Make DEI Policies Irrelevant

Andy Jordan is President of Roffensian Consulting S.A., a Roatan, Honduras-based management consulting firm with a comprehensive project management practice. Andy always appreciates feedback and discussion on the issues raised in his articles and can be reached at [email protected]. Andy's new book Risk Management for Project Driven Organizations is now available.

  Organizational Culture  

One of the things that kept coming up as I was looking at different perspectives on the topic of diversity, equity and inclusion was the need for DEI to be formalized into the structure of the organization. There’s talk of diversity policies, of codes of conduct, of formalized safe spaces within buildings, etc. There’s a need for documented standards within recruitment policies and flexible working policies and for clear communication of how everything from mental health to whistleblowing will be accommodated.

Don’t get me wrong—I agree that all of these things are needed. They combine to provide the framework that represents how DEI will be handled in the organization, and there needs to be clarity to prevent problems if and when there are aspects of DEI that need to be addressed with one or more individuals. But I can’t help feeling that all of this makes it easier to have a negative view of diversity, equity and inclusion.

The concept is automatically associated with rules and regulations, with repercussions for mistakes. When most people see policy documents (however well intentioned, and however well written), they don’t think about the people that those policies are designed to protect.

Instead, they see requirements and restrictions on their own behavior—and even if those restrictions and requirements align exactly with …

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