Research: Creating an Inclusive Culture

For many years, DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) has been a key priority for CEOs and CHROs alike. However, recently we have witnessed a backlash in some parts of the world, most notably since the election of President Trump in the US. This has led some organisations that were previously prominent supporters of DEI, such as Accenture and Ford Motor Company, to pull back from their programmes.

Amid the backlash, we find many companies still care about this topic and are continuing their efforts to make their workforces more representative of society at large and create an inclusive environment that both delivers high performance and enables people to feel they belong. Some are using the turbulent environment for diversity programmes as an opportunity to reframe, focusing on topics such as fairness, belonging or creating an inclusive culture.

This report explores what inclusivity means in today’s context and what we have learned over decades of research and practice about what works and in what circumstances. It sets out our research and provides a summary of discussions at the CRF event, Creating an Inclusive Culture, held in London on 10 June 2025. Slides from the event are available here.

The research is authored by Gillian Pillans, CRF and Dr. Wanda Wallace.