Organizations Must Navigate DEI Resistance and Misconceptions to Enable an Inclusive Future for All, Says HR Research & Advisory Firm McLean & Company

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Jul 31, 2024, 13:17 ET

According to a new resource from global HR research and advisory firm McLean & Company, HR and DEI leaders face shifting challenges, misconceptions, and resistance in the DEI space as they seek to guide their organizations into an inclusive future of work. Leaders must uncover the root causes of DEI resistance to effectively address these challenges and enable building a diverse, inclusive, and equitable organization for all.

TORONTO, July 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - As the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) landscape continues to evolve, HR is navigating how to address misconceptions and sources of resistance to organizational DEI. In response, McLean & Company, the trusted research and advisory partner of HR leaders around the world, has released a new resource to support HR and DEI leaders advocating for greater inclusion and equity in their talent practices and workplaces. The guide, Navigate a Path Forward in the DEI Landscape, explores the evolution and current importance of DEI as well as the common misconceptions fueling resistance. McLean & Company's new resource also offers insights on how best to integrate strategies to address six common types of DEI resistance alongside integrating the importance of DEI into organizational culture.

According to McLean & Company’s new resource, navigating DEI resistance is a complex and sensitive topic that requires mindfulness of varying emotional responses. However, when it is approached with curiosity, openness, empathy, and a willingness to learn, DEI leaders can support the organization in achieving an inclusive future for all. (CNW Group/McLean & Company)

In the resource, the firm explains that the benefits of organizational DEI, including improved financial performance and organizational outcomes, are undeniable and lead most organizations to use the business case to advocate for continued investment in DEI. However, this approach can overlook the fairness and empathy case, which anchors the importance of DEI in achieving improved equitable outcomes, building a sense of belonging, and working to improve society. The firm further stresses that deprioritizing DEI because of resistance is a mistake and that failing to address equity and inclusion challenges hinders employee and organizational outcomes.

"Regardless of the specifics of their approach, DEI leaders face no shortage of challenges, misconceptions, and resistance on the path to building a diverse, inclusive, and equitable organization," says Elysca Fernandes, director of HR Research & Advisory Services at McLean & Company. "Amid adversity, DEI leaders can sustain progress by focusing on the people most impacted by DEI challenges to achieve an inclusive future for all."

To support HR and DEI leaders in their efforts to understand DEI obstacles and navigate the course to create and maintain an inclusive workplace for all, McLean & Company has organized the new guide into three sections:

1. What is DEI today? The first section offers HR and DEI leaders a high-level review of terms. They'll also gain an understanding of the benefits of organizational DEI and its evolution to the present day.

2. Where are we now? The second section explains six common types of resistance and how they may appear in the workplace:

i. Perceiving DEI progress through a zero-sum mindset. A zero-sum mindset refers to the belief that progress in DEI comes at the expense of those who have historically benefited from existing systems or structures, assuming opportunities are finite and limited rather than expansive or created.

ii. Failing to acknowledge the impact of systemic inequities on workplace outcomes, commonly known as the meritocracy myth.

iii. Misinterpreting inclusion in one domain to justify exclusion in another.

iv. Empathy deficits leading to the belief that things are "good enough."

v. Lack of recognition of the indirect and long-term value of investing in DEI.

vi. Focusing on perceptions and losing sight of the impact of DEI-related change.

3. Where do we go from here? The third and final section encourages HR and DEI leaders to approach DEI as long-term cultural change through aligning the focus of DEI with the organization's stated values of wellbeing and safety. To achieve this, the resource points to the importance of segmenting employee experience data to uncover exclusion and hidden disparities, adopting inclusive design to create a more inclusive workplace, and encouraging continuous learning and unlearning along the DEI journey.

McLean & Company reminds leaders that DEI is highly contextual and requires adapting the approach to differing contexts and audiences. Shifting mindsets is not easy, especially when views are based on deeply ingrained values and learned behaviors. Culture change does not happen overnight, so future-focused leaders must embrace embedding inclusion into organizational culture as a long-term journey.

To access the full thought leadership resource, please visit Navigate a Path Forward in the DEI Landscape.

To learn more about the resources and tools available to support navigating the current DEI landscape and the best way forward for organizations' unique contexts, please contact McLean & Company.

To attend upcoming free webinars on a variety of topics or explore the publicly available archive of recorded sessions, please visit McLean & Company's webinars page.

McLean Signature 2024 Conference

To register for Signature, McLean & Company's premier industry conference for future-focused HR leaders, please visit the official Signature event page. This year Signature will take place from October 27 to 29 at Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Media interested in connecting with McLean & Company analysts for exclusive, research-backed insights and commentary on generative AI in HR, HR trends in 2024, the future of work, and more can contact Senior Communications Manager Kelsey King at [email protected].

About McLean & Company

McLean & Company pairs evidence-based research and immediately applicable tools with deep HR expertise to position organizations to meet today's needs and prepare for the future. The global HR research and advisory firm's member organizations enjoy comprehensive resources, full-service diagnostics, workshops, action plans, and advisory services for all levels of HR professionals, from executive leadership to HR leaders to HR team members, that help shape workplaces where everyone thrives.

McLean & Company is a division of Info-Tech Research Group.

Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software and hundreds of industry analysts through the firm's Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact [email protected].

SOURCE McLean & Company