How DEI Can Survive This Era of Backlash

Despite recent backlash against and cuts to organizational DEI initiatives, researchers from the Stanford VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab argue that DEI isn’t dead in the U.S. Instead, they say it’s experiencing a period of what social movement scholars call “closed doors,” where the obvious route for change is no longer easily accessible. They recently convened a gathering of 14 chief diversity officers (CDOs) to unpack what’s happening in their world. The group represented six industries and companies ranging from a couple thousand to over 300,000 employees. The researchers noted striking similarities between current DEI strategies and the tactics used by feminist movement builders during times of closed doors — and uncovered four strategies for continuing the important work of DEI while it’s under attack.