A Call to Action Part 1: Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion through Systems, Institutions and Policy Levers confronts one of the most pressing challenges in contemporary organizational life: how to sustain and strengthen DEI commitments amid intensifying political, cultural, and institutional resistance. Rather than retreating from this moment, the contributors to this volume respond with clarity, evidence, and resolve.
Drawing on cutting edge research across management, public policy, organizational behavior, and social justice scholarship, the chapters speak directly to researchers, leaders, policymakers, and institutional stakeholders. Each contribution identifies a critical priority for advancing DEI through structural, systemic, and policy based interventions. Together, they illuminate the wide-ranging levers—legal, economic, cultural, technological, and organizational—that shape whether DEI efforts falter, stagnate, or meaningfully transform workplaces and communities.
The book’s breadth reflects the complexity of the current landscape. Topics span parent supportive policy design, science censorship, disability inclusion, sexual harassment prevention, workforce reintegration, reproductive benefits, entrepreneurial ecosystems, anti discrimination legislation, and the emotional and institutional work that sustains inequity. Authors examine the backlash against DEI, dismantle persistent myths, and offer bold strategies for resilience, refinement, and renewed purpose. Across these chapters, a shared message emerges: DEI is not a passing trend but a foundational requirement for organizational effectiveness, societal well being, and long term success.
Together with A Call to Action Part 2: Transforming Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion through Norms, Leadership Practices, and Mindset, the two volumes offer a comprehensive roadmap for scholars and practitioners committed to defending, reimagining, and advancing DEI in an era of profound challenge and possibility.
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1. Modern (Work) Family: Critical Questions in Crafting Parent-Supportive Policy; David F. Arena Jr. and Patricia Guerrero
Chapter 2. Democracy 101: Trusting Science and Avoiding DEI Censorship; Jazmin Argueta-Rivera
Chapter 3. What Happens if We Kick You Out? Diversity Programs as a Misunderstood Cousin in the Family of Best Practices; Katerina Bezrukova, Chester Spell, and Evangeline Yang
Chapter 4. DEI Goals are Humane; Monica Biernat
Chapter 5. LGBT-Supportive Policies: A Call to Action among Chief HR Officers; Phu Khang Bui and Shaun Pichler
Chapter 6. Building Inclusive Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: A Call to Action for Supporting Underrepresented Racial Minority Entrepreneurs; Kristin Burton
Chapter 7. Understanding and Dismantling Diversity Myths; James T. Carter
Chapter 8. What Went Wrong with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Initiatives; Beth G. Chung and Lynn M. Shore
Chapter 9. Why DEI Programs are Necessary for the Successful Integration of People with Disabilities into the Workforce; Adrienne Colella and Susanne M. Bruyère
Chapter 10. To Everything There is a Season: Using Recent Attacks as Opportunities to Refine and Refocus DEI; Abigail Corrington
Chapter 11. Call to Action: Bolster DEI through Bolder Solutions to Sexual Harassment; Lilia M. Cortina
Chapter 12. Strategic Resilience in an Age of Resistance: Reimagining DEI for Organizational Relevance; Martin N. Davidson
Chapter 13. Challenging the Myth That DEI is Only for Some; Lindsay Y. Dhanani and Hannah Park
Chapter 14. The Gaslighting of a Nation: Emotions as the Institutional Work of Whiteness, Patriarchy, and Elitism; Samantha E. Erskine
Chapter 15. The Role of Organizations in Suicide Prevention: A Call to Action; Kayla Follmer
Chapter 16. Our Audacity of Hope: From Passive Platitudes to Courageous Collective Action in Defense of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; M. Lance Frazier, Regina M. Hatch, Kimberly Rocheville, and Sarah Singletary Walker
Chapter 17. Promoting Extended Producer Responsibility Policy: Inclusive Coffee Production through a DEI Lens; Yuka Fujimoto and Fiona Zuzartee
Chapter 18. Expanding Access to Overlooked Reproductive Benefits in Organizations: Highlighting Fertility Treatment and Abortion Accessibility; Danielle M. Gardner, Kimberly A. French, and Keaton A. Fletcher
Chapter 19. Gender Equity Fatigue: Reinvigorating Organizational Efforts with Technology; Jenny M. Hoobler and Lara Pico
Chapter 20. From Imprisonment to Employment: Policy Recommendations for Workforce Reintegration; Lawrence Houston and Enrica Ruggs
Chapter 21. What to Do if Your DEI Program is Debranded; Stefanie K. Johnson
Chapter 22. Board Gender Diversity Is Linked to Beneficial Outcomes for Firms; Alison M. Konrad
Chapter 23. Configuring a Disability-Inclusive Purpose Ecosystem; Mukta Kulkarni
Chapter 24. Policy, Schmolicy; Looking Past DEI Policy in Turbulent Times; Waheeda Lillevik
Chapter 25. The Attacks on “Gender Ideology” are Nonsensical; Larry R. Martinez and Kelly M. Hamilton
Chapter 26. DEI is Not Enough—Now Is the Time For Social Justice; Jackson Matos
Chapter 27. A Critical Reflection on the State of DEI; Saaid A. Mendoza
Chapter 28. Shaping a Just Future: Environmental Justice, Inclusion, and the Impact of Artificial Intelligence; Michàlle E. Mor Barak
Chapter 29. Combatting Social Injustice on the Scale of a Public Health Crisis; Corinne A. Moss-Racusin
Chapter 30. The War on Wokeness; Eddy S. Ng
Chapter 31. The Positive Effects of Anti-Discrimination Legislation: The Force of Law; Christine L. Nittrouer
Chapter 32. Opt-In or Burn Out: The Value of Opt-In Policies for Marginalized Employees; Merrick Osborne, Sa-Kiera Hudson, and Morinne Osborne
Chapter 33. Intersectional Solidarity: A Path to Resilient DEI in Supportive and Adversarial Contexts; Mustafa F. Özbilgin
Chapter 34. Unforeseen Obstacles: How Corporations May be Undermining their own DEI Initiatives; Linh Nghiem Hai Pham and Linda T. Nguyen
Chapter 35. What History can Teach us about this Moment; Darryl Rice
Chapter 36. Mr. Musk, If It is all about the Benjamins, It Should be All about DEI! Embrace the Business Case; Orlando C. Richard
Chapter 37. The Price of Performativity: How Abandoning DEI Efforts Undermines Long-Term Success; Isaac Sabat, Maiana Castro, Kristen Jaramillo, Evan Nault, and Kristen Jones
Chapter 38. What Kind of Scientist do You Want to be?; Dillon Stewart
Chapter 39. Using Biodiversity Principles to Defend and Advance Diversity in Organizations; Dianna L. Stone and Kimberly M. Lukaszewski
Chapter 40. DEI Initiatives are Curb-Cut Effects that benefit Everyone; Heavenlei A. Thomas, Mikki Hebl, Hannah J. Kim, and Linnea C. Ng
Chapter 41. Call to Action for Elected Officials: Supporting Incarcerated Women as Workers, Caregivers, and Community Members; Sabrina D. Volpone and Marionne Sevilla
About the Author :
Eden King is the Lynette S. Autrey Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Rice University.
Quinetta Roberson is the John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor of Management and Psychology at Michigan State University.
Mikki Hebl is the Martha and Henry Malcolm Lovett Professor of Psychology and Professor of Management at Rice University.
