DEI: A blessing or a burden in the workplace?

"You have long, surgeon's fingers," my friends would say to me, fuelling my dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon. I imagined myself in an operating room, making precise incisions, saving lives. But those dreams were shattered, partly due to affirmative action or caste based reservations used for medical admission criteria, along with many other factors like luck and donations.

For a long time, I resented affirmative action, believing it had taken something from me. Yet, I also recognised the societal reformation it led to. And as fate would have it, I found myself on the favourable side of DEI as a woman in technology—an irony that both amused and challenged me.

This quandary shaped the way I think about DEI and led me to reflect on my personal observations while navigating its complexities. Through my experiences, I have come to see both the promise and the pitfalls of diversity initiatives in the workplace.

Navigating leadership: Perception of competence 

Leadership in technical and corporate fields requires a combination of technical expertise and interpersonal skills. Women, in particular, face a heightened expectation to excel in both areas.
Technical expertise is essential for credibility, yet women often find themselves held to a higher standard than their male counterparts. The expectation to be significantly better to be considered equal creates a pressure that can be both motivating and exhausting. The margin for mistakes is smaller, requiring continuous preparation and resilience.

Interpersonal dynamics add another layer of complexity. Societal expectations often label women as naturally nurturing, which can result in misinterpretations when they adopt assertive leadership styles. A firm stance that would be respected in a male colleague may be perceived as abrasive in a woman, forcing them to constantly recalibrate their communication strategies.

Challenging biases: The flaws in DEI perception

One key challenge in DEI initiatives is the perception that diversity hiring compromises meritocracy. In a discussion on DEI effectiveness, a senior male colleague shared an anecdote about a hiring decision his company had made. He recounted his company had hired a woman as an SVP, only for her to underperform, attributing this failure to DEI policies.

I paused for a moment and asked, "Have you never met a low-performing male SVP?" The room fell silent. The point is that anyone can be a low or high performer and it's only human to make mistakes. However, when a woman underperforms, it is more likely to be seen as an indictment of diversity hiring rather than an individual shortcoming. This bias perpetuates the unfair scrutiny placed on women and minorities, making it even harder for them to succeed without facing preconceived judgements.

Fostering an authentic culture of inclusion

Building an inclusive and fair workplace goes beyond meeting quotas; it requires a deep cultural transformation. Companies can take several measures to ensure DEI fosters true equality rather than reinforcing biases:

• Promoting true meritocracy: Hiring and promotions should be based on capability and contributions rather than tokenism. Diversity should enhance opportunities, not serve as a box to check.
• Addressing unconscious biases: Organisations must actively educate employees to recognise and counteract inherent biases that shape their decision-making.
• Providing equal opportunities for growth: Creating an environment where all employees, regardless of gender or background, have the chance to demonstrate their abilities is crucial to meaningful inclusion.

DEI, when approached correctly, can be a force for good—enhancing innovation and collaboration. However, it must be implemented with care to ensure that it fosters fairness rather than reinforcing new biases in the pursuit of diversity.

A system that ultimately self-corrects

I have also wondered—would I want to be operated on by a seemingly underqualified surgeon who only got through due to affirmative action? The answer is yes. Over time, I learned something crucial: the system weeds out low performers.

Through my engineering years and later in my career, I witnessed first-hand how rigorous training and professional demands naturally filter out those who do not meet the mark. The same applies in any field, from medicine to technology. Those who endure and prove their competence deserve their place.

DEI should not be seen as a shortcut or a compromise but rather as a means to level the playing field. It is not about lowering the bar but ensuring that those who historically faced barriers now have a fair chance to rise. In the end, true capability always shines through.