Within his first four days in office, US President Donald Trump, issued executive orders that ban diversity and inclusion (DEI) programmes in the US federal government that will overturn much of the work done in the past four years to increase diversity in the US civil service.
Many corporations are digesting the impact, with several companies, such as Google, deciding that they will no longer have hiring targets around improving diverse representation among staff.
Quinton Pretorius, director of CQ Africa, a cultural intelligence specialist, GIBS lecturer and corporate behaviour change specialist is cautioning against South African companies following suit.
“Diversity and inclusion initiatives are created to prevent discrimination of women, people of colour and other historically marginalised groups and to ensure that people are being considered for jobs and promotions on equal grounds and to create inclusive workplace environments.
“In South Africa, DEI programs remain critical in the workplace if we are going to build a prosperous, stable, thriving Rainbow Nation with a strong, representative economy where every South African can partake.”
In 2020, there was a surge of interest in diversity and inclusion initiatives, with organisations spending approximately $7-billion in 2022. CQ Africa says there’s a tendency to adopt “off-the-shelf” frameworks with little real-life experience or contextual understanding.
Programmes from places like the US hold some value but often fail to address South Africa’s unique historical, cultural, and socio-economic dynamics. This lack of contextualisation leads to misunderstandings, missed opportunities, and further frustration.
Pretorius explains: “Sometimes DEI programmes have been implemented as ‘tick-box’ exercises and now that the winds of political change are blowing, there may be less impetus to implement such programmes, but the reality is, that DEI programmes are critical to the long-term success and sustainability of any business, particularly in South Africa and the broader continent.”
When executed within the proper context, diversity programmes equip individuals, leaders and teams to navigate cultural differences within their organisations with curiosity, empathy, and respect. This approach creates working environments where people feel heard, valued, and secure. This ‘psychological safety’ allows individuals to bring themselves to the table without fear of judgment or reprisal.
CQ Africa has built a supportive community of DEI specialists, HR professionals and organisational leaders who, through personal experience, help businesses overcome challenges by continuously being involved in their DEI efforts.
“We believe when teams embrace cultural intelligence correctly, they overcome the typical barriers to diversity, create a more inclusive and collaborative environment, and ultimately achieve higher performance and productivity than homogeneous teams. By immersing ourselves in our colleagues’ culture and committing to understand the complex cultural nuances we inherit, we become better prepared to meet each other halfway, empathise and pull towards common goals,” concludes Pretorius.