Every year there seems to be more and more acronyms describing diversity strategies. Acronyms such as DEI and EDI can often feel confusing – especially now some of them are reaching four letters. Although they’re often used interchangeably, they often signal the nuance between different strategic focusses.
If you’re unfamiliar with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, we’ve written an intro guide to the main concepts.
In this guide, I’ll break down the different acronyms, where they came from, and how they have evolved.
D&I: Diversity and Inclusion
D&I is where diversity strategies started, and it’s the most widely used term.
The term Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) began to appear between the 90s and 2000s. Organisations were striving to move away from traditional compliance-based diversity efforts, and move towards more genuinely inclusive workspaces.
At first, D&I described corporate-led programs aiming to increase representation in traditionally marginalised groups. In addition to this, research (including studies from McKinsey and the Harvard Business Review) came out in the late 80s and early 90s. This research showed that diverse teams enhance performance and market competitiveness. As a result, many Fortune 500 companies, particularly those in the United States, began formalising their D&I initiatives.
Over time, these initiatives evolved past just diversity (increasing workforce representation), and began to focus on creating inclusive workplaces as well. Inclusivity here meaning environments where employees of all backgrounds feel valued and empowered to contribute fully.
DEI: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
In the mid 2010s, organisations began to understand that inclusion without equity can still allow disadvantages to continue. Equity means ensuring that all individuals have fair access to opportunities, resources and support. Equity is different to equality – equality assumes the same treatment for all, equity acknowledges that different people may need different levels of assistance.
In hiring, equity could be providing interview adjustments for neurodiverse individuals. Adjustments mean giving them the ability to present their skills in a way which aligns with their strengths. The alternative is traditional interview formats which may disadvantage them. Examples of adjustments are offering alternative assessment methods, or providing interview questions in advance.
Between 2014 and 2016, major corporations and academic institutions began replacing D&I with DEI in their policies, and working equity into their strategies.
EDI: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
DEI and EDI both have the same elements: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, but the ordering of these elements represent a key difference in focus.
DEI, the more widely used term, starts with Diversity, emphasising representation. This is making sure that workplaces represent a wide range of cultures, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. While equity is part of the strategy, it’s often addressed as one piece of a broader strategy, rather than the primary focus.
EDI on the other hand, focusses on equity first. Organisations which practice EDI recognise that simply increasing diversity, without addressing systematic inequalities, does not lead to meaningful change. EDI focussed organisations prioritise fair systems and removing barriers before focussing on diversifying their workforce. An EDI practitioner would focus on addressing the gender pay gap before increasing the representation of women in leadership roles.
DEI and EDI both consider the same elements, but have different focusses.
DEIB: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
Now we start hitting the four letter acronyms. All of the following examples take the DEI/EDI principles, and add an additional dimension to enhance inclusivity further.
DEIB adds belonging to the mix. While DEI and EDI focus on representation, fairness and inclusion, belonging ensures that individuals feel genuinely valued, psychologically safe, and accepted. This is all about feeling safe to be your authentic self at work, and not having to conform to “fit in”.
I’ve used a dance floor analogy before to explain DEI, but here I’ll extend it to include belonging. Diversity is being present at a party, inclusion is being invited to dance, equity is making sure the dance floor is accessible to everyone (i.e wheelchair users), and belonging is feeling truly welcome and celebrated at the party.
For example, a DEIB initiative might be creating employee resource groups, and ensuring they have leadership support, funding and a meaningful role in shaping company policies and culture.
DEIA: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Ability
DEIA takes into account ability – which is acknowledging in strategy the challenges that people with disabilities face. This term became better known in 2021, after being signed in as an executive order for the US Federal workforce, however it has been revoked in 2025. It was the official term used by the federal government to describe their inclusivity program.
DEIA places a focus on accessibility – that is designing the physical and digital environment such that everyone can participate. In the hiring world, this would mean ensuring that your applicant tracking system fully supports screen readers.
JEDI: Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
JEDI takes into account justice. Justice is about dismantling the barriers to resources and opportunities. Justice is creating policies which actively eliminates discrimination and systematic biases, rather than simply providing workarounds.
When the source of discrimination and biases is resolved, equity isn’t as important. Everyone would naturally have the same opportunities and ability to contribute. However, JEDI practitioners understand that before true justice is achieved, equity is still needed.
JEDI advocates for leaders who aren’t quietly anti-racist and anti-sexist. It’s a mindset where businesses take an active stance against injustice. These companies ensure their policies, leadership and culture reflect a genuine commitment to fairness
If you’re reading this as a B-Corp, JEDI is especially relevant to you. B-Labs are considering adding the JEDI framework to the B-Impact assessment. They identify as a JEDI organisation, and believe that justice must be at the heart of ethical business practices.
Conlusion
Ultimately, if you’re looking to develop a more ethical and inclusive hiring strategy, it’s important to consider which framework aligns best with your values and long term goals. You might prioritise removing systematic barriers (EDI), or perhaps focus on creating a culture of belonging (DEIB). It might even be your mission to publicly address injustices in the world, and take a more vocal stance (JEDI).
Regardless of which framework you adopt, it’s important to remember that these frameworks are more than just acronyms. These frameworks are different approaches with different focusses, aligning with the identity and values of your organisation.
As ethical hiring continues to become a growing priority, tools like Prisma can help organisations to embed these principles into their hiring processes. Tools such as anonymised hiring, structured interviews and allowing for adjustments can reduce bias and increase equity.
So, which framework resonates the most with your organisation? What steps will you take to build a fairer hiring process?
