London-headquartered DEI solutions agency Fearless Futures has launched DEI Disrupted – The Blueprint for DEI Worth Doing a white paper outlining 16 actionable recommendations to revolutionise Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices.
This report addresses the urgent need for change and to adapt DEI strategies to meet evolving global challenges.
Drawing on insights shared by over 20 global DEI leaders across 15 companies, spanning at least 159,000 employees, the research calls for a shift from ineffective, tokenistic approaches towards a model capable of delivering meaningful and lasting change.
The launch of DEI Disrupted – The Blueprint for DEI Worth Doing marks Fearless Futures’ 10th anniversary. Founded by Algerian British Hanna Naima McCloskey, the business has quietly carved out a strong reputation for helping businesses around the world create equitable and inclusive workplaces. Clients include The Lego Group, Expedia Group, Service Express, Adobe, TMS, EssenceMediaCom, Global Witness and Amberjack.
The white paper comes during a time of significant pushback against DEI initiatives. It highlights the challenges DEI faces in today’s fraught and polarised social landscape, where DEI work has been targeted by a right-wing populist “anti-woke” agenda positioning it as illegitimate, unfair or extreme.
Key Takeaways:
The report makes multiple evidence-based recommendations to strengthen DEI initiatives, including:
- The adoption of DEI principles to navigate conflict, hold legitimacy in the eyes of current and future employees, clients and consumers; and respond to inequity in the workplace and beyond – from Black Lives Matter to Gaza – in morally consistent ways.
- The urgent need to develop a ‘Theory of Change’ to determine whether their interventions are actually driving the expected change; align stakeholders on why certain activities over others are being pursued; and engage in robust testing, evaluation and adaptation of the interventions.
- Taking an intersectional and issue-led approach to DEI interventions;
- Implementing effective governance for how DEI decision-making gets done.
- The need for global companies to implement a global lens, moving away from US-centric models.
Hanna Naima McCloskey said:
“We’ve created a trusted manual for DEI leaders seeking evidence-based strategies and a principled approach capable of cutting through the noise to deliver sustained, equitable change in their workplaces. It addresses critical gaps in understanding DEI, transformation, leadership and change management offering much-needed concise, actionable insights.”
The report, co-authored by McCloskey and Rubie Eilís Clarke, Director of Consultancy and Data Solutions at Fearless Futures, was launched at The Loading Bay – at Techspace in London on 22nd November 2024. The panel featured host Suyin Haynes, journalist and lecturer, City University of London, panellists:
Rubie Eilís Clarke, report co-author and Director of Consultancy and Data Solutions, Fearless Futures; Ebele Okobi, Senior Policy Advisor, Open AI; Lauren von Stackelberg, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer and Global Head of Wellbeing, The LEGO Group; Yassmin Abdel-Magied, writer, broadcaster and advocate.
The report is available from the Fearless Futures website.
Press release: 22 November 2024
