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Diversity and Inclusiveness in corporate culture

Page history last edited by Freddyvega78@gmail.com 7 years, 9 months ago

 

Corporate America struggles to attain diversity and inclusiveness for employees.  Although there has been some progress, many companies still lack to intersect all aspects of oppressed groups.  Qualified women and minorities are losing the opportunity to advance in their organizations.  The terms “diversity” and “inclusion” haven’t entered the corporate lexicon until recent times.  My research proves we need more inclusive training in the workplace.  Corporations also need additional training on how to be more educated in terms of intersectionality and how they can benefit from adopting new ways to be more inclusive.   Otherwise, vast portions of the American workforce will continue to be overlooked. 

 

To see the definition and examples of intersectionality, please see Introduction to Intersectionality.

 

Diversity and Inclusiveness in Corporate Culture

 

Consider this a warning to bigots and racists everywhere:  prejudice will not be tolerated, even in corporate America!  The punishment for such narrow-mindedness will lead to possible unemployment, rejection, and rightful alienation.  More than any other time since the Civil Rights Movement, America’s corporations are standing up to the fanaticism that still slithers through American ideology.  With regard to sex, race, religion, and sexual orientation, some of America’s most powerful organizations are embracing a message of inclusion and tolerance.  This renewed acceptance follows nationwide trends of increasing progressiveness.  Recent evidence suggests that corporations view tolerance not only as an issue of morality, but also as a sage business decision.  In this regard, there is no stopping corporate inclusion, because money is at stake!

 

From a business standpoint, it’s easy to see why inclusion is a logical choice for some of America’s biggest employers.  After all, wouldn’t companies want to attract as many customers as possible?  Moreover, in order to be better stewards of society, it makes sense that companies would embrace messages of tolerance and kindness. 

 

Increasingly often, corporations seem eager to invest in diversity training as a way to promote inclusion.  R.J. Bryant wrote about the benefits of this training in his journal article, “Creating a Culture of Inclusion: The Power of Storytelling.”   According to Bryant, communicators often illuminate their company’s successes by creating progress across multiple dimensions of diversity. Bryant found that inclusion transcended individual issues.  For example, a person who is sympathetic to the gay community is also likely to offer a message of tolerance for folks who are transgender.  In this mindset, once a person is open-minded about one topic, they are likely to harbor similar tolerance about another issue.

 

As a result of diversity training has been that more companies are willing to investigate accusations of hate and bigotry.  Former Mozilla Chief Executive Officer Brendan Eich learned this this hard way.  Eich’s travails were detailed in a 2014 Yahoo News article by Sarah McBride.  According to the article, Eich was forced to resign his job after an online dating service urged a boycott of the Mozilla’s web browser.  What did Eich do to get himself fired?  McBride notes that he gave money to oppose the legalization of gay marriage in California in 2008. 

 

According to the Yahoo News, Eich’s conservative idealogy was well known inside Mozilla.  In fact, when Eich was appointed to his position, many people questioned his abilities to run an organization while harboring vehemently homophobic views.  McBride states that Mozilla often advertised itself as a bastion of inclusiveness and diversity.  Eich’s draconian ideology dramatically undermined that message.  To this day, many people believe Eich was forced to resign because Mozilla leaders feared his positions would taint their company’s image.

 

In hindsight, it’s easy to see why Eich was given a pink slip.  Not only did he actively try to undermine the happiness of his gay employees, but he was exposed as a bigot in charge of a seemingly open-minded company.  The importance of corporate-level tolerance was underscored by Susan David’s 2014 entry in the Harvard Business Review.  David’s article “Inclusiveness Means Giving Every Employee Personal Attention” notes how critical it is for a leader to fully understand the struggles of his employees.  David notes that it is incumbent upon a leader to embrace their employees as unique and talented individuals.  In this regard, David argues that the key to true diversity in a company depends on a leader’s ability to introduce different opinions, cultures, and backgrounds into a workplace.    

