03/13/2023

The Challenges of DE&I and Going Global

Internationally, some of these goals won't translate

When it comes to going global, it's well-known that American associations make a lot of U.S.-centric mistakes. They possess ideas about membership, meetings, partnerships, marketing and more that make perfect sense in America but may not apply in different countries and regions. And as diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) becomes a norm in organizations, it may become another source of potential friction, said Francisco Gomez, CEO of the global consultancy Factum Global.

"For the past few years, associations have been very intentional around DE&I," he said. "But we are beginning to hear some horror stories about organizations where their members, even their board members, are expressing discomfort with the amount of attention given to these issues."

To be clear: Gomez isn’t saying that people outside the U.S. dispute DE&I’s core principles, or that U.S. organizations should compromise their DE&I efforts. The issue, he said, is a matter of misapplication of some DE&I principles. For instance, Gomez said, the term Latinx is intended to be inclusive within the United States, but in Latin American countries might be found confusing and alienating. And U.S.-focused discussions around racial bias don’t necessarily apply elsewhere.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Associations Now.