3 types of threats related to DEI

Have you faced any resistance towards your DEI efforts at work? Do you know what caused it?

To effectively address the resistance and prevent it, it's crucial to identify the underlying reasons behind it.

According to the authors of 𝘛𝘰 𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘋𝘌𝘐, 𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘋𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐𝘵, resistance to dei initiatives can stem from three types of threats:

🔹 status threat

🔹 merit threat

🔹 moral threat

Majority group members may experience one or more of these threats, which can lead to: defending, denying, and distancing. I’ll explore that further in another post.

By taking the time to understand the employees' needs and experiences related to DEI, you can develop better strategies to overcome resistance and advance DEI efforts within your organization.

Have you observed reactions based on those perceived threats in your organizations? How does that sound like?