Corporate DEI Efforts: Navigating Authenticity and Political Realities in Internal Communication

Introduction

As you read in last week’s My Advice for Working in Teams booklet: “When working in teams, be aware of how bias affects how you interpret one another’s communication too. In the book Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad, tone policing is defined as focusing on the tone of a message rather than the content within a message. In the context of the United States, which is built upon systemic racism and sexism, people of color and women who do not conform to the expectations around positivity, for instance, are much more likely to be harshly labeled, which causes them to have to spend more time tone policing themselves. This can effectively silence them in their environment.”

This creates a critical tension in corporate internal communication:

On one hand, organizations have real norms about what communication is considered “acceptable” or “professional.” Messages that don’t conform to these norms—regardless of their content—may be dismissed, ignored, or result in negative consequences for the communicator.

On the other hand, important issues like workplace discrimination, inequity, and systemic barriers need to be surfaced and addressed. If everyone is tone policing themselves to fit corporate communication norms, real problems may never come to light.

So how do we navigate this?

This page explores how organizations can create internal communication environments where:

Difficult conversations about discrimination and inequity can happen
People from marginalized groups don’t bear the burden of constant self-monitoring
Corporate communication remains effective and leads to action
Systemic issues are addressed rather than hidden

Key Reading: Organizations Scaling DEI Initiatives Globally

Summary

The World Economic Forum’s DEI Lighthouse Programme identifies proven, effective Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives from companies across industries and geographies. The 2024 report emphasizes that “embracing DEI is not just a moral imperative, but also a strategic one that promotes sustainable growth and builds agile and flexible organizations capable of weathering global risks and challenges.”

The report highlights corporate initiatives selected as DEI Lighthouses and identifies five common success factors:

Senior leadership commitment and accountability
Data-driven approach with clear metrics
Holistic and systemic interventions (not one-off initiatives)
Customization to local context while maintaining global principles
Continuous learning and adaptation

Notable examples include:

Banco Pichincha (Ecuador): Closed the financing gap between men and women by 16% through targeted financial products and advocacy for legislative change. Created an internal commission to manage, monitor, and measure progress.
HEINEKEN: Increased women in senior sales management from 9% (2020) to 19% (2022) through targeted recruitment, retention, and development programs, combined with culture change efforts.
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX): Used regulatory power to mandate at least one female director on boards of listed companies. Result: female director representation increased from 14.6% to 17.3%; companies with no female directors decreased from 31.5% to 21.4%.
Ingka Group (IKEA): Achieved 50/50 gender and pay equity across all operations through tailored approaches for each business unit, gender-neutral salary reviews by external auditors, and tying DEI goals to manager performance reviews.
McKinsey & Company: Created a “reboarding programme” for employees returning from leaves of 12+ weeks, resulting in a 20% decline in attrition among consultant mothers returning from leave.
PepsiCo: Launched voluntary self-identification campaign for LGBTQI+ employees where legally permissible, resulting in 12,475 employees across 33 countries self-identifying—overcoming one of the most complex challenges in global DEI data collection.
Salesforce: Created confidential one-on-one coaching program for underrepresented groups to address barriers to belonging. Supported over 2,400 cases with proven transformative impact and increased retention among participants.

Read the full WEF article

Critical Analysis Questions

The tone policing paradox: Notice that all of the successful initiatives in this report are led by organizations (often starting with senior leadership), not by individuals from marginalized groups speaking up. What does this tell us about who has the power to surface and address DEI issues? If individuals from underrepresented groups had to advocate for these changes themselves, how might tone policing affect the likelihood of success?
Data and metrics as communication tools: Several initiatives (PepsiCo’s self-ID campaign, Banco Pichincha’s monitoring commission, HKEX’s disclosure requirements) emphasize data collection and transparency. How might focusing on data help navigate the tension between “professional” corporate communication and discussing sensitive topics like discrimination? Can numbers succeed where emotional appeals might face resistance due to tone policing?
Internal vs. external communication: The WEF report showcases these initiatives as successes worthy of public recognition. But what internal communication challenges likely existed before these became celebrated programs? What difficult conversations had to happen internally before these organizations could communicate about DEI externally?

Your Task

Working individually or in small groups, research examples of organizations addressing (or failing to address) DEI issues through internal communication. Find examples of:

Option A: An organization that successfully communicated about a difficult DEI issue internally

What was the issue?
How did they communicate about it?
What made the communication effective?
What were the results?

Option B: An organization that struggled or failed when trying to address DEI issues

What was the issue?
How did they communicate (or fail to communicate) about it?
What went wrong?
What could have been done differently?

Option C: An organization currently facing criticism related to DEI

What is happening?
How is the organization communicating (or not communicating) internally about it?
How are employees responding?
What communication strategies might help?

Post your findings to our discussion forum before or during class. Include:

Name of organization
Brief description of the situation (2-3 sentences)
One key lesson about internal communication and DEI
Link to your source (news article, company statement, research study, etc.)

Discussion

We’ll discuss your findings together in class, looking for patterns about:

What communication approaches work when discussing difficult topics
How power dynamics affect who can speak up and how
How organizations balance authenticity with “professionalism”
What role communicators and translators play in DEI efforts

Reflection Questions

Consider these questions as you think about navigating authenticity and political realities in corporate communication:

Your own communication context: Think about a workplace, organization, or community you’re part of. What are the unspoken rules about “acceptable” or “professional” communication? Who benefits from these rules? Who might be silenced by them?
The burden of “fitting in”: Tone policing often requires people from marginalized groups to spend extra energy managing how they communicate—energy that could be spent on actual work. As a future communication professional (translator, localization specialist), what responsibility do you have to recognize and address this dynamic?
Culture and communication norms: Corporate communication norms often reflect dominant cultural values. When localizing internal communications about DEI across different cultural contexts, what challenges might you face? For example, how might discussions of gender equity be communicated differently in Ecuador (Banco Pichincha), Hong Kong (HKEX), and Europe (McKinsey)?
The role of leadership: All the successful DEI initiatives in the WEF report had strong senior leadership commitment. Why is it significant that change came from leadership rather than only from grassroots employee advocacy? What are the advantages and limitations of this approach?
Beyond gender and race: The WEF report focuses primarily on gender equity and some LGBTQI+ initiatives. What other dimensions of diversity, equity, and inclusion might be even more difficult to discuss in corporate contexts? Why might organizations be more comfortable addressing certain DEI issues than others?
Authenticity vs. effectiveness: Is it possible to be both authentic and politically savvy in corporate communication? Or are there situations where you must choose between speaking your truth and being heard? How do you navigate this tension?

📥 Download this Content

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🤖 GAI Study Prompts

Copy the downloaded content and try it with these prompts:

“What are some additional examples of organizations successfully addressing DEI issues through internal communication?”
“How might tone policing manifest differently in different cultural or organizational contexts?”
“What communication strategies can help surface difficult topics like discrimination without requiring individuals to risk their credibility or career?”
“Compare the five common success factors identified in the WEF report to other frameworks for organizational change. What’s similar or different?”
“How should internal communications about DEI be localized when working across different cultural contexts with different attitudes toward hierarchy, directness, and discussing sensitive topics?”
“What are the risks of organizations promoting DEI initiatives externally (as in the WEF report) before doing internal work? Can this be performative?”
“Give me examples of how data and metrics can help depoliticize difficult conversations about equity and inclusion.”

Next Up: Crisis Communication and Organizational Reputation