As the business world gears up for the next financial year, it is time to do something solid and not just the bare minimum when incorporating DEI initiatives. Diversity just for the sake of diversity, or political correctness, is futile. When organizations look at DEI more as a tick-in-the-box rather than a strategy that provides a competitive advantage, DEI initiatives become tokenism.
Tokenism is the practice of making a superficial effort towards diversity and inclusion by including only one or a few individuals from underrepresented groups in an organization or team without committing to promoting equity and inclusion.
The first step in overcoming tokenism is the awareness of its presence.
Spotting tokenism in the workplace:
Tokenism can take various forms, including but not limited to:
- Hiring a candidate from an underrepresented group for a specific role or position solely to fulfill diversity quotas or to give the appearance of diversity, ignoring their qualifications and potential to contribute to the organization.
- Inviting a person from an underrepresented group to speak at an event or serve on a panel only for their identity overlooking their expertise or qualifications.
- Creating a diversity committee or task force but failing to give them adequate resources, power, and support to implement meaningful change.
- Including a single person from an underrepresented group in a team or project, making them the lone voice for diversity and inclusion, without letting them collaborate with those who share their experiences and perspectives.
- Using images or slogans of diversity and inclusion to promote the organization but failing to take concrete action to create a diverse and inclusive culture.
- Focusing solely on hiring for diversity without addressing issues of inclusivity or retention resulting in high turnover rates for employees from underrepresented groups.
- Offering superficial diversity training or workshops without addressing systemic issues or creating meaningful change.
These are just a few examples of tokenism in diversity and inclusion. It is important to be aware of them to work towards creating meaningful, lasting change to promote equity and inclusion in the workplace.
Tokenism vs. inclusion comes down to mindset. If you only try to appear diverse, your workplace will likely never be inclusive, regardless of how strongly you represent various minority groups. Inclusion and diversity come from the mindset that values individuals and their differences and aims to give them the best opportunities within the organization.
