Diversity cannot be imposed — it must be nurtured
Our organizations are not immune to the great debate around diversity — a topic that sparks strong feelings in both public and private spheres. But how can we engage with this debate without making the mistake Orwell warned us about in Animal Farm?
A few months ago, statements by presidents like Javier Milei and Donald Trump regarding woke culture sparked waves of outrage: too harsh, too misogynistic, too “everything.” Clearly, both leaders took extreme stances. Their comments drew global criticism — including from within our own companies.
We must assume that their boldness in taking such strong positions on such a sensitive topic — defending rights related to diversity — came from a calculated desire to capitalize on the very indignation they caused. These are highly political animals — some might say “opportunists” — who know how to tap into the underlying tensions of the societies they represent.
In fact, Trump once again attacked “woke culture” in his recent address to both chambers of the U.S. Congress on March 4, stating: “Our country will be woke no longer.” According to Nielsen, a media research firm, at least 36.6 million people watched his speech.
Amid the global outrage and polarization, I invite you to pause and reflect. This issue is too important to be guided by emotion — especially inside our companies and organizations. Today, more than ever, businesses are exposed through social media and must compete in a hyper-connected world.
Why We Can’t Ignore the ChallengeAnyone who thinks this will just blow over is playing with fire. Diversity has always been one of the most valuable and enriching assets an organization can have — and this is truer today than ever.
Thanks to technology, our organizations now compete globally — not just in offering products and services, but in attracting the best talent. And this talent sees diversity not as a perk, but as a core priority.
So, why is it important to distinguish between “woke” and “diversity,” especially for companies? Because we must remember why — and how — diversity can transform our organizations into unique spaces, leveraging individuality for the common good. And also because “woke,” whether we realize it or not, often works against that very goal.
Here’s one example: over the past year, I’ve come across companies hiring people from countries like Indonesia — not for the unique perspectives or skills they could bring to the organization, but simply to brand themselves as “diverse employers” and boost their employer image.
This is more than a misunderstanding — it reveals a troubling lack of long-term vision by leadership. To avoid falling into pointless debates, we should clarify what we really mean by diversity and woke.
Diversity Is a Right. Woke Is a Mandate
By now, most of us agree that diversity means recognizing that just as we each have different mental frameworks, we also have the right and freedom to choose the one that governs us. This includes sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and other dimensions of personal identity.
It is a right — a freedom of individual choice. To recognize diversity is to understand that this right is a private, intimate privilege that must be respected as such. But more than anything, it requires freedom.
The word woke originally emerged from the U.S. civil rights movement. It was coined in the Black community to mean “stay awake” to racial injustice. In the last decade, particularly through the Black Lives Matter movement, it evolved into broader use. In 2017, the Oxford English Dictionary added a definition: “Being aware of social and political issues, especially racism.” Today, woke culture extends to feminism, abortion rights, LGBTQI+ issues, and more.
Its noble mission — defending the rights of minorities and the vulnerable — remains vital. But woke has morphed into a social mandate: to stand up for others so they are seen and heard.
Yet now, this mandate is no longer aimed at the individual, but at society as a whole — including the groups and organizations within it, such as our companies. Anyone who doesn’t comply — or worse, dares to question it — risks being criticized, silenced, or canceled.
This is where woke turns diversity into an end in itself. It demands that we prioritize what is different above all else. And that’s where its core mistake lies.
Diversity Creates Value Within a Framework of Freedom
Let’s remember: laws exist where common sense fails to regulate our coexistence. Rights are born from the failure of common sense. They provide structure where intuition no longer suffices.
That’s why rights cannot become an end in themselves.
To celebrate and promote diversity for its own sake — and only for its own sake — is to turn it into dogma. Authentic diversity doesn’t just defend what is different; it respects it. It is a diversity that recognizes its own incompleteness. One that invites, rather than imposes. That works and generates value precisely because of the freedom it protects and the voluntary commitment it inspires to grow and improve.
There is no innovation, no evolution, no future without that kind of diversity. And there are three domains that prove it:
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Innovation: It thrives where different ways of thinking meet and challenge each other — from a place of respect, not coercion. In that tension lies the disruptive idea — the coveted “out of the box” moment.
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Excellence: It’s achieved when we understand that offering our talent and individuality to the collective doesn’t make us less special — it makes us stronger as a team. A team of eleven Lionel Messis would be doomed to fail. Even Messi can’t play every position.
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Productivity: It doesn’t stem from obligation or fear, but from a genuine desire to grow — fueled by diverse, individual strengths and healthy competition.
Let me be clear: defending the rights of minorities is an obligation. History proves it — from the U.S. civil rights movement to global feminist revolutions. And yes, this applies within companies, too.
But glorifying difference for its own sake is not an obligation. As Orwell taught us in Animal Farm, trying to force a concept — flattening our differences and demanding we all celebrate them — eventually leads to dictatorship.
Diversity Thrives in Freedom, Not Mandates
Let’s also be clear: it is not the job of companies to solve all of society’s injustices. Companies exist, first and foremost, to generate income — for themselves and for their people. That’s the basic function. At best, they also help individuals pursue a sense of purpose.
A good example is Patagonia, which has successfully aligned environmental responsibility with high-quality apparel.
Between these two extremes — generating income and contributing positively to society — lies the real responsibility of organizations: creating value through the business they do.
No matter how much we want it, expecting — or worse, demanding — that our companies become champions of social justice is to forget what they are here for.
So, the belief that an organization can only succeed if it makes diversity — as woke culture insists — its very reason for being, is a misreading of its role. It is still each individual’s responsibility to seek and define their own happiness. What companies must provide is respect, the tools, and the freedom to do so. Nothing more, nothing less.
Let’s celebrate the kind of diversity that, through freedom, pushes us to grow, compete, and challenge ourselves. Let’s have the courage to defend it — not through mandates, nor through political force.
As organizational leaders, we are bound by only one mandate: to create an environment where, through the broadest possible diversity, our teams are free and empowered to develop exceptional products and services.
It’s not about more or less remote work. It’s not about more or fewer “pet days.” It’s not about being more or less politically correct. None of that makes us unique.
What truly sets us apart is the environment of freedom we create — and protect — so that the diversity we embody as human beings can thrive. That is the only way we’ll become a company unlike any other.
By Alberto Bethke, Founder at Olivia.
