Published on: July 8, 2025 at 9:44 pm
Organizations struggling with exhaustion or frustration over how various people perceive their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in the current political environment would benefit from reassessing their approach and viewing these initiatives as an opportunity to increase their effectiveness and bolster their reputation.
Academy of Management Scholar Carol Kulik of the University of South Australia suggested that fatigue in the face of DEI controversy is not a reason to throw the baby out with the bath water but rather a sign to refocus the organization’s DEI efforts.
“I often encourage managers to think about their DEI efforts as not being to the benefit of that individual, but to the benefit of the whole organization,” Kulik said. “BMW did an experiment where they put only older people on one production line, and they asked them, ‘Tell us what you need to make the job better.’ The suggestions they made were really simple.”
The suggestions included positioning tall stools near the line so workers could occasionally take the weight off their feet and adding exercise bars to encourage stretching. With these simple changes, productivity improved.
“But what’s important is that BMW didn’t stop there,” Kulik said. “They said ‘if it’s good for older people, it’s good for everybody’.”
Kulik said she believes that this level of proactivity from leaders is really important.
“We can use diversity, equity, and inclusion principles to identify the places where redesigning a workplace or a work model could reduce injuries for older people, which might make the job more attractive to lots of potential job applicants,” she said.
“Organizations should view DEI efforts as a means to optimize their business for all employees, rather than as an accommodation for a particular group.”
