DEI Needs a Plot Twist

Diversity, inclusion, and the idea of fairness were supposed to be about removing barriers that kept talented people from opportunities they deserved. But today, DEI feels like something else entirely — a top-heavy bureaucracy that often alienates more than it helps. What began as a noble effort has, in many cases, become performative, divisive, and detached from its original purpose.

As someone who believes deeply in the value of diversity, I find this trend both troubling and frustrating. DEI isn't inherently flawed; it's been poorly implemented. If we care about creating true opportunity, we need to rethink how we approach this work.

The Optics Trap

The first problem is that DEI has become too focused on optics. We count who's in the room, but rarely ask whether their presence is driving real change. Corporations boast about diverse hiring but often fail to provide meaningful support for those hires to succeed. The result is a kind of tokenism that reduces people to labels and reinforces resentment on all sides.

This fixation on appearances distracts from what actually creates diversity: access to opportunity. People thrive when barriers to education, training, and advancement are removed — not when quotas or mandates dictate the outcomes. True inclusion is the byproduct of a system designed to empower everyone, not a checklist handed down by HR.

The Problem of Tone

Too often, DEI initiatives rely on a punitive approach, framing individuals as either victims or oppressors based solely on their identity. This narrative may grab headlines, but it doesn't foster trust or collaboration. Instead, it deepens divisions and turns DEI into yet another cultural battleground.

We need to stop treating DEI as a branding exercise or a moral cudgel and start treating it as the strategic framework it was meant to be. That means addressing structural barriers to opportunity, not just their symptoms. It means looking beyond demographics to outcomes — who is thriving, who is advancing, and why.

What Actually Works

Instead of endless workshops about unconscious bias, organizations could invest in tangible programs that expand access to opportunity. Funding vocational training in underserved communities, supporting mentorship networks, partnering with schools to identify and develop talent long before hiring begins. These efforts aren't as flashy as launching a new DEI initiative, but they have real, measurable impact.

DEI works best when it operates in the background, quietly shaping systems to be fairer and more transparent. It fails when it becomes the center of attention, reducing people to symbols and fueling backlash.