24 December 2024

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It is being considered as reading for America's next president Bad news For Diversity, Equity and Inclusion – which is now the prevailing shorthand for the idea that workplaces should be fair, encouraging and open to all.

Exhibit A is the executive order signed by Donald Trump at the end of his previous term. It sought to end “employee training that uses divisive propaganda to undermine the principle of fair and equal treatment for all.”

President Biden gave up M-20-37 Once he came to power. Four years later, Trump has another chance to act. Expect him to sign something soon — especially since hatred of DEI permeates his new inner circle.

Cabinet nominees Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense, and Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence Marco Rubio, who served as Secretary of State, has criticized the policy as divisive.

Elon Musk didn't mince his words either. “Diversity, equality and inclusion are propaganda words for racism, sexism and other cults,” he wrote on X’s website. He believes the whole idea is “morally wrong” and “should die.” (See his clever twist on the acronym there?)

Musk's co-head of a new efficiency division, Vivek Ramaswamy, co-founded the company Asset manager Dedicated to driving “woke” policies from corporate life. Full disclosure: He once contacted me to see if I would help launch it in Europe.

Meanwhile, in June, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance helped introduce a bill called the Dismantling DEI Act.

How ridiculous. Definitely for the team's success Trump It is one of the best arguments in favor diversity Absolutely comprehensive. The most powerful country on Earth is about to be run by a cabal of narcissists, eccentrics, geniuses and delusions.

America may be in a better position as a result. It takes a childish kind of honesty when we criticize Europe's miserable defense spending, or free trade for hollowing out manufacturing in the United States. Likewise to harass China or believe it is possible to do so Resolving global conflicts In 24 hours.

Want someone to cut down on bureaucracy instead of talking about it? Then you also need someone with an abnormal type of single-mindedness. The kind of weirdo he believes in Moving to Mars Or dig a tunnel under Los Angeles. And then he delivers.

Trump's interim administration, not to mention his supporters, is full of misfits who would struggle to make it through the first interview round at most modern organizations. And here lies the greatest hypocrisy in the business world. Companies say they value diversity and inclusion. But they don't really do that.

I think that's the reason behind DEI backlash. Companies should stop talking about diversity and inclusion when it's clear they value fit. Every reader of this column will know a wonderful but difficult colleague who was fired for speaking up, disagreeing with his bosses, working “differently,” or not cooperating.

Homogeneity still prevails. So-called bearers of culture are celebrated and promoted. About 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies have current or potential employees receive this job Personality tests.

Imagine the founders of Apple, Google, Meta, Amazon, and Berkshire Hathaway taking a Myers-Briggs survey? Cognitive outliers are important. The power of neurodiversity to solve problems has been recognized for thousands of years.

The problem is that so is our desire to conform, avoid confrontation, and make a living. I doubt companies will be truly diverse. In my own experience, most colleagues who I thought were exceptional were fired. Only the average flourished.

To be fair, this makes sense for many industries. No one needs independent people supervising IT projects or testing the breaking point of concrete.

But large swaths of the knowledge economy could benefit from following Trump. To do this, it is clear that DEI must attend to race and gender but prioritize differences in personality.

Hence, the investment firm Azorea Partners New actively managed fund It is misleading to exclude S&P 500 companies that champion diversity. In its failed attempt to promote board diversity through disclosure rules regarding women and minority directors, Nasdaq focused on the wrong thing.

It helps that, unlike their employees, as many as one in five bosses have psychopathic traits, according to research – versus one in 100 in the general population. Another study showed that psychiatric patients were more likely to be invited to management development programs.

So, there should be more CEOs who are sympathetic to promoting diversity in all its forms. On the other hand, Republicans should stop trying to get rid of the hand that made them and focus on inspiring the rest of us to do the same.

stuart.kirk@ft.com

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