Willful ignorance Dei's greatest barrier

Why should leaders care about willful ignorance?

Willful ignorance is the starting point for allyship when guided by DEI’s three core principles (diversity, equity, and inclusion) to create large-scale behavior change. This ongoing allyship work begins with the individual as a leader. The leader is responsible for having a vision that shapes the organizational culture. The organizational culture influences the quality of products/services offered to customers. Long term brand loyalty occurs when the customers' needs are met by the product/services offered and they align with the organizational culture and the leader’s vision. This is especially true in the growing market of DEI informed consumers, including Millennials and Gen Zers who “prefer to buy from ethical brands that truly care about people and the planet” (SWNS, 2023). This creates three tiers of behavior change impacted by DEI; leader, organization, and customer. To successfully incorporate DEI behavior change on multiple levels, willful ignorance must be recognized as a key component to better inform organizational DEI, beginning with the leader.

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