The Belonging Illusion: Why Modern DEI&B Efforts May Be Undermining Performance

By Jayson Krause - Author of the award-winning book The Science Behind Success [https://www.level52.ca/the-science-behind-success-book-jayson-krause] & Founder of Canadian-based Level 52 [http://www.level52.ca/]

Image: https://www.globalnewslines.com/uploads/2025/07/60b546c1a31c2dfa545918388910809e.jpg

In the rush to build inclusive, equitable workplaces, many organizations are making a quiet but costly mistake: they're confusing comfort with culture, and identity with impact.

The rise of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEI&B) initiatives has been driven by good intentions. But as these efforts scale, they often lack the rigor, intentionality, and leadership clarity required to sustain high-performance cultures. Instead of galvanizing teams around shared purpose and behavioral standards, these programs often erode the very excellence they're designed to support.

Take the Calgary Police Service - a public institution now in the midst of a raw and revealing cultural audit [http://epaper.calgarysun.com/article/281522232042984]. CPS, like many others, is seeking a third party to uncover the hidden fractures in its workplace culture. It's a bold move. It's overdue. And it raises an uncomfortable leadership paradox:

Can you create true belonging without compromising on standards?

And what happens when inclusion becomes so wide-reaching, it starts to dilute performance?

These are the questions leaders must be willing to face. Because the future of culture won't be built on slogans or sensitivity, otherwise it will be a wasted effort that will result in an expensive erosion of performance.

The Hidden Costs of Conventional DEI&B

While many leaders feel compelled to act, research shows that many DEI&B programs fail to produce meaningful change and are more likely to backfire.

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A Harvard Business School study found that mandatory diversity training often increases bias, particularly when it is perceived as punitive or disconnected from day-to-day leadership behavior.

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Researchers Frank Dobbin and Alexandra Kalev, in their widely cited review, note that "decades of data show that most diversity programs do not work - and some make things worse."

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A 2023 MIT Sloan report found that organizations that adopted overly expansive inclusion policies often inhibited innovation and accountability, especially among high performers who felt cultural standards were no longer enforced.

In short, when everything belongs, nothing stands out. And when inclusion becomes an ideology instead of a strategy, it becomes impossible to enforce meaningful behavioral norms which is the backbone of any high-functioning culture.

Lessons from the Frontline: Calgary Police Service

The CPS audit reflects a broader challenge facing institutions everywhere: How do you confront toxic cultural patterns without defaulting to diluted solutions?

Here's what most organizations do:

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Conduct an internal or third-party review

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Uncover painful truths about leadership gaps and system inequities

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Respond with DEI&B initiatives aimed at "creating safety and belonging for all"

But unless those efforts are anchored in shared standards, leadership accountability, and performance culture, they become cosmetic fixes that breed cynicism and disengagement.

You cannot fix a values deficit with a marketing campaign. And you cannot engineer belonging. Belonging must be earned for it to be authentic.

A New Framework: From Inclusion to Intentionality

At Level 52 [https://www.level52.ca/], we work with committed leaders who aren't interested in checking boxes because they're building cultures that stretch people into excellence.

Our reframing of DEI&B focuses not on appearances or feelings, but on behavior, intent, and earned trust.

Diversity < Differentiation

Conventional DEI: "Who is represented?"

What's really needed: "What value does each person contribute that others cannot?"

Differentiation celebrates intentional uniqueness - the distinct edges, behaviors, and mindsets that create value. Not everyone must be the same. But everyone must add something distinct that adds value to the mission.

Equity not equal to Empathy

Conventional DEI: "Let's make outcomes equal."

What's really needed: "How do we understand and support the individual's context for performance?"

Empathy is the engine behind high support and high expectations. It doesn't excuse underperformance - it removes obstacles to earning your seat.

Inclusion not equal to Intentionality

Conventional DEI: "How do we include more people?"

What's really needed: "Who is aligned with our values and committed to the standard?"

Inclusion is meaningless without direction. Intentional cultures are selective, not exclusive. They invite people in who are ready to do the work.

Belonging not equal to Buy-In

Conventional DEI: "How do we make people feel accepted?"

What's really needed: "How do we build committed individuals who earn their place here?"

Belonging isn't something that should be granted. It is a product of buy-in to a mission, a language, and a behavioral code. In high-performing teams, trust is built through consistent commitment, not unconditional acceptance.

Culture Isn't Kind. It's Clear.

If you've ever been part of a high-performance environment, a championship team, a world-class unit, or an elite leadership group - you know this: there's a ruthless beauty in belonging.

I hate to be a downer, but not everyone is included.

Why? Not everyone wants to do the work.

And that's the point.

A leader in one of our programs [https://www.level52.ca/leadership-development/accelerated-leader-program] once said, "Belonging is not the feeling I have when someone makes space for me. It's the fire I feel when I've earned the right to be here."

For Leaders Who Are Ready

The Calgary Police Service has taken a brave first step by inviting transparency into its culture. But it, like every institution, must resist the temptation to apply a warm veneer of inclusion over a system that requires bold re-engineering.

True cultural transformation demands more than a new acronym or hiring policy.

It demands:

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Clarity over comfort

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Standards over sentiment

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Buy-in over blanket inclusion

The future of leadership isn't softer. It's sharper. More human, yes - but also more honest... and what's more belonging than that?

By: Jayson Krause - Author of the award-winning book The Science Behind Success & Founder of Canadian-based Level 52

Research & References

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Dobbin, F., & Kalev, A. (2016). Why diversity programs fail. Harvard Business Review. Why Diversity Programs Fail - Harvard Business Review

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Gino, F. (2018). Rebel Talent: Why It Pays to Break the Rules in Work and Life. Why Doesn't Diversity Training Work? - Harvard University PDF

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Calgary Police Service Culture Review (2024). Public Summary Report

Media Contact
Company Name: Level 52
Contact Person: Gavin Harrison
Email: Send Email [http://www.universalpressrelease.com/?pr=the-belonging-illusion-why-modern-deib-efforts-may-be-undermining-performance]
Phone: 833.538.3552 ext. 252
Country: Canada
Website: https://www.level52.ca/

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