Evolving, Not Retreating: The Next Chapter of DEI

I’ve spent most of my college years and professional life in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Employee Experience spaces. As such, it was a tough moment for me, when I recently changed roles, moving from DEI into L&D. Of course, I’m not sad about the new role — it’s an exciting and engaging new challenge. Instead, what was heartbreaking was that the evolution of DEI in many organisations now is a form of response to the current political landscape in the US. With mounting legal scrutiny and organisational unease around DEI, it is understandable that many organisations have had to seriously think about the path forward. 

Businesses and people might feel like pulling back on DEI is just the safest move to make given the current climate. With organisational and cultural appetite waning, the casual observer might conclude that DEI is losing steam and disappearing: like any ‘fad’, it has reached its inevitable demise.

However, I see a different path and take heart from seeing this different path slowly emerging. If we strip away all the noise and return back to the central ‘why’, we’ll realise that creating an inclusive culture for all should be at the heart of any business that hopes to remain competitive and one step ahead. Removing DEI — more specifically, the principles that drive DEI — will be a costly mistake. Companies that abandon this work risk losing top talent — especially younger, more globalised employees who expect inclusive, values-driven workplaces. Research also consistently shows that an inclusive workplace drives engagement, retention, and performance. Crucially, in global markets, inclusion is vital to understanding consumers, navigating cultural nuances, and staying relevant. 

What then needs to happen — and what is already happening in some quarters — is that the work needs to evolve. Despite the backlash and political pressure, organisations are rethinking — not retreating from — DEI. Many are rebranding efforts, pivoting to focus on inclusive behaviours and practices instead of diversity targets.

The next chapter of DEI starts now. Here are some ways for the work to continue.

You Don’t Need a Fancy Term. Just Focus on Business-Driving Work.

In an article from the Harvard Business Review titled, What Comes After DEI by Lily Zheng, the author argues that even if the terms associated with DEI need to be removed or reviewed, it is still important that organisations continue to show that diverse and inclusive teams have actual business benefits. A critique over the years about DEI-related work is that it can sometimes come off as a box-ticking exercise, or that it over-indexes on organising feel-good events for different communities. Moving forward, what companies can do is to ensure that the inclusion strategy is built with closer alignment to business strategies and objectives. 

Let me share three examples: Firstly, businesses can encourage more cross-functional ways of working and project teams — the diverse experiences, views and backgrounds will surely lead to creative, dynamic and innovative solutions. Secondly, companies that have a regional or global presence can ensure that talent development processes such as succession planning and internal job opportunities are accessible and communicated to all markets and relevant stakeholders. This will ensure that truly the best are selected, regardless of their culture or which office they sit in. Finally, leadership development should be made equitable and available to all. Not only is this the right thing to do but from a business perspective, this allows organisations to cast a wide net and develop as many people as possible. In the grand scheme, this will lead to a higher bench strength among organisations’ talent pools. These examples highlight that initiatives which hold on to the spirit of DEI don’t need to be partisan ideas. If anything, these examples demonstrate good practices that a business should adopt to be future-ready, strong and resilient.  

In a climate where DEI programmes are increasingly being perceived as polarising, the reframing of the work is truly necessary. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that companies can drop the acronym while doubling down on the actual work. 

Tweak the Framework. Maintain the Spirit. 

Given the increasing public scrutiny and debate surrounding DEI, we can consider an alternative framework suggested by Zheng that accomplishes the same work without any of the socio-political and cultural baggage. They propose the FAIR framework, which ultimately, still achieves the work of establishing a people-first and inclusive organisation. This is how I think we can use the FAIR framework.

Fairness
Fairness means setting everyone up for success and guarding against discrimination. It’s not treating everyone the same — it’s meeting different needs while holding everyone to high, competitive standards. So where should we examine levels of fairness? In things like pay, promotions, resources, and feedback. This then changes the scope of the work: It becomes less about improving people — which can seem confrontational and affronting to some — and more about improving processes.

