In the face of growing polarization in the United States, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts are being presented as a way to overcome social divisions and promote a sense of belonging for all, especially those who have traditionally been excluded or marginalized.

But in recent years, there has been a backlash, with many institutions halting funding for diversity and inclusion efforts in response to pressure from employees, lawsuits and even state governments.

Ironically, critics argue that DEI efforts fail to include diverse perspectives—for example, by emphasizing certain backgrounds while neglecting others. Some argue that these programs actually worsen the problems they are meant to solve.

While it is easy to dismiss negative reaction as pure intolerance (not all criticism of DEI is made in good faith), it is important to consider how DEI efforts themselves can become more inclusive to gain the support necessary for society as a whole to thrive.

The lessons I share come from my experience as a professor of educational leadership who has researched and taught extensively about workplace inclusion, as well as my time as a human resources professional addressing these issues from an employer perspective. The bottom line is that true inclusion cannot happen when people continue to feel excluded.

To be clear, my proposed answer is not for employers to ignore identity entirely or adopt a “color-blind” approach—not least of all because that’s not what employees want. Instead, a better approach is for employers to intentionally include people of all backgrounds so that everyone can feel like they belong.

Building Better DEI Training

Unfortunately, many of the most popular DEI efforts—such as short, one-time diversity training sessions—have not been proven effective, at least not when they were implemented. In other words, they have not been shown to improve workforce diversity, especially in leadership. In fact, they can sometimes be counterproductive, reinforcing microaggressions and biases rather than reducing them.

Research suggests that these problems stem from the way programs are structured and implemented. These programs often prioritize quick, symbolic wins—such as simply providing training without considering its effectiveness or simply mandating that the next round of hires consist of people with a certain background—at the expense of addressing the long-term, systemic problems that led to those problems. This allows everyday practices that are fraught with bias to continue unabated.

For example, it’s not uncommon for employers to set aside a few hours a year for employees to attend a lecture-style diversity training. However, research suggests that this format often fails to change ingrained biases and behaviors, especially in the absence of systemic institutional change.

Instead, the research suggests that diversity training should be collaborative and ongoing, to enable ongoing dialogue so people can honestly confront issues that often go unspoken. This strategy makes some intuitive sense: Different biased behaviors have different root causes, and each requires a differentiated response, not a “one size fits all” solution.

However, mandatory training taking place in an unfriendly environment may generate reluctance.

The value of shared understanding

Despite the tensions surrounding DEI, most people would probably agree that employees should be treated fairly and have equal access to career opportunities—a core goal of DEI. But defining concepts like equity, inclusion, and diversity often requires difficult conversations that often go unheard.

Getting the framing right can be a good place to start. Ideas like inclusion can be framed in a way that speaks to shared core values, which encourages collaboration—or they can be framed politically, which can promote division and feelings of insecurity and defensiveness.

One powerful way to build mutual understanding is to provide opportunities for people to share their own experiences. When people who feel they have been discriminated against share their perspectives, others can begin to better empathize with and understand their perspectives. This can help them reimagine policies and structures that might be more inclusive of people who have traditionally been neglected.

To be effective, diversity efforts should focus not only on individual employees but also on structural practices at the organizational level. For example, when people from diverse backgrounds have more opportunities to work together in work teams, research shows that prejudice can be reduced.

The Business Case for DEI

The criticism may be mounting, but it would be a mistake for employers to retreat from their DEI efforts. Instead, they should focus on improving them. This is happening as U.S. society becomes more diverse, and organizations need to prepare and adapt.

Despite the negative reaction, the reality is that many employees value DEI. Meanwhile, research shows that workplaces with a weak climate of inclusion have higher turnover, which in turn creates high replacement and retraining costs for the employer. Ultimately, employers who fail to provide what employees want—an inclusive work environment—are likely to be less competitive.

And while some critics wrongly believe that a diverse workforce is a lower-quality workforce, research suggests the opposite is true. That is, hiring the “best person for the job” does not interfere with achieving diversity goals.

The benefits of workplace diversity have been empirically proven in fields ranging from healthcare to education to business. Greater diversity is associated with improved innovation, communication, organizational performance, and profit. What’s more, a diverse workforce with diverse perspectives can better serve an increasingly diverse customer base.

Organizations shouldn’t retreat from DEI efforts in the workplace. Instead, research suggests, they should double down on a more inclusive approach that emphasizes civility and dialogue—one that seeks to find common ground. Moving from an us-versus-them mentality to a focus on empathy, support, and connection can change hearts and minds.

This article is reprinted from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.