 

To increase inclusiveness, David argues that a leader must create a shared identity and be attentive to emotions.  A recent political firestorm indicates that an increasing number of corporations are following a message of understanding.  Earlier this year, lawmakers in North Carolina expanded on the state’s “Religious Freedom” law. Under the changes, transgender people were required to use public restrooms that corresponded to the sex listed on their birth certificate.  Moreover, it also invalidated several local anti-discrimination measures that protected gay and transgender people.  Within weeks of the law’s approval, the US Justice Department filed a lawsuit calling it "state-sponsored discrimination.” 

 

The federal government was quickly joined by some of the country’s largest corporations in condemning North Carolina’s bathroom law.  According to an article by Katherine Peralta in The News Tribune, North Carolina’s efforts to end protections for LGBT people faced unified pushback.  American Airlines, Lowes, Apple, and Google all spoke out against the law, claiming it undermined their abilities to be good stewards of society. Peralta notes that administrators with the NBA also threatened to boycott North Carolina’s sporting events should lawmakers fail to develop a more inclusive resolution.  Peralta’s article states that representatives with American Airlines were particularly vocal about the changes.  According to a spokesman, “Laws that allow such discrimination go against our fundamental belief of equality and are bad for the economies of the states in which they are enacted.”

 

Such a statement from one of the country’s largest airlines emphasizes the importance of inclusion for employees and customers alike.  Echoing David’s point that a company must be attentive to the emotions of its employees, it seems as though companies are now more willing to take a stand against perceived injustices.  This includes denying certain funding from bigoted sources.  A recent case involving the Girl Scouts is a salient example. 

 

Like many public service organizations, the Girl Scouts has recently embraced inclusion.  In 2015, the century-old organization publicly stated that it would welcome transgender girls into its community.   Not surprisingly, this led to criticism from transphobic, right wing organizations.  Soon, there was a calculated effort to discourage the Girl Scouts from admitting transgender members.  These efforts failed miserably.

 

According to a July 2015 article in USA Today, an anonymous donor asked the Girl Scouts to verify that a $100,000 contribution would not be used to help transgender girls.  According to the article, Girl Scouts administrators scoffed at this request.  Despite a sizeable donation, national organization administrators refused to accept any of the money.  In a statement about this issue, a Girls Scouts member stated, “Girl Scouts empowers every girl, regardless of her gender identity, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, to make the world a better place. We won't exclude any girl.”

 

It soon became apparent that the Girl Scouts’ efforts were welcomed by employees and members alike.  According to USA Today, the organization’s stance won universal support from donors.  Supporters soon developed a webpage where people could donate to the Girl Scouts.  USA Today notes that within one day of the transgender controversy, the amount of donations doubled.  As the article states, enough money was raised to ensure that 1,000 girls could join a troop, go to camp and “partake in a multitude of life-changing Girl Scout experiences."  In this day in age, even a century-old organization like the Girl Scouts is recognizing the importance of tolerance and acceptance. 

 

Despite this progress, there is still work to be done.  The book “Workplace Challenges in Corporate America: Differences in Black and White,” details the everlasting struggle for inclusion in employment situations.  Authors Janice Witt Smith and Stephanie E. Joseph analyzed diversity management challenges of professionals in corporate America.  As part of their research, the authors examined workplace experiences of 42 AfricanAmerican and Caucasian men and women in corporate America.  The study concluded that minorities still felt underrepresented and underpaid in the workforce.  Moreover, African-American participants resoundingly agreed that more efforts should be made to raise awareness about diversity.

 

Sure, more work still needs to be done.  There is no doubt about it.  In the year 2016, however, the tide is consistently turning in favor of inclusion and equality for all.  On a whole, the capitalistic system is turning the corner toward acceptance and tolerance for employers and customers alike.  I cannot think of a tenant more essential to a free society than freedom of expression under the corporate umbrella.  This is domino effect of the very best kind.  When one company adopts an inclusive viewpoint, another is likely to follow.  This is progress… slowly but surely!

