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- How to Be a DEEI Dinosaur 🦕: A Masterclass in Obsolete Practices
How to Be a DEEI Dinosaur 🦕: A Masterclass in Obsolete Practices
Transform Your Approach with Intersectional Cultural Consciousness (ICC) and AI-Augmented Solutions
Jarell Bempong
September 24, 2024
In partnership with
A towering, robotic dinosaur is crumbling in the desert, representing outdated DEEI systems. Behind it, a vibrant city with organic architecture rises, symbolising progress through ICC™ and AI-augmented solutions.
Introduction: How to Fail at DEEI
Welcome to the prehistoric era of Diversity, Equity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEEI). If you're still rolling out the same outdated once-a-year diversity events, relying on tokenism, or simply changing your logo during Pride Month, congratulations! You've mastered the art of appearing inclusive while avoiding real, systemic change.
Last week, I shared a piece of my Intersectional Futuristic artwork—a powerful, abstract representation of marginalised futures. Just like that artwork challenges traditional perspectives, ICC™ and AI solutions do the same in the DEEI space. Today’s edition furthers that vision, exploring how organisations can evolve beyond performative gestures into genuine transformation.
In the land of DEEI dinosaurs, your goal is to look like you’re doing something meaningful without disrupting the status quo. Addressing unconscious biases? That’s for the mammoths. You’re happy waving around statistics and offering optics-based inclusion. But this won't cut it anymore in today’s fast-paced, intersectional world.
Curious about how you’re doing?
How effective do you believe your current DEEI practices are? |
No matter where you land on the scale, we’re here to help you grow. Let’s schedule a Clarity Session to discuss how we can enhance your DEEI strategy.
According to McKinsey’s 2021 report, companies with ethnically and culturally diverse leadership teams are 36% more likely to outperform their peers financially. But let’s face it: if your approach to DEEI is still surface-level, you’re setting yourself up for extinction. The old ways of performative allyship are crumbling, and it’s time for a significant transformation—before you become a DEEI fossil.
Explore how AI transforms your DEEI approach today. Let’s schedule a Clarity Session to start your journey.
Why Become Extinct? Evolve with ICC™ and AI
A butterfly emerges from a metallic cocoon, its wings patterned with cultural symbols, symbolising transformation through ICC™ and AI from rigid, outdated DEEI practices.
Outdated DEEI practices are the fastest way to irrelevance—and extinction. True inclusion demands a profound shift in how we understand and support individuals across diverse cultural identities and intersectional backgrounds. This is where Intersectional Cultural Consciousness™ (ICC™) and AI-augmented solutions come in.
These approaches are more profound, moving beyond appearances and addressing the root causes of inequality and exclusion. They enable companies to create authentic spaces that prioritise mental health, belonging, and leadership development. In fact, PwC’s 2021 report found that companies using AI-powered DEEI solutions see a 22% increase in employee retention and a 28% rise in innovation.
The geometric shapes and bold colours in my Intersectional Futuristic artwork symbolise the layers of cultural identities that need to be woven into DEEI strategies. ICC™ integrates those elements, offering an inclusive framework as multi-dimensional as the artwork itself.
Imagine evolving from performative allyship to genuine transformation, where every employee feels empowered. It’s time to step out of the Jurassic period and embrace a future-forward approach to DEEI.
Curious about your DEEI transformation potential? Click here to unlock the power of AI and ICC™.
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The Jurassic Failures of DEEI: What’s Holding You Back?
1. Tokenism in Action
An exhibit of old DEEI practices encased in glass-like fossils, representing their irrelevance and extinction.
"Hey, we’ve got one minority on our board! That’s diversity, right?"
Wrong. Tokenism is like holding a shiny egg that’s hollow inside. It looks fruitful on the outside, but when cracked open, it’s empty. Tokenism doesn’t foster belonging or innovation—it increases isolation for those forced into these roles. A 2021 Business in the Community UK report revealed that only 1 in 16 people from ethnic minority backgrounds hold leadership positions.
Professor David Smith from London Business School says:
"Tokenism isolates rather than integrate. Businesses focusing solely on optics risk alienating the groups they intend to support."
It’s time to stop patting yourself on the back for hitting diversity quotas and start empowering people in meaningful ways.
Tired of tokenism? Empower your people through meaningful inclusion with ICC™.
2. Performative Initiatives
An empty, lavish stage set for a diversity panel with no audience, symbolising shallow, one-off DEEI efforts.
Are your diversity efforts limited to annual events or an International Women’s Day panel? Real change requires consistent, ongoing work, not one-time performances. The one-and-done approach may have worked, but it only highlights your company’s lack of genuine commitment to inclusion.