Access
Access means ensuring everyone can fully take part, whether it’s in a product, service, or event. Metrics for success then become indicators like participation, usability, and feedback. Once again, the framing shifts: It becomes about encouraging and instilling strong design principles into everything an organisation creates.

Inclusion
Inclusion happens when people feel respected, valued, and safe. It’s about embracing different styles, backgrounds, and needs. Real inclusion doesn’t come just through events — it’s norms, such as role-modeling, and rewarding inclusive behaviors every day. A podcast episode I once listened to about Organisational Culture changed my life. The speaker argued that ‘Culture’, is essentially shaped by the processes we put in place: When a certain structure for a meeting gets normalised, people start thinking in a way that fits that structure, people start having work discussions that follow that structure. Ultimately, that initial meeting structure evolves an organisation’s communication, thinking and interpersonal engagement styles. Aren’t those facets of Culture? 

Representation
This may be a little tricky but if we define representation as those with the influence and power to support and include everyone, then it feels less about hiring and retention data for different communities. It becomes about mentorship, sponsorship and advocacy. Representation is about trust — people believing someone with resources will advocate for and include them.

Go Local by Going Global.

While the debates around DEI have intensified within the US and have started spilling out into other parts of the world, it’s critical that multinational and local companies maintain their commitment to fairness, inclusion and access, especially those operating in different regions. 

In many regions, and indeed, in many global organisations, DEI is not seen as political. In fact, it’s recognized as good business — essential for attracting talent, fostering innovation, and building trust with consumers. DEI in fact continues to grow in maturity in many parts of the world, including Asia. 

Different countries may prioritise DEI differently. For example, in our Asian context, DEI work may be less about racial equity (though still important in certain countries like Singapore) and more about gender parity, age diversity, disability inclusion, and LGBTQ+ rights. With ageing populations in countries like Japan and Singapore, persistent gender gaps across the region and many working professionals having to care for both their parents and their children, strategies and even how we talk about these issues must be culturally-relevant and localised. Given then, that the concept of DEI is being heavily scrutinised, it might be time to move away from such a monolithic understanding and approach to the work. Go local and tie it to what you are seeing in your market because that will make the work more compelling for your audience. 

Importantly though, these must still be rooted in company values, and this is where something like the FAIR framework can be useful. Multinational companies can navigate varying opinions by rooting the work of inclusion in shared values while adapting their approach to fit local contexts. By focusing on business needs, employee well-being, and market relevance, companies can continue advancing DEI globally without being attacked by dog whistles, intimidation and calls for boycotts.

Now What?

The simple answer is: We crack on. The work still matters and we must keep going. If you forget everything else, just remember these few things:

Your North Star is Your ‘Why’. You want to build an organisation that is ready for the future, innovative and filled with the brightest and most creative talent — groupthink and homogeneity just won’t cut it anymore. The work of inclusion needs to be guided by this. 

Localise. As previously suggested in another Harvard Business Review article, What Trump’s Second Term Could Mean for DEI, companies can take on an ‘Embassy’ model when thinking about how they will approach this work: They can focus solely on hyper-localised nuances and issues, making their scope a lot more inwardly-oriented. This can help insulate companies to some extent. 

Finally: Adapt, not Abandon. Last year, in what seemed like a poetic string of events, I moderated a panel at a DEI Conference in Singapore, which coincided with the US’ Election Day. The conference was attended by numerous companies, thought leaders, executives and activists. After wrapping up the conference, against the backdrop of rising pushback against DEI and my own experience observing many reckoning with this mammoth cultural shift, I wrote my reflections in a LinkedIn post. Ultimately, this is what I left the conference with, and what I still hold on to: 

“Diversity & Inclusion, is, after all, nomenclature, which changes with the tides, seasons and years. But regardless, the work to provide accessible, just and equitable opportunities must continue. And it will.”