Performative allyship can also find its way into corporate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts. For example, a company may issue a public statement in support of a marginalized community, but fail to address systemic issues within their own organization or take tangible steps to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion for their employees. Remember this?
A company that engages in performative allyship in their DEI efforts may focus more on symbolic gestures, such as changing their logo colors or promoting diversity initiatives that are largely superficial and have little impact on the actual experiences of their marginalized employees. This approach can ultimately perpetuate the very issues they are claiming to address.
To avoid performative allyship in corporate DEI efforts, companies must take meaningful actions to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels of their organization. This may include setting measurable goals and targets for diversity, equity, and inclusion, providing comprehensive training and resources to employees, actively seeking out and hiring diverse candidates, and holding leadership accountable for creating an inclusive workplace culture.
It’s also important for companies to engage in ongoing self-reflection and assessment of their DEI efforts to ensure that they are truly making progress and not simply engaging in performative allyship. I can help with that.