The Inclusion Illusion: When Inclusion Efforts Stop at Optics

https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2025/09/12/the-inclusion-illusion-when-inclusion-efforts-stop-at-optics/

By Alberta Johnson,

Forbes Councils Member.

for Forbes Business Council

COUNCIL POST | Membership (fee-based)

Sep 12, 2025, 08:15am EDT

Alberta Johnson, Founder & CEO, People Experts LLC.

In boardrooms and professional leadership forums across the country, the language of equity and inclusion rolls easily off the tongue. Organizations proudly tout their commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), showcase affinity groups and post glossy images of diverse teams on their websites.

But as someone who has spent decades as an executive and actively participated in professional networks, I’ve come to recognize a pattern—one that far too many underrepresented professionals know all too well. It is the illusion of inclusion: a carefully curated appearance of support that conceals a lack of true equity and belonging.

Inclusion, when authentic, is transformative.

It means that voices are heard, decisions are shared and support is tangible. Yet my lived experience, particularly as a woman of color in executive circles and in professional networks, has too often been the opposite. I have sat at tables where my input was minimized, watched others with less experience be fast-tracked for advancement and navigated the unspoken but ever-present expectation to “fit in” rather than stand out.

Even in spaces designed to uplift, there has been a disappointing lack of solidarity—where performative allyship replaces true sponsorship and competition undermines collaboration.

The World Economic Forum’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lighthouses 2025 report reinforces this reality. It highlights that while many organizations have launched inclusion initiatives, only a select few have achieved sustained, scalable impact for underrepresented groups.

I’ve felt this firsthand. In professional leadership networks—spaces that should, in theory, be supportive and safe—I have witnessed a glaring lack of inclusivity. Instead of open collaboration and mentorship, I often encountered hierarchical gatekeeping, subtle forms of exclusion and an aversion to addressing racial and ethnic dynamics. It’s disheartening when executives, particularly those who have broken through glass ceilings, fail to extend a hand back to pull others up. For those of us who carry intersecting identities, the barriers are compounded—and the support more elusive.

This performative approach to inclusion is not just a moral failing; it’s a strategic one. Organizations that only project an inclusion-friendly image without backing it with real accountability are leaving talent on the table.

So how do we move from illusion to inclusion?

Authentic inclusion fosters innovation, employee engagement and retention. It builds trust. Employees are paying attention—not just to what is said, but to what is done.

1. Organizations must move beyond metrics and surface-level representation.

Hiring for diversity without ensuring those individuals have influence, access and psychological safety is not progress—it’s tokenism. Inclusion should not just be measured in headcounts but in voices heard, policies changed and cultures reshaped.

2. Executives—especially those in historically marginalized groups—must model inclusive leadership.

This means addressing bias in real time, disrupting exclusionary norms and mentoring across lines of difference. We cannot afford to replicate the systems that once excluded us. Representation without transformation is merely assimilation.

3. Business networks and professional associations must confront their own biases.

These spaces can be reimagined not just as clubs of prestige, but as communities of practice—where equity, empathy and shared power are central among all and not just a small core group. Supporting everyone should not be an afterthought; it must be the foundation.

4. Leaders need to listen more deeply.

Employees—especially racially and ethnically diverse workers—often feel the brunt of workplace inequities. Yet their voices are frequently dismissed or deprioritized. True inclusion begins when we believe people when they tell us their truths—and when we are willing to act on those truths, even when it’s uncomfortable.

The inclusion illusion is real—and dangerous.

It creates environments where people show up but don’t feel seen, where diversity is celebrated in marketing but suppressed in meetings and where equity is promised but rarely delivered. It’s time we stop mistaking visibility for value and symbolism for substance.

I remain hopeful. Not because I’ve seen sweeping change, but because I’ve seen what is possible when inclusion is real. I’ve worked in spaces where difference is honored, where mentorship is mutual and where power is shared. These are not utopias—they are workplaces led by courageous leaders who understand that equity is not an initiative.

It’s a practice. And it starts by telling the truth.