As organizations struggle with stalled diversity efforts, some are considering moving toward a “colorblind” approach: deemphasizing initiatives focused on specific demographic groups in favor of more general inclusion efforts. For some, this approach seems like an appealing strategy for engaging majority group members and company leaders, while reducing the tensions that can arise when efforts are focused explicitly on identities like race and gender. Some studies have shown, for example, that even though many companies’ existing diversity efforts aren’t helping more women or people of color to get ahead, they still make white men think they aren’t being treated fairly. But colorblindness is not the answer to this problem. It will almost certainly backfire, ultimately undermining the very inclusion efforts it’s designed to improve.
Colorblind Diversity Efforts Don’t Work
As organizations struggle with stalled diversity efforts, some are considering moving towards a “colorblind” approach: deemphasizing initiatives focused on specific demographic groups in favor of more general inclusion efforts. For some, this approach seems like an appealing strategy for engaging majority group members, millennials, and company leaders, while reducing the tensions that can arise when efforts are focused explicitly on identities like race and gender. But colorblind approaches have been shown to backfire. Research has shown that downplaying demographic differences reduces the engagement of underrepresented employees and increases their perceptions of bias from their white colleagues. Ultimately, while including everyone in organizational diversity efforts is important, a colorblind approach isn’t the best path. Race, gender and other demographics are important identities that require recognition and deserve space.