Three ways to de-risk diversity and inclusion—without tossing it out

Giving something worthwhile a chance isn’t always easy, and convincing others to do it too is sometimes harder – which is why it takes a lot of creativity. A worn book is “well-loved” to someone who cares, and a neglected house is a “fixer-upper” to people with ambition. Now it’s happening to DEI.

That’s what some companies that believe in the values of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) seem to be doing to appease the shifting tastes around “DEI” programs: They’re revisiting – and sometimes rebranding – their DEI efforts as they grapple with the conundrum of preserving the essence of DEI while ditching what has become a federally condemned buzzword under the Trump Administration. 

The current stalemate between DEI proponents and the government has led companies to take a closer look at what the core values of DEI are in the eyes of its proponents, what its flaws are in the eyes of its opponents, especially the Administration, and whether there is safe, legal, common ground between the divergent ideological perspectives.