CIPD’s 2022 report revealed that 65% of UK employers run diversity initiatives, but only 21% see lasting change. Sporadic efforts alienate employees, breeding disengagement and mistrust. Gallup’s 2021 workplace survey noted that 70% of employees who perceive DEEI efforts as performative feel dissatisfied with their employers.
"Employees expect ongoing commitment, not empty gestures. When diversity initiatives feel like a box-ticking exercise, trust is eroded."
CTA: Ready to go beyond performance? It’s time to transform with ICC™ and create a lasting impact.
3. Ignoring Mental Health
A grayscale, abandoned mental health clinic covered in cobwebs, contrasting with a vibrant community outside, symbolising the neglect of mental health in DEEI.
Ignoring mental health in DEEI is like pretending dinosaurs didn’t have feathers—outdated and out of touch. Today, we know that mental well-being, particularly when connected to cultural identity, is essential for creating inclusive spaces. Yet, many organisations still fail to integrate mental health into their DEEI frameworks.
When mental health is disregarded, even the best-intended inclusion efforts fail to achieve meaningful change. Mind UK’s 2022 survey found that 52% of minority employees experience higher stress levels due to unaddressed mental health needs.
"Culturally aware mental health support is not a luxury; it’s a necessity."
Ignoring this aspect leads to disengagement and lower productivity.
Don’t let mental health be the missing link. Integrate AI and ICC™ for a holistic DEEI approach.
ICC™ and AI: Transforming Mental Health in DEEI
A vibrant neural network composed of cultural symbols and digital threads, representing the intersection of identity and AI in personalised mental health solutions.
Traditional mental health solutions often fail to account for the intersectionality of cultural identities and personal histories. But ICC™ and AI present a powerful opportunity to offer personalised mental health care that meets the needs of each individual. Instead of offering one-size-fits-all programs, we can map each person’s cultural identity and tailor mental health solutions to their unique background.
"AI allows us to personalise our mental health offerings in ways we couldn’t before. We now have the tools to understand and address diverse employees' unique pressures."
This is what ICC™ and AI can do for your mental health strategy.
CTA: Let’s align your mental health strategy with AI-driven, culturally conscious care. Book a consultation today.
Neurodivergent Not Deficient: Unlocking the Power of Neurodiverse Leaders
: A shifting kaleidoscope of vibrant colours and geometric shapes representing the unique multi-dimensional perspective of neurodivergent leaders.
Leadership models that overlook neurodivergent individuals—those with ADHD, dyslexia, autism, and more—are missing out on a goldmine of untapped potential. Neurodivergent leaders offer unique strengths that drive innovation, resilience, and problem-solving.
"Neurodivergent leaders don’t just think outside the box—they break the box entirely."
CTA: Ready to harness the full potential of your neurodivergent leaders? Discover how AI-augmented ICC™ can unlock their unique strengths.
Final Thoughts: Evolve or Be Left Behind
: A crossroads where one path leads to a desolate landscape of outdated DEEI practices, and the other leads to a vibrant, futuristic city built on the principles of ICC™ and AI.
In this new era of DEEI, dinosaurs clinging to outdated practices are out of the question. The future belongs to those who embrace Intersectional Cultural Consciousness™ (ICC™) and AI-augmented solutions that foster actual, systemic change.
"The companies that thrive in the future will be those that understand the importance of intersectionality and technology in shaping inclusive workspaces."
The key to thriving is ICC™—and the time to evolve is now.
Ready to lead your organisation into a future of inclusivity? Schedule a Clarity Session today.
A man stands at a glowing, futuristic crossroads. In front of him, a holographic map illuminates two distinct paths: one leading to a desolate landscape representing the extinction of outdated practices and the other to a vibrant, futuristic city symbolising inclusivity and innovation.
As you stand at the crossroads, a holographic map appears before you. One path leads to the extinction of outdated practices, and the other leads to a future of inclusivity and innovation. The choice is yours.
A Taste of Next Week: The Tokenism Toolkit
Next week, we’ll take a satirical look at the Tokenism Toolkit—how organisations can master the art of faking diversity and look progressive without making fundamental changes. But satire aside, we’ll delve deeper into how tokenism harms workplaces and why fundamental transformation requires breaking free from these performative strategies. It’s time to dismantle the illusion and build genuinely inclusive spaces with ICC™.
About Jarell Bempong
Jarell Bempong is an award-winning therapist, speaker, and thought leader in the mental health and DEEI space. He specialises in intersectional cultural Consciousness™ (ICC™) and AI-augmented care. As the first AI-augmented ICC™ practitioner, Jarell empowers individuals, organisations, and communities to unlock their full potential through innovative, culturally conscious frameworks. His work bridges the gap between mental health, technology, and social justice to create meaningful and lasting change.
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