Kate Yoxall looks at how we can position DEI as integral to how organisations perform, adapt, and succeed in a challenging operating environment.
DEI matters. Most organisations in Aotearoa would agree on that. Yet when pressure builds, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work is often the first to lose momentum. How do we ensure this work holds its place and delivers impact that organisations can see and sustain?
Why DEI still struggles to cut through
Across Aotearoa, DEI has become a recognised part of organisational strategy. Many workplaces have invested time, energy, and intent into building more inclusive cultures. Yet progress is often uneven - and in some cases, stalls.
Two patterns are visible.
The first is prioritisation. When the operating environment becomes more challenging, DEI is often reframed as important, but not urgent. Attention shifts to immediate commercial or operational demands, and inclusion work slows.
The second is impact. Some organisations have invested significantly in DEI programmes but struggle to demonstrate clear outcomes. Without evidence of change, leaders and employees can become disengaged, and effort loses momentum.
This creates a familiar challenge for practitioners: how to move beyond relying on senior advocates who already “get it” and instead position DEI as integral to how organisations perform, adapt, and succeed.
From good intentions to deliberate practice
There is strong guidance available on what effective DEI looks like. Research and established frameworks consistently highlight the need for long-term, systemic approaches rather than standalone initiatives. In practice, however, delivery is complex.
DEI work often sits at the intersection of different perspectives – leaders, employee networks, and communities, each with their own priorities and lived experiences. These voices are essential, but they can also lead to a wide range of ideas and expectations. Without a clear anchor, programmes can become a collection of well-meaning activities rather than a focused, strategic effort.
This is not a failure of intent. It is a gap in structure.
To create lasting change, DEI needs to be approached with the same discipline as any other organisational priority – clear purpose, shared understanding, and a strong connection between actions and outcomes.
Bringing clarity through Theory of Change
One practical way to strengthen this discipline is through a Theory of Change approach.
At its heart, Theory of Change is about making the pathway to impact explicit:
This is particularly valuable in DEI, where change is rarely linear and is influenced by many interconnected factors.
Using this approach helps shift thinking from activity to impact. It enables practitioners to clearly link initiatives to outcomes, surface assumptions, and build a shared picture of success with stakeholders.
Importantly, it also strengthens credibility. When DEI is described and tracked in this way, it becomes easier to see how it contributes to organisational goals, whether that is performance, engagement, innovation, or wellbeing.
What this looks like in practice
Turning this into meaningful progress requires focus in a few key areas.
1. Measure what matters
For DEI to be sustained, it needs to be measured with intent.
This means moving beyond broad indicators and identifying measures that reflect real change:
There is also opportunity to connect DEI to wider organisational measures, including psycho-social safety, wellbeing and sustainability measures which are gaining greater focus in Aotearoa workplaces.
When measurement is clear and consistent, it creates visibility – and with it, accountability.
2. Be clear about who benefits
DEI creates value in multiple ways, but this is not always clearly articulated.
A useful shift is to explicitly identify:
For example, introducing reasonable adjustments for neurodivergent employees directly supports those individuals (primary beneficiaries). At the same time, it can strengthen team effectiveness, improve manager capability, and contribute to better organisational outcomes (secondary beneficiaries).
Making these connections visible helps reposition DEI. It is not only about supporting minority groups - it is about enabling workplaces to function better for everyone.
3. Work with, not against, stakeholders
DEI practitioners often navigate a wide range of views. The challenge is maintaining alignment without losing engagement.
The “Yes, and” approach offers a simple but effective technique. It involves acknowledging the intent behind an idea and then building on it to strengthen alignment with strategic priorities.
This approach keeps conversations constructive and forward moving, while still providing direction.
4. Support employee networks to influence change
Employee-led networks are a powerful part of the inclusion landscape in Aotearoa workplaces. They bring lived experience, advocacy, and energy.
However, without connection to organisational strategy and change tools, their impact can be limited.
Practitioners can strengthen this by:
This enables networks to move from internal connection towards powerfully contributing to change across the organisation.
Implications for leaders
For leaders, the opportunity is clear.
DEI is not separate from organisational performance—it is part of it. Building fair, connected workplaces requires the same level of attention and discipline as any other strategic priority.
In practice, this means:
As expectations from employees, communities, and society continue to evolve, organisations that invest in inclusion will be better positioned to respond and adapt.
Making DEI matter
DEI does not fall short because people don’t care. It falls short when it is not consistently connected to outcomes and not supported with the structure needed to sustain it.
By bringing greater clarity to how change happens, being explicit about who benefits, and aligning efforts across the organisation, DEI can shift from being seen as an initiative to being understood as part of how good organisations operate.
In doing so, we strengthen not only our workplaces, but the wider systems they are part of – creating environments where people can contribute, belong, and thrive.
Small shifts in how we plan, measure, and communicate this work can make a significant difference to its impact.
Kate Yoxall is OD & Capability Programmes Lead at New Zealand Automobile Association Incorporated and a Workplace Inclusion Accredited Professional. She recently completed the Leading Change for Good Postgraduate Certificate through academyEX which expanded her toolkit and perspectives on DEI-related change.