Why is Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) so hard? Part II

In our InPower Women Mastermind community the subjects of discrimination, bias, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) come up pretty often in conversation. These discussions are stimulated by personal experience and requests for advice as well as a shared commitment the women in our group have for being positive agents of culture change. This is a particularly important topic when a new US News & World Report/Harris Poll survey out this week finds that a significant number of American’s are in racism denial.

I think the other reason the topic keeps cycling back around is that the issues swirling around how to achieve actual diversity, equity and inclusion is just so dang intractable. Searching for answers to the question “Why is DEI so hard?” I fielded a survey to my community earlier this month and I believe the results highlight the uncomfortable facts that underlie all our good anti-racist and anti-sexist intentions:

• Encountering bias makes us feel negative emotions (fear of reprisal, anger and vulnerability) that no one wants to feel
• Raising the issues productively requires the right context and mindset. And those who perpetuate the problems do not always have the right mindset and are not always willing to enter the right context
• Raising these issues alone is challenging and exhausting, especially in the face of outright denial by those who do not want to change

In this month’s Mastermind conversation a panel of members currently wrestling with these issues in their corporate contexts led our community in a conversation about these insights. Below are the topline insights from the survey (and a link to the results) as well as some of the main questions and learnings from our our panel discussion. 

Photo by Anna Shvets 

Summary of Survey Results: Why is Diversity, Equity and Inclusion so Hard?

Here are some of my top-line takeaways from the survey and personal reflections on the findings.

• People believe they are more aware of their own biases than others, especially leaders. This leads me to wonder if we expect more of our leaders and my conclusion is that we do, and we should. That’s why they’re leaders.
• Organizations have policies but are not necessarily effective in empowering employees to address bias when it occurs. Is this because the problem presents at an interpersonal level and only becomes organizational when tolerated there?
• When people experience bias against themselves they’re most likely to feel angry and vulnerable/fearful, however when they observe bias against others their reaction is split between frustrated and empathetic — people acknowledge that it takes a lot of energy to stay alert to bias, and this can make them feel tired. Maybe there are just not enough emotional incentives to take on these levels of emotional labor?
• It can make you feel like an outsider and even question your own reality and wonder if you’re the only one seeing it. This is actually a tactic of oppression and finding personal support outside the ostracizing group is the key to staying grounded in your own reality when this happens.
• People speak up about half the time (out of fairness, frustration and to raise awareness) they observe bias (more for themselves than for others) – when they don’t speak up it is out of fear of retaliation. Fear is always the enemy of change. Making change means learning to manage your fear.
• When people speak up, results are mixed (about as many productive conversations are awkward as they are uncomfortable). Yet the more we do it, and the more we practice the discomfort, the more comfortable it can become for everyone as we gain experience and vocabulary to address uncomfortable issues at the core. 
• When bringing up bias productively, context and intent is everything – when people are open to learning (and in a context that supports it), real communication can happen. The solution to change always involves curating the context to pull the levers of influence and learning. 

Discussion Highlights: Why is Diversity, Equity and Inclusion so Hard?

Here are some of the most thought-provoking issues and ideas surfaced in our InPower Women Mastermind discussion this month.

• Organizational initiatives are not enough. Things change when people become engaged personally.
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) efforts in organizations often feel performative and “check the box” ineffective, yet they also legitimize the issue and provide resources and safe spaces to confront difficult issues related to race, inequity and discrimination.
• Organizations who host these conversations equip and empower their employees to bring the topic up personally in the culture at large.
• Common causes that cut across identity categories (e.g., labor and class commonalities) can provide important spaces for diverse conversations and advocacy efforts.
• Leaders at the very top who personally engage with these issues and role model what it’s like to be curious and personally open to learning and change across racial and other divides provide important role modeling and permission for everyone below them to do the same.
• Political polarization of these issues is not helping us address them in our organizations or society.

Many thanks to our panelists for sharing their insights. To join future conversations on this topic and others, learn more about our InPower Women’s Mastermind community.