Indiana Senate OKs anti-DEI bill that takes aim at state agencies, schools

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6 thoughts on “Indiana Senate OKs anti-DEI bill that takes aim at state agencies, schools

  1. If you ask most Republican voters what they would prefer to DEI they usually describe a defining element of DEI policies.
    If you ask a Conservative politician what it is they don’t like about DEI, they lie or use catchy phrases to dog whistle with zero policy substance.

  2. Lots of focus on the issues that matter from Republicans, I see. More Culture War BS and nothing on making things materially better for Hoosiers.

    Vote better.

  3. The same folks who are really angry about that one boy playing girls sports (and who threw out the perfectly fine solution that Indiana had to that non-issue) are now back to legally ensure that every Girls in STEM program has to accept boys or risk Todd Rokita deciding to make their life miserable.

    Well done, legislators. Glad this is easier than fixing roads.

  4. While I never liked the expression “throw the baby out with the bath water,” it keeps popping into mind when I see the raging debate over DEI, the latest flashpoint in the culture wars.

    As someone who has been responsible for leading DEI efforts in several organizations, I have deep criticism for the rash of performative activity launched by many organizations post George Floyd. Poorly conceived and executed training programs were touted as enlightened efforts to redress longstanding inequities. Instead, they seemed to divide us into either oppressors or oppressed, unleashing unproductive dynamics. While awareness-raising is the first step to meaningful change, stoking further division is self-defeating. Failure to do the real work of creating an inclusive workplace – leadership training, recruiting, mentoring, supplier relations, board representation, equitable compensation, etc. – underscored the performative nature of so much of what was done. Not to mention excessive policies and practices that intended to signal virtue but only added to the muck.

    DEI falls into that category of ideas with merit that are poorly executed. The result is to sour us on the idea rather than the flawed implementation.

    In the old days, before the term DEI became a catchall, we talked about workplaces that were participatory, fair, and representative. Performance improved with teams that harnessed diverse viewpoints, had a connection with customers they served, and treated all with fairness and respect. We took on a longstanding pay gap between women and men doing similar work, gradually compensating women at equitable levels. We worked with managers who seemed to do all of their recruiting at their old fraternity to appreciate the value of having people with different experience in the mix. We reworked the roster of schools where we recruited to create a higher likelihood that we could find people with a range of experience that was beneficial to our work. When a manager had a hard time working with someone of another gender, we sought to bridge the divide. Barriers that prevented otherwise highly capable people with disabilities were removed. Capable board members were recruited to add needed perspective.

    Some opponents of DEI wield it as a pejorative catchword for what has become another boogeyman concept – woke – reflexively claiming that women or people of color got their jobs got for reasons other than merit. It makes me wonder how those folks feel about children of alumni and other large donors who are admitted to elite schools despite not reaching minimum standards. Or at least some of the nominees to Trump’s cabinet who have few of the qualifications we usually seek. How can you profess to be a stickler for merit-based practice but not call out such visible examples of non-merit-based decisions?

    As someone who has spent a career dealing with organizational effectiveness in the corporate, nonprofit, educational, and government sectors, I defy any leader to argue that fairness, transparency, and incorporation of diverse viewpoints does not contribute to better decision-making and performance. So let’s address the bathwater –things done under than banner of DEI that should be unwound, without forsaking the baby – ways of working that have proven to be effective.

    1. Thank you for the thoughtful comment.

      However, simply put, some people want Jim Crow America back and they’re going to use the last couple years as the cudgel to erase decades of progress. And they don’t care – they’re going to preach about MEI while at the same time *so clearly* hiring people based on anything but merit, excellence, or intelligence.

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