Affirmative action is over, but equity efforts are far from defeated. While the Supreme Court’s ruling was heavily predicted and there is no roadmap for what follows, we have never had a roadmap to guide organizational efforts around diversity, equity and inclusion. What we do have is enough knowledge from preceding events to know that enrollment of historically excluded students drastically drops when race is no longer considered as a component of the college admissions process. This played out in California and Michigan respectively after state referendums and ballot initiatives in 1996 and 2006. We also have enough knowledge and data around the DEI market to know that organizational commitment waxes and wanes based on changing economic and political climates. But most importantly, we have learned that diversity is and will remain a positive differentiator. The research and benefits harnessed over the past decades will not disappear with one court ruling.

As a leader, it is important to center your diversity management strategy around a few key tenants:

  • More diverse leadership teams will continue to drive stronger business outcomes—as countless studies have proven.
  • Clients will continue to make hiring and firing decisions based on firms presenting diverse teams, highlighting inclusive cultures and operating socially engaged operations that are aware of and involved in issues surrounding their communities and industry.
  • Talent will continue to seek employers that align with their personal values and missions—and hold firms to account that fail.
  • More diverse workplaces are inevitable.