In today’s working world, nepotism and corruption are basically the MVPs that blur the line between who’s actually good at their job and who’s just well-connected. As for office politics vs meritocracy? In Pokemon terms, office politics are like cheats which can make you skip getting a gym badge while meritocracy means you have to fight for your life to earn your well-deserved gym badge.
So, you've probably heard all about these buzzwords—Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). But hold on, there's a new player in town: Belonging. Yep, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) is now the talk of the town. While DEIB is now the talk of the town, it is quite literally splitting the town in half as well.
In countries like the USA, there has been increasing pushback against the concept of DEIB. According to ABC News (2024), criticisms arise due to the perceived discriminatory nature of DEI(B) programs, which aim to address racial inequalities but may be seen as disadvantaging other groups, particularly White Americans. Conversely, DEIB initiatives have been gaining momentum in Asia, with a primary focus on gender-related issues, as noted by BSR (2023). These efforts have shown progress in narrowing gender and income disparities at senior levels within companies. The debate of whether DEIB is beneficial will probably be one that rages on for a long time yet.
AI and impartiality
In recent years, when we discuss about wanting to implement DEIB in the realm of HR, AI has emerged as a secret agent that may hold the power to revolutionize the implementation of DEIB. From assisting in reducing personal biases to promoting inclusion and belonging in the workplace, AI can help boost DEIB initiatives and add another dimension to our workplace.
According to Havard Business Review (2023), AI can help us unveil any hidden or implicit biases that we may have that may otherwise go unnoticed. For example, AI can be used to analyze data on employee promotions, hiring, and performance evaluations to find out whether there are any patterns of biases or inequalities. Unlike humans, AI has no feelings or biases to obstruct its decisions. As such, AI can give an objective and impartial view of the situation. By relying on algorithms and statistical analysis, AI serves as an important tool in shedding light on discrepancies in areas such as hiring, promotions, and performance evaluations.
Consider a hypothetical scenario where a company, without awareness, consistently promotes more male employees than female employees. Human decision-makers might overlook or remain unaware of this trend due to unconscious biases or a lack of rigorous data analysis. However, AI introduces an advantage in this context by meticulously analyzing promotion data without bias or emotional influence. An AI can accurately identify patterns and disparities in promotion rates between different factors such as gender and demographic groups.
AI and Promoting Meritocracy
AI can also help by promoting meritocracy in the workplace. Meritocracy is defined as a system, organization, or society in which people are chosen and moved into positions of success, power, and influence based on their demonstrated abilities and merit. In other words, meritocracy is all about utilizing your own abilities and merit to advance the career ladder. The antithesis of nepotism if you will. Imagine a workplace where your climb up the career ladder isn’t determined by who your 73rd uncle knows, but by the cards and abilities that you bring to the table. That is MERITOCRACY.
However, in order to promote meritocracy, we need to align an individual’s career success with their actual performance. It means recognizing and rewarding people based on their actual contributions, not just how well they can sweet-talk the CEO or manager. This is where AI comes into play.
Take Uber, for example. Uber has ditched old-school human managers in favour of AI to match you with the perfect driver. Factors like who’s 73rd uncle has connections to the CEO no longer matter—it’s all about hard data. Passenger ratings, trip numbers, distance from your location, AI looks at these aspects and matches you with the best available driver, no questions asked. Millions of passengers per day managed by AI, isn't that amazing?
AI is not just limited to hailing rides, in the workplace, AI can help with revealing (as well as exposing) the actual contribution people make to their teams and organizations, managing people based on their actual statistical output. From sales figures to KPIs to project contributions, AI lays it all at the table without any bias or favouritism.
AI and the “I” and “B” in DEIB
Furthermore, AI plays an important role in uncovering trends related to inclusion and belonging through data-driven analysis of employee feedback. For example, tools such as Glint exemplify this capability by leveraging AI and natural language processing (NLP) to scrutinize real-time survey responses and feedback. For instance, organizations can administer anonymous surveys to gauge DEIB satisfaction among employees, and then employ AI-driven platforms like Glint to detect any keywords or trends. This empowers employees to share their experiences and concerns openly, helps identify any trends in employee engagement/satisfaction, and helps companies take data-driven actions to enhance workplace culture and employee satisfaction. In addition to anonymous surveys, AI can significantly impact inclusion by ensuring fair hiring and promotion practices. When employees are hired or promoted based on merit, they feel valued and recognized for their contributions, fostering a sense of belonging within the company.
