Achieve DEI Goals Without DEI Programs

During the past few years, DEI programs have been rolled back in both private and public organizations, and the trend may well continue. For champions of workforce diversity, who feel their work is being undone, this is a difficult time. But there is promising news. A growing body of evidence suggests that many management innovations designed to improve performance actually boost workforce diversity in the bargain—and do so without inviting the backlash that formal DEI programs can incur. That evidence has come together during the past seven years, which have seen unusually low unemployment. In an effort to do more with fewer workers and to keep their workers engaged, smart executives across many industries have begun relying on tools of high-performance management that target different periods of the career cycle: recruitment (bringing in the best people at the start); skills training, mentoring, and work-life support (helping every recruit find the right path and thrive during employment); and retention during hard times (ensuring that if cutbacks are necessary, decisions are made on the basis of performance rather than function or tenure).