QUINTON PRETORIUS: If approached correctly, DEI yields desirable results

Within his first four days in office US President Donald Trump issued executive orders that ban diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) programmes in the American federal government, overturning much of the work done in the past four years to increase diversity in the US civil service.

Many corporations are digesting the impact with several companies, such as Google, deciding that they will no longer have hiring targets around improving diverse representation among staff. 

After Trump’s executive orders debates over the validity of DEI have been raging in boardrooms and online, with Trump supporters stating that they are essentially programmes of “reverse racism”.

I would argue that prioritising DEI initiatives in the workplace does not have to mean prejudicing others, but the premise is bringing people from various cultural backgrounds together to create a robust and skilled cohort that is representative of our broader society.  

Our country’s history and diverse demographic mean our communities are filled with cultural complexities and nuances. We are one of the most unequal societies in the world, meaning the lived experiences of our people are extremely diverse.

To create a sense of national unity we have to prioritise learning how to get along with our fellow citizens. In some instances we have missed the mark by a long way; in others we have pulled together and figured it out (think Springboks). The latter is a perfect example of how DEI can bring about excellence and, ultimately, unite a nation. 

I became passionate about facilitating “cultural intelligence” workshops and developing strategies after immersing myself in different cultural contexts and often learning that the person who I believed to be my enemy was in fact my neighbour.

It is inspiring to see participants engage with a structured yet digestible DEI framework that offers practical strategies for bridging cultural differences. The lights go on, eyes get opened and pennies drop — it’s rewarding. Businesses see greatness unlocked they did not recognise before and it has a positive effect on the bottom line.  

With more than 20 years’ research, more than 1,000 peer-reviewed studies and over 300,000 participants surveyed across 100-plus countries, it’s been proven that the concept of cultural intelligence and how it affects the workplace is accurate and beneficial.

When appropriately harnessed, cultural intelligence in workplaces, communities and societies is a powerful tool that can affect positive change and produce favourable results. 

After African American George Floyd was killed by a white American police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2020, there was a surge of interest in DEI programmes, with organisations globally spending about $7bn in 2022 on DEI initiatives.

That spending had limited impact because many individuals and organisations jumped on the DEI bandwagon, offering “off-the-shelf” solutions with little real-life experience or understanding. 

The DEI bandwagon created highly emotionally driven communication and decision-making, leaving practical, actionable strategies in the lurch. As a result, many workplaces grappled with fear, anger or scepticism about the DEI agenda rather than managing meaningful progress. It’s therefore not surprising to see the DEI backlash play out in the US, but it is unfortunate.

Only in an inclusive and equitable environment can diverse teams truly outperform homogeneous teams in terms of innovation, creativity and overall team dynamism. In such an environment all team members feel valued, heard and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives. This approach leads to better problem-solving, more creative solutions and a broader range of ideas. 

It is essential to prioritise authentic, research-based approaches led with integrity, ensuring that the DEI work done is impactful and aligned with its core values; otherwise it can lead to misunderstandings and missed opportunities, creating further frustrations. 

Leaders and team members with high cultural intelligence are better equipped to manage and leverage diversity, ensuring that every team member’s strengths are harnessed to benefit the whole team.

Regardless of our highly charged feelings or political views, constructive, facilitated conversations that increase cohesion and teamwork are necessary in modern business dynamics. 

• Pretorius is founder and director of CQ Africa and a professional associate with the Gordon Institute of Business Science.