Livingston, R. (2020). How to promote racial equity in the workplace. Harvard Business Review.
Active listening to employees sharing unpopular topics is crucial when implementing diversity initiatives at all levels of an organization. Hearing white employees complain about reverse discrimination and systemic racism against white people is difficult to hear without judgement. Without vulnerable sharing and listening in a safe space, diversity goals will remain in name only. According to Livingston (2020),
If many of your employees do not believe that racism against people of color exists in the organization, or if feedback is rising through various communication channels showing that Whites feel that they are the real victims of discrimination, then diversity initiatives will be perceived as the problem, not the solution, (Livingston, 2020, p. 5).
For diversity initiatives to take hold, the author suggests using his 5-step PRESS strategy:
1. Problem Awareness
2. Root-cause analysis
3. Empathy
4. Strategies for addressing the problem
5. Sacrifice – time, energy, and resources to solve the problem
Without these steps, managers and middle managers might become resentful toward having to go through diversity training programs and might resist the efforts altogether.
Problem awareness
According to a study by Michael Norton and Sam Sommers in 2011, many whites in the U.S. believe that systemic anti-Black racism has steadily decreased over the past 50 years and that systemic anti-White racism has steadily increased over the same period. Many managers believe systemic racism does not exist in their company because of their diversity efforts. Pairing quantitative and qualitative data with diversity efforts could prevent complacency and harsh treatment against those who should benefit from these initiatives.
Black job prospects sometimes “whiten” their resumes by changing their names or omitting culture-specific organizations just to get their foot in the door. In a study by the authors, applicants that “whitened” their resumes received a higher callback than those who didn’t. Even though the targeted companies expressed a desire for a diverse applicant pool, the callback rate for “whitened” resumes went from 10% to 26%. Therefore, their diversity efforts remained in name only, not in practice.
Root-cause analysis
Racism can have many psychological sources – cognitive biases, personality characteristics, ideological worldviews, psychological insecurity, perceived threat, or a need for power and ego enhancement. But most racism is the result of structural factors – established laws, institutional practices, and cultural norms.
A problem arises when managers dole out diversity training programs to root out a few bad apples instead of addressing a toxic organizational culture in which these biases thrive. Learning how the culture promotes racist and sexist behavior is more valuable than punishing a few bad actors.
Organizations with a homogenous talent pool often tout the dearth of black leaders in their industry. For example, I was able to unearth several black fundraiser organizations upon hearing the difficulty in finding Black applicants to fill leadership roles within my department. Leaders must determine whether the root cause is a result of inadequate recruitment efforts or an empty pipeline. A little research goes a long way.
Empathy
Empathy allows a person to feel what others feel, while sympathy can leave a person at arm’s length from the problem or situation. Sympathetic employees feel sad, but not encouraged to create change. When non-white employees feel safe enough to share vivid, detailed accounts of their experiences, this awareness could develop empathy.
Empathy is critical for making progress toward racial equity because it affects whether individuals or organizations take any action and if so, what kind of action they take.
Strategy
Strategies for eliminating bias in the workplace requires adoption. Implementing policies without buy-in from the employees could spark a backlash. When creating a DEI strategy, outline the positive effects for all employees at each level.
Also, tying DEI efforts into a manager’s performance review could encourage her to initiate change that supports the organization’s DEI goals.
Sacrifice
Are you willing as an organization to commit the time, energy, and resources to create a more diverse work environment?
Myth: increasing diversity means sacrificing principles of fairness and merit and grants people of color special favors. Fairness is treating everyone equitably, accounting for past inequities or present situations. Designating a disabled parking spot closer to the building is considered equitable treatment, not preferential.
L2: Demonstrate the ability to assess complex organizational environments and achieve communicative goals.
L4: Apply communication-centered scholarship to strengthen communication effectiveness.
D1: Iteratively develop inter-professional leadership competencies.
D2: Utilize communication to embrace complexity and difference.
Keywords: diversity, adoption, change agent, organizational complexity, leadership, inclusion, and equity
