Now You See Me, Now You Don’t: The Potential Consequences of Organizations’ Abrupt About-Face on Organizational DEI Initiatives

Abstract

After the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd in 2020, many organizations raced to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) by opening new diversity offices, increasing the number of DEI-related jobs, and investing in diverse suppliers and customers. Just 5 years later, many organizations have reversed these decisions, and some organizational leaders have criticized DEI initiatives. In this paper, we issue a call to action to consider the consequences of organizations’ swift adoption and abandonment of DEI. We suggest that organizations’ swift about-face on DEI signals an insincere commitment to diversity, which undermines trust in the organization among both marginalized and dominaint group members, and may trigger identity-safety concerns among marginalized group members. We also issue a call to examine how DEI office closures may impact how people view allies (i.e., dominant group members who exhibit a purposeful, continuous commitment to social justice), and how individuals can continue to cultivate inclusive workspaces, even amid a wave of anti-DEI backlash.