Courageous Conversations: Using science to reinforce the transformational power of EDI

Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) is a field of transdisciplinary knowledge and research, policies, processes and practices, and evidence-based decision-making in universities, the nonprofit and private sector. The social sciences and STEMM (science, technology, engineering, math and medicine) are all spaces where research, quantitative and qualitative data, stories of lived experience – evidence – inform critical thinking and the best decisions, policies, and actions. The commitment to evidence-based actions, alongside principled and meaningful engagement, and ethical practices, shape EDI education, training, policies, strategies, and approaches for organizations to develop and implement EDI initiatives to advance fair and equitable inclusion.

On Oct. 10, experts Dr. Mikki Hebl and Dr. Eden King joined Dr. Malinda Smith, a political scientist and the vice-provost and associate vice-president research (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) for a Courageous Conversations Speaker Series on Working Together: Practicing the Science of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. It was the second part in this fall’s Together Courageous Conversations triology developed by Dr. Smith and the OEDI, in collaboration with units across campus. Amid polarization and pushback against EDI initiatives, the event was designed to foster dialogue and build bridges to better enable healthy and inclusive learning, research and work environments. Working Together was a collaboration with Dr. Sandy Hershcovis and the Haskayne School of Business, and coincided with a two-day workshop for scholars working on EDI research in organizational behaviour and human resources, psychology, and management. 

“From the outset, we aimed to achieve excellence in EDI by designing and implementing a principled and evidence-based approach at UCalgary. The idea of rigorous and evidence-based policies and practices that underlie the science of EDI unsettles and necessarily disrupts the idea that EDI is just mere opinion, that it is not grounded in law and human rights, and that there’s no sound evidence to support it,” said Smith, who created the Courageous Conversation series and hosted the event. 

“This Courageous Conversation dialogue with professors Mikki Hebl and Eden King was especially timely, as more and more leaders are acknowledging accountability to their campuses and the wider community to create a fair and equitably inclusive post-secondary sector, and about how to create evidence-based strategies that advance EDI, and that mitigate barriers and ameliorate inequities experienced by underrepresented and marginalized communities that make up their universities, colleges and CEGEPs,” she said.

Hebl and King’s 2024 co-authored book, Working Together: Practicing the Science of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, dives into the scientific basis for the importance of EDI in organizations.

“Every day, we want to be able to contribute to this conversation and try to use the best evidence we have to bring science to practice, to translate what we know from the science to people’s lives,” said King.

King is the Lynette S. Autrey Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Rice University. Hebl is the Martha and Henry Malcolm Lovett Professor of Psychological Sciences at the Jones Business School at Rice University. 

“One of the things we’ve uncovered is a two-pronged reaction to some DEI initiatives,” said Hebl. 

“The first is affective, where people have fears, are afraid their jobs are going to be taken away by someone, afraid there’s not enough space for them, afraid of all the change going on with AI, afraid of immigrants, afraid of the rhetoric that comes to them. The second is cognitive—this belief in a zero-sum game that if you’re getting something, I’m not getting something,” she said. 

These reactions, combined with a recent sweep of misinformation, has reinforced misconstrued beliefs about DEI. 

“I think those two things, affective and cognitive responses, play off each other and create behaviours where people won’t buy in,” said Hebl.

Broadening the narrative about EDI

King said that one way forward is to reframe EDI more broadly.

“We’ve started to talk about broader sets of initiatives that help everyone. When DEI is done well, it helps everyone to feel included, like they belong, like they have the resources they need to do their jobs effectively,” said King.

One example Hebl used in her talk was "curb cuts." In Kalamazoo, Michigan in the 1940s, cutting angles into curbs was a pilot project to aid veterans with disabilities who were coming back from war requiring a wheelchair. However, once they were implemented, it became clear how useful these cuts were for many types of people: those with strollers, canes, crutches, or limited mobility. 

“When we think about DEI activities as curb cuts,” we are able to work toward a more equitably inclusive approach. “How many people use glasses, or closed captions, or need more space, or have neurodiversity? How do we widen our definitions and do that at the societal level? When we make it about race or gender only, we do DEI a disservice,” said Hebl. 

The speakers discussed the concerning trend of organizations cutting their previous support for EDI initiatives, effectively walking back their public statements and commitment to making change. They discussed a few factors that contribute to the shift in organizational attention to EDI, including legislative and policy shifts, competitor’s actions and leaders’ actions.

“Diversity initiative waxes and wanes. It’s really good when the funding is there, and really bad when the funding isn’t there,” said Hedl. 

What is the future of EDI? 

While the political and social environment can seem bleak at times, Hebl, King and Smith discussed the future of EDI, acknowledging that while there is more work to be done, and growing pushback, there is also reason to be positive. 

“The first thing we have to do is look inward and say let’s keep doing research,” said Hebl. “We need to figure out how to stop the death of DEI programs. It’s linked with misinformation, polarization, fears of immigration, and this is where we must do research to see how these issues fit in with the bigger context.”

King shared that she believes the work in EDI will get better. 

“I have to believe it will get better, and we will continue to make incremental change over time. I have to believe that, partly because we were invited to be part of this conversation and you took time out of your day to have it, but also because I am a mom and I want a future for my children that’s beautiful,” said King. 

“That’s what we deserve, and I think we can do it by working together.”