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How to fix broken DEI programs with Dr. Flannery Stevens
DEI programs are under fire. Political pushback, budget cuts, and employee fatigue have left many organizations scaling back or quietly rebranding their diversity efforts. But what if the problem isn’t DEI itself—what if it’s the way we’ve been doing it? Why DEI training isn’t working anymore?
In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen speaks with Dr. Flannery Stevens, Associate Professor at Villanova School of Business and coauthor of a powerful Harvard Business Review article challenging outdated DEI models. Together, they ask the hard questions: What does inclusion really mean in a world of hybrid teams, AI tools, and fractional work? Are headcount metrics doing more harm than good? And how can we design systems that make everyone feel seen, heard, and valued?
From personalized learning to inclusive AI practices and the unintended consequences of rapid tech adoption, this conversation explores how to rethink inclusion for today’s workforce—not just as a set of programs, but as a strategic lens for designing the future of work.
If you’re tired of checkbox DEI and ready to rethink what fairness and equity could really look like, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.
https://youtu.be/HToC6qDPRko
Guest Information:
Flannery Stevens is an associate professor in the Management & Operations Department at the Villanova School of Business. Her research focuses on the sources and consequences of inequality in organizations at both micro and macro levels. Dr. Stevens’s research has been published in Administrative Science Quarterly, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and Journal of Organizational Behavior, Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review, among others. She earned her PhD in Management and Organizations from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, and received MS and BA degrees in Psychology from Tulane University and Binghamton University, respectively.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/flannery-stevens-4553333/
https://hbr.org/2025/04/to-make-your-dei-efforts-more-effective-challenge-outdated-models
Chapters:
00:00 – Is DEI Broken or Just Misunderstood?
01:27 – Why Counting Headcount Isn’t Enough
04:51 – What’s Missing in Today’s DEI Execution?
06:49 – Why Diverse Teams Build Better Products
08:43 – What Does Inclusion Look Like in Remote Work?
11:56 – How Technology Can Expand—or Shrink—Voices
13:50 – Rethinking DEI Training in the Age of AI
15:43 – Can AI Personalize Learning Without Reinforcing Bias?
17:52 – How AI Might Reinforce Inequality at Work
19:44 – Where Should CHROs Start on Inclusive AI?
23:02 – Why Internal AI Tools Need Inclusion Too
24:53 – The Fast Pace of AI and Human-Centered Design
26:44 – Will the Future of Work Boost Real Inclusion?
28:25 – How to Use AI Without Leaving People Behind
29:30 – The Heart of Inclusion: Being Seen and Heard
View all episodes
By Nirit CohenDEI programs are under fire. Political pushback, budget cuts, and employee fatigue have left many organizations scaling back or quietly rebranding their diversity efforts. But what if the problem isn’t DEI itself—what if it’s the way we’ve been doing it? Why DEI training isn’t working anymore?
In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen speaks with Dr. Flannery Stevens, Associate Professor at Villanova School of Business and coauthor of a powerful Harvard Business Review article challenging outdated DEI models. Together, they ask the hard questions: What does inclusion really mean in a world of hybrid teams, AI tools, and fractional work? Are headcount metrics doing more harm than good? And how can we design systems that make everyone feel seen, heard, and valued?
From personalized learning to inclusive AI practices and the unintended consequences of rapid tech adoption, this conversation explores how to rethink inclusion for today’s workforce—not just as a set of programs, but as a strategic lens for designing the future of work.
If you’re tired of checkbox DEI and ready to rethink what fairness and equity could really look like, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.
https://youtu.be/HToC6qDPRko
Guest Information:
Flannery Stevens is an associate professor in the Management & Operations Department at the Villanova School of Business. Her research focuses on the sources and consequences of inequality in organizations at both micro and macro levels. Dr. Stevens’s research has been published in Administrative Science Quarterly, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and Journal of Organizational Behavior, Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review, among others. She earned her PhD in Management and Organizations from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, and received MS and BA degrees in Psychology from Tulane University and Binghamton University, respectively.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/flannery-stevens-4553333/
https://hbr.org/2025/04/to-make-your-dei-efforts-more-effective-challenge-outdated-models
Chapters:
00:00 – Is DEI Broken or Just Misunderstood?
01:27 – Why Counting Headcount Isn’t Enough
04:51 – What’s Missing in Today’s DEI Execution?
06:49 – Why Diverse Teams Build Better Products
08:43 – What Does Inclusion Look Like in Remote Work?
11:56 – How Technology Can Expand—or Shrink—Voices
13:50 – Rethinking DEI Training in the Age of AI
15:43 – Can AI Personalize Learning Without Reinforcing Bias?
17:52 – How AI Might Reinforce Inequality at Work
19:44 – Where Should CHROs Start on Inclusive AI?
23:02 – Why Internal AI Tools Need Inclusion Too
24:53 – The Fast Pace of AI and Human-Centered Design
26:44 – Will the Future of Work Boost Real Inclusion?
28:25 – How to Use AI Without Leaving People Behind
29:30 – The Heart of Inclusion: Being Seen and Heard