Reframing DEI: why organisations must move beyond deficit-based approaches to achieve true inclusion

New perspective challenges traditional dei models and calls for outcome-based strategies rooted in leadership and organisational psychology

London, UK – 12 March 2025 – As businesses continue to grapple with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategies, recent analysis challenges the effectiveness of traditional ‘deficit-based’ training approaches. Organisational psychologist David Sharpley argues that existing DEI initiatives – particularly those focused on correction of ‘implicit bias’, fail to create sustainable change. Instead, organisations can benefit from an outcome-based approach that empowers leaders to create ‘enabling conditions’ and a positive workplace culture.

EDI vs DEI: why the distinction matters

A key challenge in workplace inclusion efforts is the distinction between Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). While DEI frameworks prioritise ‘equity’ - often interpreted as redistributive fairness addressing systemic disadvantages - EDI focuses on equality, ensuring that policies and practices promote fairness for all individuals, without presupposing deficits or bias. EDI offers a more structured, legally aligned, and unifying approach, reinforcing fairness as a core principle rather than focusing on remediation.

The pitfall of deficit-based DEI training

While many organisations invest heavily in bias-awareness training, research shows that these initiatives often fall short, producing resistance rather than engagement. Deficit-based models assume that employees and leaders must ‘unlearn’ inherent prejudices but fail to offer a compelling, positive vision of what inclusive excellence looks like. Furthermore, psychological studies, including Karen Stenner’s research on ‘authoritarian predisposition’, (analysed in The Authoritarian Dynamic) indicate that interventions perceived as coercive or corrective may trigger resistance, rather than fostering genuine inclusion.

A new model: from deficit-based to outcome-driven EDI

Building on insights from John Rawls’ concept of ‘overlapping consensus’ and higher-order leadership principles, discussed in Leadership, Principles and Purpose, David Sharpley advocates for a shift towards Fairness, Diversity, and Inclusion (FDI) - a model that emphasises fairness as a unifying principle. This approach:

Moves beyond ‘bias correction’ to focus on leadership competencies that drive inclusive, high-performing teams.
Aligns with UK legal frameworks, ensuring compliance with the UK Equality Act 2010 while fostering a culture of innovation and fairness.
Reframes DEI as a performance strategy, where leaders define exceptional team outcomes and work backwards to establish the necessary skills, behaviours, and inclusive policies.

How to create ‘enabling conditions’ at work

Rather than focusing on ‘what’s wrong’ in workplace culture, businesses should view EDI in the wider context of ESG (Environmental, Social Governance) and redefine EDI as an enabler of excellence. Organisations are encouraged to:

Adopt an outcome-driven approach, integrating fairness, leadership capability, and diversity into business strategy.
Shift from compliance to culture, embedding inclusion through well-defined competencies rather than mandatory bias training.
Engage leaders as architects of inclusion, equipping them with the tools to reverse-engineer the goal of ‘exceptional outcomes’, that require shared purpose, well-being and resilience.

“EDI should not be about remediation - it should be about leadership,” said David Sharpley. “If businesses want to build resilient, inclusive organisations, they must move beyond corrective training and embrace a strategic, vision-driven model of inclusion.”