Drawing on insights from her latest book Can I Say That? Dr Luthra offers a research-driven exploration of fear as an under-examined force shaping organisational behaviour. Recognised by Thinkers50 in its Top 10 Best New Management Books for 2025, the book is a go-to guide on how to navigate difficult conversations at work and nurture inclusive cultures.   

Recognising the many faces of fear at work 

Across more than two years of research on resistance and backlash, Dr Luthra has identified fear as the central, often unspoken, force inhibiting inclusion efforts. But fear, she emphasises, is not monolithic. It takes multiple forms: fear of change, fear of discomfort, fear of saying or doing the wrong thing, fear of personal cost, and fear of not making progress. 

“Many of us are fearful of fear itself,” she notes. “Workplaces lean toward positive emotions, and difficult emotions are pushed aside. But without understanding what holds us back, we cannot move forward.” 

These fears quietly distort decision-making: leaders rely on familiar hiring patterns to avoid risk and organisations double down on symbolic gestures instead of confronting root causes.  

A multigeneration approach to decision making 

Yet global markets now demand a fundamentally different approach. Customer bases are shifting rapidly, particularly across the Global South, where younger demographics are driving new consumer expectations. “Luxury fashion houses, for example, cater increasingly to young customers in India, China and parts of Africa,” she notes. “These groups want something very different from previous generations.”  

To respond, many organisations have introduced “shadow boards” to bring younger talent into decision-making, ensuring leaders stay attuned to emerging trends. 

Practices such as reverse mentoring, cross-generational representation in hiring and strategy discussions and transparent decision-making will reframe difference as strategic value.  

As Dr Luthra emphasises, “Inclusion is not charity, it’s a business imperative. It yields better innovation, better market alignment and better decisions and outcomes for organisations ready to evolve.” 

How employment processes need redesigning and not retrofitting 

Amid increasing global resistance to EDI, many organisations feel pressure to reduce visibility or retreat entirely. Dr Luthra advises a different approach. 

“This is the time to go under the radar; not to retreat, but to become more strategic,” she says. “Change the terminology if needed. Call it inclusion, belonging, well-being. But do the hard work.” 

That hard work includes redesigning employment processes, implementing systemic nudges to mitigate the influence of bias, and equipping teams with tools to make equitable decisions.  

“Zero-sum thinking emerges when people feel threatened,” she notes. “Systemic and cultural change reduces that threat by making inclusion feel fair, not imposed.” 

Beyond fear, Dr Luthra’s upcoming research turns to a broader organisational challenge: growing polarisation. 

“It’s not just EDI,” she notes. “Organisations are divided over remote work, AI adoption, sustainability targets. We are becoming stuck in debate rather than dialogue.” 

Hiring for likeability is at the expense of innovation 

In today’s world, traditional leadership models built on predictability and control no longer serve organisations. “We still operate in systems designed for the first and second Industrial Revolutions,” Dr Luthra explains. Under pressure to deliver short-term results, leaders often default to hiring for “fit,” reinforcing sameness at the expense of innovation.  

Kenji Yoshino’s idea of “covering” refers to the unspoken need for people to “fit” in and integrate into structures and systems that were originally not built for them. Dr Luthra discusses how one can instil microaffirmations to indicate value, respect and build inclusion. This can often look like inviting people whose voices and perspectives have not been heard or whose efforts have not been made visible in the context of contributing to a business.  

If there is one message Dr Luthra hopes readers take away from Can I Say That? it is deceptively simple: do not let fear hold you back. She observes: “Fear is human. But progress requires understanding it, naming it and learning to let it go.” 

In a world where uncertainties multiply and systems strain under competing expectations, this mindset shift may be the foundation not only for more inclusive workplaces, but for more resilient, adaptive leadership.