You’re trying to improve equality. So why are you getting resistance? 

When people see their environments as unfair, they start to act differently. 

Almost like they are thinking: I have got to look out for me because nobody else is going to. 

In this state, a number of things happen. 

• We see difference as a threat. We do not know why people are getting promoted or given opportunities, so we try to protect what we have and stop others from taking it from us. 

• We stop following the policies and processes of the organisation. What is the point anyway? Why waste my time if no one else is going to? 

• We align to individuals with power rather than the overarching aims and goals of the organisation. That means we are more likely to copy those behaviours, even if they are inappropriate or against our own values. It also means we are less likely to call them out. 

Now stop for a second and think about what happens if you drop an equality or diversity initiative into that environment. 

What you get is not engagement, but backlash, resistance and, in some cases, hostility. 

What changes when fairness is high 

However, when people perceive their organisations to be fair, a clear shift happens. 

They start to act collectively. 

Almost like they are thinking: if I put in, I get back out again. 

In these environments: 

• We see difference as an opportunity rather than a threat  

• We are more likely to follow rules, policies and processes because they believe they lead somewhere meaningful  

• Our alignment shifts from individuals with power to the overall values and goals of the organisation  

In the research, these employees are company aligned. 

They show genuine support for equality approaches. 
They see supporting out-groups as beneficial to the organisation. 
They are more willing to challenge inequality and inappropriate behaviour.

What the research actually shows 

When we researched over 700 people across three companies, what we found was that people’s personal values of equality, so how they feel about equality and diversity generally outside the organisation, were fairly consistent across the three organisations. 

However, people’s attitudes towards equality approaches changed depending on their perceptions of fairness, particularly interactional justice  

When perceptions of fairness were low, so were people’s attitudes towards equality approaches, even when their personal values of equality were high or middling. 

When perceptions of fairness were high, people’s attitudes towards equality approaches improved, even when their personal values of equality were lower  

That is a really important finding. 

Because what it tells us is that what is happening within an organisation, the culture, the sociological influences, the systems, the day to day interactions, has a bigger influence on behaviour than personal values of equality alone. 

The same broad values. Different environment. Different response. 

And in the qualitative findings, this showed up in whether employees became more in group aligned or more company aligned. Where fairness was perceived to be low, employees were more likely to protect the in group, justify inappropriate behaviour and resist equality approaches. Where fairness was perceived to be high, employees were more likely to genuinely support equality approaches, see support for out groups as good for the company and want to hold inequality to account  

What this means for your approach 

What this tells us is that the first step in creating equal and inclusive environments is looking at fairness, perceptions of fairness. 

Because if we do not do that, there is a real risk that the equality and diversity initiatives we put in place to improve the organisation could actually increase discrimination amongst minoritised groups. 

That is why, when we look at equality, diversity and inclusion, we instead use a lens that we call Fairness, Inclusion and Equity. 

Because the first thing we have to do is start with fairness. 

Not because fairness is the whole answer, but because without it the rest will not land. 

What this gives you

If you start with fairness, it allows you to ask a better question. 

Not just, what initiative should we put in place? 

But, what kind of environment are people receiving this initiative in? 

That means you are better able to understand why things are not working, reduce the risk of backlash, and create the conditions where inclusion and equity work can actually take hold. 

It means you can stop treating resistance as random or as simply a problem of bad attitudes, and start seeing it as a response to organisational conditions that can be changed. 

And that is good news for organisations, because this is something they are in control of. This is something they have the autonomy to change. 

Summary

You are trying to do equality work. 

It is not working the way you hoped. 

Here is why. 

The issue is not just the initiative. It is the environment it lands in. 

And what the research shows is that if people perceive the organisation to be unfair, equality approaches are much more likely to trigger resistance, backlash and hostility. If people perceive the organisation to be fair, they are much more likely to support those same approaches. 

So before you roll out the next equality and diversity initiative, start somewhere else. 

Start with fairness. 

Recommended learning: Foundations of FIE’ https://thecobe.co.uk/foundations-of-fie/