A Review of the Psychology That Underpins the Creation of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

Abstract

Although all committee work can be fraught with difficulty and laborious time commitments, committees designed to disrupt the cycle of inequity and bias are particularly fraught with social and emotional land mines that come as baggage to years of unaddressed inequity. As such, leaders must take special care and attend to the complex psychology that underpins the difficult discussions that must be had by these committees as they begin to address topics of inequity within professional medical institutions. The authors describe, in an accessible summary format, how to lay the foundations for a smooth transition into the work of a diversity, equity, and inclusion committee, the best steps to build a team, and the core concepts that should underpin all diversity, equity, and inclusion work, starting from the intrapersonal level and moving toward the organizational level. This is done with the help of available scientific data where they are available, including literature on teamwork, health equity, and psychological safety, among other topics.

Keywords: DEI; Leadership; psychological safety; team building.