What’s the right acronym to use for Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion?

EDI, DEI, DEIB, DIE, JEDI… Have you got acronym overwhelm?!

I was lucky this week to have the chance to meet up with a dear friend for lunch. They were sharing with me how they had recently attended some DEI training in their organisation, and they were curious about the use of acronyms for the work, and which one was the “right” one.  Now, for regular readers of my blog, you will already know that I don’t tend to deal in binary terms, and when it comes to the acronyms of inclusion work, it’s no exception.

So, what did I tell them? I was totally honest! It really doesn’t matter what you call it. It only matters that YOU know what you mean, and as a leader in this work you can articulate that to your organisation.

There are many words that might resonate with you and the strategies for inclusion that you want to create. The common ones seem to be:

• D = Diversity

• E = Equality or Equity

• I = Inclusion

• B = Belonging

• J = Justice

(if you don’t know the difference, you can watch this space for an upcoming Explained! In 10 or less… podcast episode)

But again, you choose the words that work for you, your values, and in the context of your organisation.

And most importantly… Don’t get so hung up on the acronym that you forget to do the foundation work that underpins the meaning of these words. The name and the label are meaningless if you’re not using them to drive action and outputs.

Personally, I use Inclusion and Equality because they both resonate with the feeling I want to create (being included) and the outcome I want to achieve (an equal future). But you do you; experiment, be flexible, and above all else – move beyond just the words.

Top Tip

The words you choose will all have power in their own way. But different words mean different things to different people. Don’t be afraid to spend time discussing the language you wish to use with your leadership team and wider organisation.

Just because Belonging feels good to you, it might mean something else to other people.

Engage. Communicate. Involve.