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Sankalp Chaturvedi, professor of organisational behaviour and leadership, and associate dean of equity, diversity and inclusion at London’s Imperial College Business School, says extensive research has shown “when gender, ethnicity or any form of the diversity are on the table, quality of discussions and decision-making is better, creativity is improved and the performance of the organisation and its culture is stronger”.
Yet despite this, these programmes are increasingly landing in corporate crosshairs.
Chaturvedi says the current public pushback is not entirely new, but has accelerated post-pandemic, amid a turbulent economic and political landscape. “This has caused individuals to focus inwards and on self-preservation, which leads to polarisation,” he says. “There are higher chances of misinformation, which further stretch or breed these uncertainties.” Chaturvedi believes the climate that’s breeding these more extreme viewpoints is here to stay.
While the arguments of Musk and Wilson – business leaders who have significant platforms – might represent the extreme end of the pushback, De Stobbeleir says criticism of DEI policies is more widespread than one might think.
“There is certainly a group of leaders out there that feels that the focus on DEI has gone too far,” she says. This criticism often comes due to DEI initiatives not being implemented successfully. “Well-intended DEI policies can have counterproductive effects. For example, quotas can stigmatise some groups if there is no strategy that focuses on inclusion and how to make the quota work.”
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