Employees generally respond to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in four ways, ranging from excited support to covert or direct opposition.
That’s the finding from a study, recently published in Harvard Business Review and the Journal of Applied Psychology, with 1,600 employees in the US who had experienced a diversity initiative in their company.
First, there are the ‘excited supporters’ who look forward to new DEI initiatives and eagerly participate in events and workshops. A great way to engage them is to invite them to participate in steering committees or lead projects. They can have a contagion effect on others through their positive energy.
Then there are the ‘calm compliers’ who are generally supportive but less active. Engaging them through regular updates and educational opportunities is likely to be effective. They also respond to emotional appeals to become more excited supporters.
A third group are the ‘torn shapers.’ These are people who might be ‘on the fence’ about diversity and inclusion initiatives. They might be frustrated about training programs or the motives for initiatives but generally support the rationale.
Involving ‘torn shapers’ in forums or roundtable discussions helps to address their concerns and can also potentially transform them into more active supporters.
Discontented opponents form the fourth group. These are the people who directly oppose diversity and inclusion efforts, or who may covertly sabotage programs. What’s helpful for engagement is holding open dialogue forums and finding common ground, such as agreeing on the importance of fairness in the workplace. Aligning the desired outcomes with rewards – such as incentives for leaders who achieve high levels of inclusion in their teams – is also an effective psychological lever to motivate greater support.
These nuanced approaches to different types of employee responses can lead to more effective implementation of interventions that support diverse and inclusive workplaces, and we take them into account in all the strategy and implementation work we undertake at Diversity Partners.
Engaging employees on DEI with nuance
