DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN ACTION: Why Inclusion is So Hard and What to Do About It (for Choir Members)Moderator: Pamela Carter – Boeing Presenter: Lonney Gregory - iRIZE Performance Consulting, LLCPanelist: Monica Moody – Pepco Energy

Inclusion Defined:Dictionary

• The action or state of including or of being included within a group or structure

• Include: comprise or contain as part of a whole

In organizations• All employees feel as though they

belong, accepted for who and how they are, and valued for their uniqueness

• Employees are recognized for their commitment and energy towards the organization

Inclusion at work is related to full engagement of discretionary effort towards fulfilling goals &

objectives

Whole What?

Exclusion Vs. Inclusion

Exclusion InclusionPassive * Active: It’s all about actionDisengages/isolates the target Engages/brings in the “target”Lack of social attention and treatment

Increase in social attention and treatment

Can be due to oversight, or deliberate

Takes foresight

Difficult to develop rules against Difficult to executeDecreases work commitment Increases work commitmentRequires no courage* Requires courage

Uniqueness and Belonging

4

Belonging

Uni

quen

ess

Differentiation• Unique, but does not belong• Often asked what group they

belong to

“You’re different from us”

Exclusion• Feels like they don’t belong• Treated like they don’t belong• Their “uniqueness” is a

burden

“Go away”

Inclusion• Belongs and seen as unique• The organization takes

advantage of all the individual has to offer

• Actively and passively contributes as an individual and member adding value to organizational goals, objectives, and culture

“You are valued for who you are”

Adopted from “Inclusion and Diversity in Work Groups,” in Journal of Management: Shore, Randel, Chung, Dean, Ehrhart, and Singh, 2011

Assimilation• Belongs, but their

uniqueness is not prominently considered nor openly valued

• Their background or differences are not take advantage of

“We’re supposed to be the same”

Uniqueness/Belonging Introspective View

Why Inclusion Is So Hard

Adapted from: Leading Strategic Change: Breaking Through the Brain Barrier, J. Stuart Black and Hal Gregersen, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 2003.

Inclusive BehaviorsDo

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Stage 1 Stage 4

Stage 3 Stage 2

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Current Thing New Thing

Barriers to Inclusion• Unconscious bias

• Micro-inequities

• Organizational cultureExplicit/Conscious, Implicit/unconscious bias - A positive or negative attitude or behavior towards a person, thing, or group that a person holds at a conscious or unconscious level Stereotypes – Characteristics, qualities, or traits assigned to people based on their membership in a group, such as race, gender, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, education, etc

Other “isms”?

Unconscious Bias • Everyone has unconscious bias; it’s a result of our cultural heritage,

our upbringing, and our experience, things that influence us

• Unconscious bias is a part of our brains functioning to keep us safe quickly

• Unconscious bias is part of our mind set – it is fast thinking

• Most people believe that others are more biased than they are!

• The goal is to bring unconscious bias to the conscious level

Mitigating Bias• Slow ThinkingFast Thinking Slow Thinking Mitigation Strategy

“This is too risky” How much risk is there? “Let’s quantify the risks”

“Who’s fault is this?” What are the contributing factors?

“Let’s perform causal analysis”

“I don’t need any help” What would help? “Let’s identify sources of support”

“This isn’t going to work” What is possible? “Let’s come up with some options”

“That will never happen” How can we make this happen?

“Lets identify others that have similar experiences”

“S/he can’t cut it” What will be their biggest challenges?

“Let’s work towards ensuring their success”

Micro-InequityMicro: Small events that are difficult to pinpoint

Micro-Inequity Acid Test: When two people in the same context are treated

differently.

[Usually] Subtle verbal and nonverbal cues that an individual or group is unwelcome, invisible, or incapable of performing well. (Franklin, 2004; Solorzano, Ceja,& Yasso; and Sue, 2004)

Inequities: Different treatment for a single person or group that diminishes power and value

Culture Resides Here

Culture

People

Processes Policies

Vision Strategies

Goals Pressures

History

Unwritten Rules

How thingsReally get done

Stories

TraditionsValues

Perception

FeelingsBeliefs

Culture is the result of a complex group learning process

Organization Culture Remnants• Artifacts and

Objects

• Stories and Myths

• Relationships

• Rituals and Rites of Passage

• Rights & Privileges

• Cultural Dig Exercise– In triads discuss each of

the 5 remnants– Identify the most obvious– Identify the most subtle– Recommend a change– Discuss how the change

negatively impacts the organization or will be met with resistance

– Mitigate impact

Being Included: Strategies for Supporting the Inclusion Effort• Pay attention to what’s actually happening beneath the

judgments and assessments you are privy to

• Acknowledge your own reactions, interpretations, and biases

• Understand that other reactions, interpretations, and judgments equally legitimate

• Search for the most empowering, productive way to deal with the situation

• Engage in dialogue and Execute a plan for action

Strategies for Supporting the Inclusion Effort

Where are you and others like you in the uniqueness belonging model?

Assess uniqueness and itemize potential value

Turn value into relationship

Itemize and confirm norms. Assess assimilation options

Introduce complementary cultural additions

When included, include others

Build Trust