 

Annotated Bibliography

 

Bryant, R. J. (2016, March). CREATING A CULTURE OF INCLUSION: The Power of Storytelling. Spectra, 52(1), 30-33

 

“Will I fit in?  Will I belong?  Will I be treated fairly?” These are the questions Jeep Bryant faced during a diversity workshop.  The facilitator instructed everyone to divide into separate groups based on gender, race, and sexual identity.  Bryant describes his story and his anxiety during this process.  He found that communication helps create a culture of inclusion in three ways. First, the communication team can explain how expectation around diversity and inclusion are hard-wired. This includes women of color, LGBT, veterans, and people with disabilities to name a few.  Second, communicators can illuminate their company’s successes by creating progress across multiple dimensions of diversity. This would include recognizing those who find new ways for the company to reach the diverse communities.  Lastly, people can use storytelling as a tool for advancing a common culture.

 

Camus, M. R. (2016, January 14). IBM offers benefits, health coverage to employees’ partners – gay or straight Retrieved May 31, 2016, from http://globalnation.inquirer.net/135035/ibm-offers-benefits-health-coverage-to-employees-partners-gay-or-straight

 

According to this article, the Philippine unit of tech giant IBM has decided to offer benefits, including health coverage, to the partners of both heterosexual and homosexual employees.  The article notes that benefits include health coverage, election as beneficiary for group life insurance, and accompanied employee relocation rights.  A move toward inclusiveness for LGBT employees is a historic one for a Philippine company.  The article states that IBM is the first corporation in the Pacific Rim to offer equal benefits for LGBT employees.  According to the article, IBM’s president stated that offering domestic partner benefits for Asian employees was another sign of esteemed inclusiveness for his company. 

 

David, S. (2014). Inclusiveness Means Giving Every Employee Personal Attention. Retrieved May 16, 2016, from https://hbr.org/2014/06/inclusiveness-means-giving-every-employee-personal-attention

 

This article is about diversity and inclusiveness in leadership within an organization and recognizing different life experiences.  The mindset behind this type of leadership should be to embrace every person as an individual and help their background and their opinions into the workplace.  To increase inclusiveness, each leader must be aware of biases, create a shared identity, and be attentive to emotions.  These organizations need to promote more inclusive leaders.  Those leaders need to give interest and attention to help employees thrive. This article brings more awareness of inclusiveness. It gives examples such as favoritism, conformity, ageism, and seniority.  Was this intent to help create better diversity or does it allow more inclusiveness by being aware of these biases? This article could use some further information.

 

Deutsch, L. (2015, July 01). Girl Scouts rejects $100K anti-transgender donation. Retrieved June 01, 2016, from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/06/30/girl-scouts-raise-money-reject-donation-transgender/29543863/

 

This article describes the increasing inclusiveness inside the Girl Scouts organization.  The report notes that an anonymous donor asked the Girl Scouts of Western Washington to verify a $100,000 contribution would not be used to help transgender girls.  According to the article, Girl Scout administrators scoffed at this request.  Despite a sizeable donation, national organization administrators refused to accept any of the money.  In a statement about this issue, a Girls Scouts member stated, “Girl Scouts empowers every girl, regardless of her gender identity, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, to make the world a better place. We won't exclude any girl.”

 

Filisko, G. M. (2010, February). Just LIKE Everyone: Inclusiveness efforts seek to make GLBT lawyers-and all others-feel at home. ABA Journal, 96(2), 40-47. Retrieved May 11, 2016, from http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/just_like_everyone

 

This article details recent efforts to rate corporate inclusiveness of LGBT employees.  Interestingly, the article notes that some of the worst examples of homophobia have occurred in corporate law offices around the country.  To stem the tide of this bigotry, a coalition of undercover LGBT attorneys has formed to examine the inclusiveness of some of the country’s largest law firms.  Similar to the Human Rights Campaign’s work to target homophobic companies, the coalition of LBGT attorneys hopes to pin-point law offices where homophobia is rampant.  The article notes that these efforts have led several of the country’s leading law offices to pledge support for the LGBT community. 

 

Groysberg, B., & Bell, D. (2013). Dysfunction in the Boardroom. Retrieved May 12, 2016, from https://hbr.org/2013/06/dysfunction-in-the-boardroom

 

This article addresses how women face intersectionality in a boardroom dominated by men.  Several surveys were done and a common theme emerged.  Women had to be more qualified than men to be considered for directorships, boards don’t know how to take advantage of diversity, and boards need formal processes and cultures that leverage each individual member’s contribution.  Moreover, women on boards worked for private corporations, not public ones.  However, female board members that had children and married were less likely to hold such a position.  Overall, companies must increasingly recognize the distinction between diversity and inclusiveness.  While diversity is counting numbers, inclusiveness makes those numbers count.

 

Guynn, J., & Weise, E. (2014, June 25). Lack of diversity could undercut Silicon Valley. Retrieved June 01, 2016, from http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/06/26/silicon-valley-tech-diversity-white-asian-black-hispanic-google-facebook-yahoo/11372421/

 

According to this article, the technology industry's white and Asian workforce is in danger of losing touch with the diverse community that forms its customer base.  The article notes that Blacks and Hispanics are largely absent, while women are underrepresented in Silicon Valley. More troubling, the article states that a lack of inclusiveness for minorities is widespread in both giant companies and start-up firms.  According to the article, “Even as companies scramble to find workers in the most competitive hiring market in recent memory, most are continuing to bring aboard people who look like they do.” 

 

Jackson, C. L., Embrick, D. G., & Walther, C. S. (2013). The White Pages: Diversity and the Mediation of Race in Public Business Media. Critical Sociology, 41(3), 537-551. doi:10.1177/0896920513494231

 

This article examines the impact of diversity on non-white participation in corporations.  It analyzes images of racial minorities that appear in business magazines. The findings indicate that non-white inclusion increases when references to diversity is made. The article also notes that non-whites are more likely to be depicted as having lesser roles in companies.  The study found that non-whites are rarely presented in leadership positions. According to the author, media images lead to specific social practices. In this regard, the article notes that business magazines directly influence employment practices in corporate America. 

 

Janice Witt Smith, Stephanie E. Joseph, (2010) "Workplace challenges in corporate America: differences in black and white", Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, Vol. 29 Iss: 8, pp.743 – 765

 

This book provides an analysis of the diversity management challenges of professionals in corporate America. It features a specific focus on differential outcomes of women and ethnic minorities and their equal employment opportunities in the workplace.  As part of their research, the authors examined workplace experiences of 42 AfricanAmerican and Caucasian men and women in corporate America. The authors conducted interviews to discover diversity management issues unique to each group.  The study concluded that challenges impacted members in numerous ways, which accounted for differences in work experiences and outcomes.

 

McBride, S. (2014, April 3). Mozilla CEO resigns, opposition to gay marriage drew fire. Retrieved May 31, 2016, from https://www.yahoo.com/news/mozilla-says-ceo-resigns-amid-gay-marriage-controversy-195338477.html?ref=gs

 

This article details the forced resignation of Mozilla’s CEO following revelations of his vehement anti-gay ideology.  According to the article, Mozilla Chief Executive Officer Brendan Eich stepped down after an online dating service urged a boycott of the company's web browser.  The article states that the proposed boycott was in response to a donation Eich made to opponents of gay marriage. The report notes that Mozilla came under fire for appointing Eich as CEO because of his rigid, conservative principles. According to the article, Eich gave money to oppose the legalization of gay marriage in California in 2008.  The article states that Mozilla has often advertised itself as a bastion of inclusiveness and diversity.  Many people believe that Eich was forced to resign because company leaders feared his ideology would taint the company.

 

Peralta, K., & Rothacker, R. (2016, March 25). American Airlines, Apple, NBA denounce NC law ending LGBT protections. Retrieved June 01, 2016, from http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/nation-world/national/article68252022.html

 

This report describes the unified pushback against North Carolina’s efforts to end protections for LGBT people.  According to the article, American Airlines, Lowes, Apple, and Google all spoke out against the efforts,  Additionally, the article notes that administrators with the NBA have threatened to boycott North Carolina sporting events should a more inclusive approach fail to be adopted.  The report states that representatives with American Airlines have been particularly vocal about the changes.  According to a spokesman, “Laws that allow such discrimination go against our fundamental belief of equality and are bad for the economies of the states in which they are enacted.”

 

Pigott, J. D. (2016). TEACHING CAN HELP: Diversity training at your law firm. Business Law Today, 16(1), 10-19. Retrieved May 13, 2016, from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.library.ewu.edu/stable/pdf/23296491.pdf?_=1464767940509

 

This journal entry details the steps that specific law firms can take to improve diversity.  The entry recommends that law firms examine several key questions when considering their overall inclusiveness.  According the author, it’s essential for law firms to identify which employees would be subjected to possible diversity training.  Additionally, the entry recommends that legal companies the people responsible for handling diversity training, as well as why such training would be needed in the first place.  Another key facet of improving inclusiveness is to gauge the success rate of employees who excel at diversity training. 

 

Pless, N. M., & Maak, T. (2004, October). Building an Inclusive Diversity Culture: Principles, Processes and Practice. Retrieved July 09, 2010, from http://diversity.cofc.edu/journal-articles/building-an-inclusive-diversity-culture 

 

This article discusses all the disappointments that many organizations have when it comes to meet the diversity challenge that are placed upon them.  Previously, a company’s main concern was to find diversity in policies, systems and processes. However, in order for it to be more inclusive they need to redirect focus onto norms and values. This article focuses on how to have a culture of inclusion. They find four important stages for companies to do to help bring inclusiveness in their business. First, a company must raise awareness by creating understanding and encouraging reflection. This is a learning process that involves building understanding and respect.  Second, develop a vision of inclusion.  This can be done by including every employee, customers, and CEO including suppliers and stockholders to develop all concerns.  Third, a company must rethink management concepts and principles. This helps with commitment to an organization to understand different diverse backgrounds. Finally, organizations must adapt the systems and processes into their companies to make it a more diverse and inclusive environment.

 

Solebello, N., Tschirhart, M., & Leiter, J. (2015). The paradox of inclusion and exclusion in membership associations. Human Relations, 69(2), 439-460. doi:10.1177/0018726715590166

 

This journal entry is about how some associations know little to no affects/efforts on inclusion and exclusion.  To measure this gap of knowledge, focus groups and interviews took place to find the area of opportunities that companies are lacking when it comes to inclusion and exclusion.  When this idea presented itself to the members, they denied the lack of challenges that is related to incentives, identity and power as stated in the journal. Overall, professional and trade associations face a dilemma in managing differences within their membership.  When associations start to recruit minority members to be more inclusive, they end up running a risk losing the majority.  Therefore, they need to simultaneously be inclusive yet also exclusive. Furthermore, the lack of diversity is challenged by the lack of resources, staff and management capacities, and labor pool diversity.  Additionally, organizations tend to have a bond with other identities and without any idea that they are dismissing other minorities.  In order to be more inclusive and exclusive, organizations must learn to identify other approaches and be continually generous with their approach.

 

 Tsukayama, H. (2015, December 30). Twitter faces backlash over its new diversity lead. Retrieved May 31, 2016, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2015/12/30/twitter-faces-backlash-over-its-new-diversity-lead/

 

This article details the troubles that Twitter has faced in attaining a more diverse workforce.  According to the Washington Post, Twitter has become a “go-to example” of the lack of diversity in the technology industry. The article states that 60 percent of the company's employees are white, while 72 percent of leadership roles are also held by Caucasians. Moreover, a study found that fewer than two percent of Twitter's employees are black, and none are in leadership roles. To address of those issues, the article states that Twitter announced the hiring of a new vice president for diversity and inclusion.  According to the report, many minorities were angered by the new hire, because he is a white man with limited diversity outreach.

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