{"id":8685,"date":"2026-07-16T15:43:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T15:43:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aom.org\/today\/?p=8685"},"modified":"2026-07-16T15:43:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T15:43:07","slug":"dei-is-down-equal-opportunity-shouldnt-be-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aom.org\/today\/dei-is-down-equal-opportunity-shouldnt-be-out\/","title":{"rendered":"DEI Is Down. Equal Opportunity Shouldn\u2019t Be Out"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Paul Friedman<\/a><\/p>\n

The current backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs intended to expand opportunities and increase fairness for women, minorities, and other historically marginalized groups\u2014a trend accelerated by U.S. President Donald Trump and his supporters\u2014does not mean that organizations should retreat from their commitments to equal opportunity.<\/p>\n

Academy of Management Scholar Emilio Castilla<\/a> of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology says that many organizations are now emphasizing meritocracy\u2014often to justify abandoning DEI efforts\u2014but he argues that diversity and meritocracy are not mutually exclusive. In fact, he says, without deliberate organizational efforts to achieve genuine equal opportunity for all, there cannot be true meritocracies.<\/p>\n

\u201cA true meritocracy requires that you evaluate, without bias, the merits and qualities that are actually relevant for performing well in a given job,\u201d Castilla says. \u201cSometimes these include the types of training or education you got, but they can also involve skills, abilities, attitudes, experience, and motivation.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd when you focus on identifying and hiring candidates with the merits that truly matter for the position, while opening opportunities to a broader pool of talent, you will make your organization more competitive, more dynamic, and better equipped to thrive in today\u2019s fast-changing environment,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Once individuals are hired, Castilla emphasizes, organizations must follow through by providing the support needed to truly level the playing field\u2014ensuring that all employees have a fair opportunity to succeed in the workplace, regardless of race, creed, color, gender, or sexual orientation. Expanding access\u2014such as lowering degree requirements or hiring candidates without college degrees\u2014can open important doors.<\/p>\n

But access alone is not enough. It places a corresponding responsibility on organizations to invest in relevant training, onboarding, and developmental resources so that these employees can perform effectively and advance through the organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn many jobs, a college degree is not necessary,\u201d Castilla says. \u201cYet instead of identifying the valid criteria that are actually predictive of good performance, many organizations often introduce unnecessary criteria and requirements that restrict access to jobs to a small slice of the population.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese requirements may deny opportunity to candidates who could perform their jobs very well, especially if they are provided with the appropriate developmental support,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Castilla also draws a distinction between providing developmental resources to promote equal opportunity for success and traditional DEI programs such as affirmative action.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany diversity programs failed\u2014and in some cases even backfired\u2014because people perceived that different qualification standards were applied to certain demographic groups,\u201d Castilla says. \u201cThat is very different from giving everyone a fair chance.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can hire someone who may not have the usual credentials\u2014such as a college degree or top grades\u2014but who has the qualities and motivation to do the job and then give them the support they need to succeed,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Although DEI efforts are likely to remain under assault while President Trump\u2019s anti-DEI executive orders remain in place, Castilla says that the renewed focus on meritocracy should not come at the expense of fairness and inclusion in organizations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe,\u201d he concludes, \u201cthat organizations with truly meritocratic strategies to managing talent\u2014those that give every employee a real chance to succeed at every stage of the employment process, regardless of background\u2014will be better positioned to attract and retain highly motivated talent, and will enjoy a clear competitive advantage in today\u2019s business environment.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Paul Friedman The current backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs intended to expand opportunities and increase fairness for women, minorities, and other historically marginalized groups\u2014a trend accelerated by U.S. President Donald Trump and his supporters\u2014does not mean that organizations should retreat from their commitments to equal opportunity. Academy of Management Scholar Emilio […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":8664,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,72,73,78],"tags":[],"sp_smart_badges":[],"ppma_author":[842],"class_list":["post-8685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diversity","category-ethics","category-gender","category-policy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDEI Is Down. 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