What is D, E, and I? (and B, A, and J?)

You’ve likely encountered the workplace framework of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, or the common acronym, DEI. Workhuman’s recent Human Workplace Index (HWI) found that 70% of the organizations they surveyed have a formal DEI team and that 40% of those teams were formed as recently as 2021 or 2022. Because these teams and their area expertise are very new to many organizations, you or your peers may not be familiar with the language frequently used in the practice of DEI.

Today, I want to share the fundamental language of DEI, define the most commonly used terms, describe the importance of each, and empower your understanding of the DEI framework.

Photo by Romain Vignes on Unsplash

Diversity: Diversity is in the numbers.

Diversity describes having people with different social identities — like race, gender, disability, sexuality, etc — in the room. This is often where organizations start in their DEI work — assessing the demographic makeup of their teams and if their organization accurately reflects the diversity of their local and/or business communities. There is vast evidence that having a diverse workforce and leadership is financially beneficial to organizations (not to mention the important moral benefits to diversity). However, focusing on diversity without also implementing inclusion and equity best practices will result in negative recruiting and retention performance.

Equity: Equity is the accommodations made.

Equity is often confused with the term equality. I describe equality as The Oprah Model, where “You get a car, you get a car….everyone gets a car!” An equity model, on the other hand, considers what people have and what they need. If the end goal is transportation, equity would provide bus or subway passes, bikes, gas cards, or a car based on what people need for effective transportation, custom tailored to their individual need.

Equity is perhaps the most controversial concept in DEI because we have been conditioned to consider equality as the goal to a fair society. It can seem unfair for one person to get a car and another to get a bike. Yet we know that some people live in cities where they can’t have a car, some people can’t drive, others have cars but need gas money, etc. In other words, we don’t all need the same thing. Equity levels the playing field.

Inclusion: Inclusion is felt.

Inclusion is the internal sense that you have access to a particular space. Inclusion is also the access we offer to others, as we manage the authority inherent in our own role. Inclusion may refer to physical access to a building, intellectual access to content, or the participatory access at work — such as being invited or inviting others to meetings and ensuring everyone contributes their ideas in the meeting. Ultimately, inclusion is the sense of being heard, valued, and respected. A common metaphor in DEI is “Diversity is being asked to the party, Inclusion is being asked to dance.”

A visual representation I created to demonstrate these terms.

These terms comprise the concept of DEI and must work together for organizations to see the benefits of engaging in this work. The use of equity can bring a diverse group of people, including those who have faced historic and current barriers, to equal grounds leading to a widespread sense of inclusion by all.

You may also see other letters used alongside D, E, and I, such as B, A, or J, so I want to explain those terms as well.

Belonging: Belonging is an internal experience.

Belonging is an extension of the sense of inclusion in that it describes feeling as though you are fully accepted and respected by your team and leaders. It is the result of good, inclusive practices. Inclusion is action, belonging is a feeling that results from successful inclusion.

Access: Access is a continual goal.

Access refers to a sense that the resources available to a team are available to, understandable for, and useable by everyone. It stems from and expands the notion of accessibility as it relates to people with disabilities by recognizing that anyone with marginalized identities encounters access related needs. Thus, it considers access beyond physical access to consider intellectual, cultural, and social access. It is a goal that requires continual work because our bodies, minds, and resources always change. However, being intentional about access increases a sense of inclusion and belonging.

Justice: Justice is accountability.

Justice specifically accounts for marginalized identities in interactions, assessments, opportunities, and resource allocation in a direct effort to recorrect systems, address and repair harms, and deliberately enact changes that leads to more equitable distributions of power. Focusing on justice is an elevated form of equity in that it provides variable resources based on current needs as well as historic, intentionally created disparities.

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Good and effective DEI (or DEIB, DEIA, DEIJ) efforts require the support and understanding of entire teams. Starting with these basic concepts can help teams come together on their DEI goals and actions, which will result in organizations reaping all the benefits of a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace.