Inclusion and Merit: Making Them Work Together

Is DEI DOA?

At first look, it might seem that way.

The Trump White House has ended diversity, equity and inclusion mandates, policies, programs and activities across all parts of the federal government.

And in the private sector, a number of big-name companies — including Target, McDonald’s, Meta and Walmart — are either scaling back their DEI programs or scrapping them entirely.

Federal employment practices will now reward individual initiative, skills, performance and hard work. “Merit, excellence and intelligence” — or MEI — are the new watchwords.

But inclusion and merit aren’t opposing ideas. They’re not mutually exclusive and never have been. In fact, they both strive for the same thing: the pursuit of opportunities and rewards for effort.

Companies can still commit to inclusion while prioritizing achievement and ability by recognizing the true benefits of properly applied inclusion with an equal emphasis on performance — “inclusive meritocracy,” if you will.

The Foundation of Inclusive Merit

The two core principles of inclusive merit involve employing people with the skills and abilities to move the company forward and ensuring people feel secure enough in their positions to speak freely without retribution.

First, there is value in hiring employees with varying backgrounds, perspectives and experiences.

Now not all the research claiming to show a direct connection between diversity in leadership and a company’s profitability holds up under academic scrutiny. However, Harvard researchers found that companies who actively seek out people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives — and value those different experiences and inputs — are more agile, more innovative, and ultimately, more effective. These things, of course, can boost financial performance.

If it’s pursued with intention, intelligence, flexibility, and a strategic mindset, inclusion remains a smart business choice.

Employing a Merit-Based, Inclusive Team

Companies should be active and intentional when seeking out employees. Recruiting efforts should cast a wide net to find people with perspectives and experiences that align to the organization’s vision and goals.

For businesses with a nationwide reach, various cultural influences can be invaluable. Within a sales team, for instance, these differences allow companies to tailor their pitches to regional audiences organically and authentically.

Similarly, different cultural perspectives within a marketing department can help companies avoid alienating core market segments with well-intended but off-target campaigns.

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A comprehensive recruiting strategy, then, will look not only for people who've already excelled or displayed high potential in the field, but it will also consider the “soft skills” their various backgrounds have helped them develop: resilience for someone coming out of a disadvantaged background, for example, or a global outlook for someone who was either born abroad or has spent extensive time out of the country.

Interview questions will be behavior-based, giving candidates an opportunity to use examples from past experiences to demonstrate how they'll handle situations relevant to the role.

Behavioral interview queries like “Tell me about a time you had to overcome a significant challenge at work” or “Describe a situation where you successfully resolved a customer conflict” can help you identify candidates who use their background and experience to bring fresh perspectives and outlooks to the table.

Establishing Psychological Safety

Second, an inclusive merit-based workforce requires psychological safety. When discussing their different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences, people need to know that their differences will be taken seriously and their voices won’t be ignored. This requires vulnerability from leadership, management and colleagues alike; insisting that “there’s only one way to do something” is the quickest way to shut down inclusive conversation.

Expecting Contribution

It’s not enough for the people you bring in to feel safe sharing their thoughts and perspectives. It should be an expectation that they actively participate, provide input and contribute to the team’s goals and successes. Phrase this as an affirmation to make this clear:

“We brought you in because you have the skills we want and the experience to give us new and challenging perspectives. We need both of those things from you, and we need you to value the input of the people around you.”

Then it’s incumbent upon everyone in the organization, managers and peers alike, to back that up.

That’s how you achieve an inclusive meritocracy — and that’s a worthy objective no matter which way the political winds are blowing.