Additionally, AI can also be used to facilitate inclusive decision-making processes by collecting suggestions from surveys on improving company policies and benefits. By making these decision-making processes transparent—clarifying which suggestions can be implemented and explaining why others cannot—employees feel included in shaping the company culture. This transparency not only enhances workplace satisfaction but also ensures that actions taken are data-driven and aligned with employee needs.
As we can see, AI has the potential to change the entire landscape of DEIB initiatives within organizations. From uncovering hidden biases to promoting inclusion and belonging, AI can lead the way to a future where Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging is at the heart of all organizations.
Challenges for implementing AI
While it seems to be all sunshine and rainbows when it comes to implementing AI to boost DEIB initiatives, properly navigating the realm of AI may prove to be a whole different ball game. Firstly, the ethics of utilizing AI for HR can be truly murky waters. Take Amazon for example, The Verge (2019) reported that Amazon used algorithms to track fulfilment centre employees, leading to automated firings. Imagine you are working in a multi-billion dollar company, and you find out you got fired by AI. Yes, without absolutely zero human input, a robot automatically fired you. How would you feel? This is why establishing an ethics council dedicated to addressing potential AI-related issues in the field of HR is going to be of utmost importance.
Furthermore, transparency in AI processes is also essential for fostering trust and alleviating concerns about its usage in organizations. Think of transparency as a compass, it helps guide everyone through the various twists and turns of navigating the AI landscape, and helps keep everyone on the same page. Organizations should strive for transparency to build trust and mitigate fears about AI usage. After all, trust is not built on smoke and mirrors, but on openness and transparency.
How can HR professionals compete with AI?
Lastly, I’m sure we have all heard of the question “Will AI replace my job in the future?” In the field of HR, where AI can help automate tasks like candidate sourcing and screening, it might seem like the future for HR professionals is bleak. However, as humans, we have one thing that is uniquely ours, “The Human Touch”. Interviews and candidate engagement require “The Human Touch”. Empathy, cultural sensitivity, and the emotional bonds that we form with other people are all things that only we as humans are capable of doing. Our emotions and feelings are what make us uniquely human. Despite the advancements of AI in learning about emotions and feelings, it can only remain a poor imitation of a human’s emotions and feelings.
Instead of competing with AI or worrying about AI taking our jobs, why not cooperate with AI? To do that, HR professionals should acknowledge and leverage AI as a tool that is capable of enhancing operational efficiency and making unbiased decisions.
Ultimately the field is known as HR (HUMAN resources) not AIR (Artificial Intelligence Resources), the human touch will always be necessary and should never be overlooked. AI should be seen as a resource that helps enhance the HR field, not a replacement for the human-centric approach that defines HR. In a field dedicated to Human Resources and advancing DEIB, the human touch remains essential in navigating complex interpersonal and workplace dynamics, and promoting a workplace culture that can help boost DEIB initiatives (alongside our trusty and unbiased AI overlords).
Do reach out to our business and HR strategists today to learn more about how to embrace AI for your HR needs.
References
Alfonseca, K., & Zahn, M. (2023, July 7). How corporate America is slashing DEI workers amid backlash to diversity programs. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/US/corporate-america-slashing-dei-workers-amid-backlash-diversity/story?id=100477952
Harvard Business Review (2023). Artificial Intelligence at Work: Enhancing Employee Engagement and Business Success.
Lecher, C. (2019, April 25). How Amazon automatically tracks and fires warehouse workers for ‘productivity.’ The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/25/18516004/amazon- warehouse-fulfillment-centers-productivity-firing-terminations
Naito, K. S. J. C. M. (n.d.). How Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion is Gaining Momentum in Asia- Pacific | Blog | Sustainable Business Network and Consultancy | BSR. https://www.bsr.org/en/blog/how-diversity-equity-inclusion-is-gaining-momentum-in- asia-pacific
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