Leading when DEI is No Longer the Acronym of Choice

Across the U.S. and beyond, the legal and political landscape around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is shifting rapidly. As some organizations move away from formalized DEI programs, driven by regulatory scrutiny, litigation fears, or public debate, one question rises to the top for HR leaders: How do you preserve and strengthen culture when DEI is no longer the headline initiative?

Despite the headlines, employees and stakeholders still expect workplaces to be inclusive, respectful, and fair. The absence of formal DEI doesn’t mean the absence of expectations or the absence of risk. If anything, company culture becomes more vulnerable.

The Risks of Abandoning DEI

Stepping away from formal DEI structures entails measurable risk. Without established guidelines and accountability, it’s all too easy for organizations to slip back into old habits. unconscious bias, which was never truly gone, can reassert itself in hiring, promotions, and day-to-day decision-making, often going unnoticed until the damage is done.

This silent backslide has real consequences. Top talent, particularly high performers from underrepresented groups, may disengage or choose to leave if they no longer feel seen or valued. Beyond the internal impact, companies face heightened external scrutiny. Walking away from DEI initiatives sends a message to customers and investors that inclusion isn’t a priority. In a marketplace where reputation is everything, that perception can quickly erode trust and diminish brand value.

“While the D of DEI is where the majority of the controversy lies, the I is critical to maintaining culture,” Nina Fleming, former VP of DEI at Savos, told us. “People want to feel valued and appreciated. Companies can do that without ever using the acronym DEI. Inclusion is the name of the game and without it, organizational culture is sunk along with employee engagement, morale, job satisfaction, and discretionary effort. When people matter, businesses thrive.”

Redefining Inclusion to Build Cultures of Belonging and Impact

Culture isn’t a slogan or a program—it’s how people experience work every day. The language may change, but the underlying values should not.

Organizations should focus on business-aligned language that resonates across audiences. Talk about team cohesion, leadership representation, and inclusive decision-making. These are priorities every high-performing company values, regardless of what they’re called. Inclusion, after all, doesn’t require a label to have a meaningful impact.

By making stretch assignments, mentorship, and leadership visibility accessible to all, HR can weave equity into daily practices. The absence of formal programs doesn’t mean abandoning the work—it means embedding inclusion so deeply that it becomes part of the organization’s DNA.

Practice Strategies: Culture as a Strategic Business Asset

Culture is the patterns of behavior that are encouraged, discouraged, or tolerated by people and systems over time. It’s a strategic asset that drives performance, innovation, and engagement. Protecting culture requires more than just maintaining good intentions, it demands ongoing attention, honest assessment, and decisive action. Here are several practical strategies to ensure your company’s culture remains a source of strength:

1. Define the culture you want to keep. Don’t assume everyone understands what makes your culture special. Use employee feedback, focus groups, and values surveys to uncover what truly matters to your people. Codify these elements in clear, accessible language—think core values statements, culture handbooks, or behavioral guides. Make sure your findings encompass everything from onboarding to everyday operations, so that culture is lived and not just stated.
2. Align leadership behavior with those values. Leaders and managers set the tone for the entire organization. Train managers to model inclusive leadership, not just through formal training, but through mentorship, transparent communication, and regular feedback. Recognize and elevate leaders who are visible champions of inclusion and provide support for those who need to grow in this area. Ensure leadership accountability by tying inclusion outcomes to performance reviews and leadership evaluations.
3. Audit and reinforce what you reward. Audit your hiring metrics, then examine your existing performance management and promotion processes. Are you actually rewarding behaviors that foster inclusion and cross-functional collaboration, or are you inadvertently reinforcing silos and individual achievement at the expense of teamwork? Update your recognition programs and promotion cycles to highlight and celebrate those who exemplify inclusive, collaborative behaviors. Make inclusion a core criterion for advancement, not just a nice-to-have.

When culture is both defined and reinforced in daily behavior, and when inclusion is embedded into how leaders act and how success is measured, organizations are much more likely to weather periods of uncertainty. A resilient culture doesn’t just survive when formal programs disappear; it becomes the backbone of business success.

Invisible DEI: Embedding Inclusion into Talent Strategy

Just because DEI isn’t at the forefront doesn’t mean it’s gone. Recruitment processes can and should continue to prioritize building diverse candidate pools. Tools like blind resume reviews and structured interviews help minimize bias—no matter what the initiative is called.

• Tracking representation in leadership pipelines remains a critical part of any talent strategy.
• Using it to inform internal decision-making and progress.
• Continue to prioritize employee resource groups and internal communities that will allow them to flourish, especially when HR shifts from sponsor to supporter, empowering these groups to organize organically.

Ultimately, inclusion is most effective when it’s embedded in everyday business practices. When organizations approach talent, leadership, and belonging with intention—even without the DEI label—they foster a culture that attracts and retains top performers.

Navigating Legal Compliance Pressures

The current environment demands vigilance. Staying legally compliant is essential, but companies shouldn’t confuse compliance with true leadership. Working closely with legal counsel helps organizations understand new regulations and adapt policies as needed.

At the same time, many talent and culture initiatives can be reframed as essential for performance, innovation, or risk mitigation. Diverse, psychologically safe teams drive better outcomes and lower risk. The language may shift, but the spirit of inclusion can remain. In turbulent times, HR’s job is to keep organizational values front and center, regardless of the external pressure.

Conclusion

HR’s job isn’t to defend programs, it’s to support people and the values that make companies resilient. The strongest cultures are built not by slogans or scorecards, but by the accumulation of everyday decisions and leadership at every level.

As Anthony Capuano, the CEO of Marriott, recently said, “We welcome all to our hotels and we create opportunities for all.” This philosophy endures, whether or not a formal DEI program exists. Now more than ever, HR must lead with consistency and unwavering courage, safeguarding culture in a rapidly changing world.

“The bottom line is that all leaders must walk the talk,” said Amand Fajak, Global Culture Practice Lead at ZRG.  “Actions speak louder than words—now more than ever.”

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