics without truly engaging in the deeper work of creating inclusive, equitable environments. DEI initiatives feel too “trend-driven,” as though they’re being implemented because it’s the “right thing to do” or popular at the moment, rather than being motivated by a real desire to foster meaningful change. The whole thing has become tiresome and we began to completely miss the point about why inclusion is good for culture, teamwork, engagement, staff retention, learning and achieving results
We talk about diversity as if it is a process when it actually is an outcome. Using KPI's for it was a big mistake because KPI's get gamed and this leads to cynicism. The laser focus should have been on inclusion and backed up by a much more sophisticated approach to education. I'm talking about things like:-
There are differences in the way men and women communicate and behave - which ones are important in helping men and women succeed
Is toxic masculinity supported by psychology or just sociology
What are the work-life choices that you have to navigate your career
What to do about vexatious allegations in the workplace
What are the differences between male and female aggression
How the way boys and girls are socialised impacts the way they relate later
What is intergenerational trauma and how do you know it's a factor now
What are the biggest cultural differences between Aboriginals and other Australians
Is white priveledge real
Why do CEO's usually come from line roles rather than functional ones and why don't we see more women in these roles
What’s your take on it? Do you think DEI is being overdone or just in need of a more thoughtful approach?
Despite our best intentions, we have inadvertently established a framework that permits those who merely tolerated DEI to now demand its complete removal. This would be a significant error, as DEI actually reinforces meritocracy rather than undermining it. We have somehow failed to convey this effectively.
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