Maybe You Don’t Know What DEI Means

In many organizations, the conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) center around values and morals. In these conversations, an organization’s DEI strategy and initiatives demonstrate what the company and its leaders believe in. In other words, in many organizations, DEI is simply the right thing to do. But, while few would argue against the moral imperative, some employees might struggle to accept why DEI is important for business.

Why do they have to sit through multiple training sessions? Why change how hiring and recruiting are done? Why fix what’s not broken? And what is the point of all this incessant talk about diversity?

Questions and attitudes like these miss the real, concrete value of DEI strategy and of diverse teams in particular. DEI as a business growth strategy fosters a better, more inclusive work environment for all employees to do great work. DEI today has very little in common with the old-school diversity training of the 1980s and ’90s. Today, DEI is a method for reaching organization-wide goals.

DEI practices also increase representation in company leadership, promote more equitable business practices, and result in highly qualified, high-performing teams. In fact, research shows that diverse teams drive stronger financial performance and are better at making decisions. They’re more resilient, creative, and proactive about solving problems.