March 1, 2023
Editorial
Harvard Business Review (website)

To Overcome Resistance to DEI, Understand What’s Driving It

By: Eric Shuman, Eric Knowles and Amit Goldenberg

Format:Electronic

Abstract

Employees often resist DEI initiatives, which of course hinders their effectiveness. The authors—experts in the resistance to social-change efforts—write that the key to overcoming resistance to any effort is figuring out why people are resisting. When it comes to DEI initiatives, they argue, people resist because they experience at least one of three forms of threat: status threat, merit threat, and moral threat. Depending on the kinds of threat they experience, they then tend to engage in three kinds of resistance: defending, denying, and distancing. The authors explain these forms of threat and resistance and then offer suggestions for how to overcome them.

Keywords

Diversity; Conflict and Resolution; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Employees

Citation

Shuman, Eric, Eric Knowles, and Amit Goldenberg. "To Overcome Resistance to DEI, Understand What’s Driving It." Harvard Business Review (website) (March 1, 2023).