Dealing with DEI Pushback 

Inclusion is good for organizations and good for employees. But if your company is like many, everyone may not welcome the new conversations and initiatives taking place around diversity, equity and inclusion. In fact, there will almost certainly be resistance to your efforts to create belonging — maybe subtle, maybe overt, or maybe both.

Some people might refuse to engage because they insist they are not part of the problem, that they are “colorblind” and treat everyone the same way. Others may believe they got to where they are by hard work (and so should everyone else).

Some may feel like outsiders or “the other” themselves and resent being excluded when DEI strategies focus primarily on historically excluded groups.

One thing’s for sure: DEI efforts can bring up intense feelings. People of power and privilege may be astonished to learn about the lived experiences of those who have been excluded or underrepresented in the past. This realization may trigger shame, grief or even anger and indignation in some employees. Organizations face the challenge of moving forward while being sensitive and accommodating to all workers as they navigate these changes.

Business leaders can deal productively with frictions without steamrolling over people’s viewpoints. With the right approach and tools, leaders can educate workers on how inclusion benefits everyone — yes, even those “at the top” — and enlist them to help transform the business’s culture.

My DEI template, called an Inclusion System, solves for all these problems and more. It centers on the truth that inclusion is a human-centric pursuit; it benefits everyone, regardless of their race, gender, orientation, ability level or any other distinguisher. We can actually create belonging when we make DEI work for everyone. Keep reading to find out how.

Keep the lines of communication open. It could take time for some to come around to the progress being made in their organization, so leaders should plan to reiterate their goals and the reasoning behind them regularly. It’s important they be transparent about why they are taking action. They should share what the problems are, the reasons they matter to individuals and to the greater organization, and what the plan is moving forward.

Avoid accusations and blame… Pointing the finger at any groups or individuals won’t win many ardent supporters. It will just alienate some of the group. Instead, leaders should ensure that the language they use to talk about inclusion does not place blame or shame on dominant groups. 

…And acknowledge that social tensions are normal. It’s important to remind everyone that tensions exist in systems where there is difference of any kind. Even when it is uncomfortable, this tension is necessary — and it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Problems come only when DEI practitioners and groups don’t know how to navigate the tensions and complexities that come from differences.

Get rid of the “us versus them” paradigm and make inclusion for everyone. Neither marginalized nor dominant groups enjoy being “othered,” but this is what happens when any group is singled out in DEI work. True inclusion dismantles the “us versus them” paradigm altogether and takes a “we” approach instead. For inclusion to benefit anyone, it must always benefit everyone.

This is great news for holdouts or resistors. Leaders should explain that inclusion is not about lifting up any one group above others. It’s about helping everyone thrive.

Create safe spaces for honest, meaningful conversations. People from historically dominant identities may feel genuine confusion and discomfort when learning more about the marginalization of others. Leaders should ensure that there are safe and brave spaces where they can talk openly and process these feelings. It’s important for leaders to allow people to express themselves, be there to support them and share alternative viewpoints. Changing hearts and minds is possible, even around the complexities that will always exist around these issues.

Generate a culture of curiosity and empathy. It’s important to encourage employees to approach inclusion efforts with an open mind and heart. Leaders should remind everyone that, while they may not understand the lived experiences of all individuals they work with, all experiences are valid. They should be encouraged to move forward with curiosity and empathy — especially when they don’t understand or don’t agree. Curiosity helps us seek and be receptive to other points of view. Empathy allows us to connect by tapping into what another person is feeling. When these forces align, employees can begin bridging the differences that may have prevented collaboration and engagement.

Educate people on how to be more inclusive. Some people genuinely may not realize the ways that their actions or behaviors are harmful to their fellow employees. That’s why it is important to teach the best practices that help everyone feel welcome and safe. 

Allow people in power to voice their concerns safely. Since inclusion is for all people, those who may feel the most threatened or disadvantaged by DEI efforts need to be able to process their feelings as well. Leaders should encourage them to share their thoughts and feelings, but be ready to explain why inclusion benefits not only underrepresented employees but the entire organization and everyone in it.

Bring people together. To break down stereotypes and biases, it’s important to foster relationships between people who may otherwise not interact. Leaders should focus on an environment of collaboration and ensure that every team is made up of diverse people from varying backgrounds.

Include leadership in your inclusion efforts. From the C-suite to team managers, all leaders should present a unified front in support of DEI. When leaders have buy-in and embrace inclusion with enthusiasm, employees will, too.

Actively prevent ostracization. Ostracism is a subtle form of abuse but is soul-crushing for the person experiencing it. The bully is usually adept at making it appear that the recipient is the cause of the behavior. Those trusted with managing people must be on the lookout for signs of ostracism. Are some employees consistently left out of the loop? Are certain people given the cold shoulder or excluded from collaboration?

If a leader spots someone who may be excluding others from the workplace culture, that might signal it’s time to have a tough conversation — sharing what was noticed (or what was reported, if someone shared their experience with that leader). The leader should state why this behavior is wrong and give the person a chance to change the behavior. It might be a misunderstanding or an oversight.

Inclusion is the way forward, but that doesn’t mean the path will always be easy or drama-free. The new playing field may feel different for people of privilege, and there could be growing pains as organizations become more equitable and welcoming to all. It’s still worth the effort and, in the end, all stakeholders will benefit.  

Amri B. Johnson is the author of Reconstructing Inclusion: Making DEI Accessible, Actionable, and Sustainable. For more than 20 years, he has been instrumental in helping organizations and their people create extraordinary business outcomes. He is a social capitalist, epidemiologist, entrepreneur and inclusion strategist. Johnson’s dialogic approach to engaging all people as leaders and change agents has fostered the opening of minds and deepening of skillsets with organizational leaders and citizens, enabling them to thrive and optimally contribute to one another and their respective organizations.

As CEO/founder of Inclusion Wins, Johnson and a virtual collective of partners converge organizational purpose to create global impact with a lens of inclusion. Born in Topeka, Kansas (USA), Johnson has worked and lived in the U.S., Brazil, and currently lives in Basel, Switzerland, with his wife, Martina, and their three kids.