Your Benefits of Knowing Europe Better

By Michael Stuber

In some respects, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion appear to be universally applicable and in other regards, we know the need for localisation. In Europe, DEI has its own distinct dynamics while we also see similar issues as in the USA. A good moment for learning and leverage.

What is Europe for you or your company? A regional market, a geography with specific legal regulations, the ‘old world’, a union with shared values or a patchwork of countries and languages? It could be all of the above. The European Union has recently held some key events that add to the picture: Europe Day (May 9th), European Diversity Month and European Elections (June 9th). They provide insight and inspiration for your Global DEI work.

What is it about?

What may sound similar to other National agendas is a reminder of EU particularities worth knowing. Europe Day celebrates the 1950 Schumann declaration as the foundation of the EU as we know it today. European Diversity Month is a relatively new initiative that pools Diversity Days and Weeks from across Europe to amplify DEI messages (in addition to International Women’s Day, Pride Month etc.). European Elections determine the composition of the trans-national European Parliament and are the base of a unique supra-national democracy.

How is it relevant?

These events include partly hidden D&I elements. Europe has managed to pacify a group of war enemies through a ‘political D&I process’ that still governs the EU. European Diversity Month is the festive side of a fundamental EU policy, its non-discrimination framework, which is the most comprehensive and consistent of its scale anywhere in the world. D&I is hence engrained in EU identity, yet in a different way than what we find in the USA. This raises the question if European initiatives should be a regional part of global plans or an inspirational, integral element of how we frame DEI globally? The latter is not obvious as most Diversity topics (race, ethnicity, LGBT, religion) require a strong understanding of the local context while only a few others (gender or age) are more universal but also not uniform.

(side)effects of celebrating difference

Regardless of globally or locally, celebrating differences is common if not paramount in DEI. The focus on difference – or marginalised groups – has had similar effects both in Europe and in the USA: Polarisation (support vs. resistance), competition (for attention and resources) and eventual cannibalisation, and increasing confusion about what the shared (DEI) mission or common agenda is. Increasing backlash suggests that DEI has not created the most effective message in the past ten years, and vastly diverging celebrations are (arguably) not helping to bring it back together. In fact, it might lead to further separation as shown in graph 1.

We can still consider two perspectives in this situation:

• Are we getting it right because we must provoke in an activist way and we see the need for the unaware ‘to feel the pain’?
• Should we tone it down to be(come) more digestible and start with low key images and messages to ease people into the journey?

While this might sound black and white, the two questions represent approaches that are not uncommon – and competing. The ENGINEERING D&I approach we have developed over decades aims at combining the best of both worlds.

Integration around the organisational agenda

In work organisations we focus on what brings and holds the system together: shared purpose, values and mission. This is what Europe did after WW2 to create a political system of unity in diversity. A focus on common traits provides a foundation that can carry diversity and promote equity and inclusion going forward. What sounds obvious is sometimes labelled inappropriate by DEI activists. One, because many do not want organisational objectives (but justice) to drive DEI and two, because many believe that a DEI must be anchored in difference/s in the first place. However, this should not happen at the cost of people feeling excluded or becoming defensive. Instead, helping people (i.e. everyone) to see themselves as part of DE&I may well be the biggest need going forward.

Creating consistent DEI approaches for each (organisational, regional or maturity) context is the other critical element required to regain relevance and traction. This implies to move beyond best practice templates or standardised approaches (like the latest ISO initiative).

The suggested focus on values and belonging as well as on alignment with organisational priorities and a commitment to joint performance (graph 2) creates a new base for everyone to join and progress together.

Take a closer look at Europe

Europe and the USA share some history and some current struggles. They are more similar in some DEI respects than what people think and more different in others. As DEI activities have multiplied in Europe over the past ten years and research and expertise are on a par, it is a good moment to come together and understand how to create more synergies and advance the shared DEI agenda.