As a diversity, equity and inclusion pro, I don’t do DEI. I help teams thrive.

It would appear that the official American purge of diversity, equity and inclusion will never end.

Words like “diversity,” “gender,” “marginalized,” “trauma” and “vulnerable populations,” and the images that accompany them, are being removed from documents and websites.

Companies are replacing language traditionally associated with DEI with terms like “merit-based hiring” and “opportunity.”

This shift is in part to protect themselves against the executive order to target private companies supporting DEI initiatives.

As I watch these changes taking place, I’m not sure most people leading the conversation really know what DEI is. Do we really know what we are arguing about? Is it about practices or words? Are both sides really talking about the same thing? Likely not.

There’s a moral and a business case for DEI

I’m a DEI consultant. Or maybe I’m a former DEI consultant. I haven’t decided.

I help teams create supportive organizational cultures so they can work well together, invest in shared missions and use different perspectives to innovate.

This doesn’t mean I’m doing DEI. In fact, in some situations, I am definitely, certainly, decidedly not doing DEI, even if I’m doing the same things I do when I am doing DEI.

Credit: hand

Jennifer Sarrett

Supporters of DEI talk about the moral and business cases of the work.

In short, the moral case emphasizes doing the right thing to reduce disparities.

The business case, on the other hand, argues that increasing the variety of perspectives considered at all levels of a company leads to greater revenue by fostering talent retention and creative problem-solving.

Personally, I believe both are true. But, again, I’m not really doing DEI.

I’m here to think about what DEI means in a world increasingly hostile to it. Bad-mouthing, eradicating, and punishing DEI programs, leaders and policies have been rising in recent years. But this shift won’t change the reality that companies still need engaged, innovative and motivated teams to succeed.

I’m not doing DEI, but I do wonder: What should leaders do if they want their employees to enjoy their work, feel supported, share their out-of-the-box thinking, and invest in the company’s success as much as its founders and leaders?

Apparently, today’s answer for more and more companies is not to think about increasing diversity in hiring, ensuring equitable practices or implementing inclusive policies.

That said, there are some better words we can use to talk about strategies to help retain happy, creative and productive employees — if you’re into that sort of thing.

Three ways to invest in and get the best from your team

Companies can develop ways to intentionally design high-performing, supportive team culture that fosters engagement, retention and creativity — all of which drive success and profitability.

Here’s how:

• Understand your team: Who are your employees and how do they feel about their work environment? Asking these questions identifies roadblocks to productivity that stem from disengagement. Further, talking with your team about their experiences highlights the root causes of disengagement, at least the ones within the company’s control. By the way, this is team research, not DEI.
• Analyze and improve policies and procedures: Once you’ve identified barriers, you can examine company policies and procedures. Can they be modified to reduce disengagement? Are you adhering to practices because that’s the way it’s always been done? Challenging the status quo is a powerful way to uncover areas for improvement. This also isn’t DEI. We do, however, know this type of review is most effective when it includes people from different levels of the organization and a variety of backgrounds. If one person can’t identify or solve a problem, someone else probably can.
• Build a strong team culture: Improving company culture requires actually having a culture. What kind of culture does your company want to foster? One focused on personal and professional growth, interpersonal relationships, creativity or positivity? Once that vision is clear, you can identify the resources, programs, activities and support needed to shape it. Again, this isn’t DEI, it’s designing a sustainably successful team culture.

Of course, some companies might prefer a hierarchical, highly ordered and task-driven culture. That’s fine, though these teams will likely struggle with negativity, low participation and complacency.

They’ll get things done, but they won’t grow, and the best employees will eventually leave.