Diversity in the work place has a tremendous impact on corporate America. If executed correctly the trends in diversity, inclusion and equity can be shifted through practical mechanisms of change developed by organizational leaders. Kelan & Wratil (2018) identify six areas that leaders should focus on for continued dominance in gender equality, diversity and inclusion. The areas include accountability, building ownership, communicating, leading by example, initiating and driving culture change. Five of these six areas highlight the need for leaders to not only demonstrate the behavior but build teams that have the same values. While the outlier, communication, is not a behavior it is a trait that must be developed by effective leaders. While these elements are often seen in great leaders the article goes on to state that the efforts to drive a culture change cannot just be a top to bottom approach. Delegation of responsibility must be taken by front line leaders and staff to construct a sustainable change.
While the article provided a view of micro change concepts at the CEO level, it was tailored to organizations that publicly supported equality in the workplace. The article clarified the need to include middle management in the change process and emphasized that these types of initiatives need more research at this level. Throughout the article it is inferred that radical change requires radical leadership. As organizations move towards greater equality, they will need this controlled radicalism to meet their goals. Those organizations that do not conceptualize the change needed to embrace diversity are at an increased likelihood of their legacy being forgotten or extinguished.
Is it safe to bring myself to work? Understanding LGBTQ experiences of workplace dignity
Gender diverse experiences are another area the requires diversification in the workplace, especially when understanding lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ) employees. An ethnographic study identified that 90% of the respondents would not hire, rehire or consider a person the best choice for a position if their sexual orientation was not considered straight according to research conducted by Baker & Lucas (2017). Another 10-19% of LGB employees were cited as being recipients of unequal pay or benefits. Disproportionately, those that identify at LGBT are fired for no reason, denied pay or denied promotions often while facing verbal harassment and in some cases sexual abuse. These “dignity threats” are often the result of interactions with coworkers that have positive intentions but the impact of these intentions is not inclusive.
In order to combat these threats LGBT job seekers sought out careers, industries and geographical locations that identified as “gay friendly”. While this solved the employment issue and safety issue at face value, it leads to restrictions on the lifestyle an LGBT individual can live and can also affect earning potential. Simply this reiterates that leadership along with company policies dictate acceptance from the top down but also from the bottom up. These cultures and leadership lead to inclusion and creates a community of practice that builds trust. Practices such as these can create a more inclusive world for people of all sexual orientations and genders.
Support of workplace diversity policies: The role of race, gender, and beliefs about inequality
In other research the conclusion is that support for diversity in the workplace is lacking but only addressed because it is a problem that needs to be solved so the organization can move on to other things. The problem is not that individual attitudes don’t want change it is that the majority of the time they are relying on a particular stereotype to address rather than development of programs and policies that address broader solutions (Scarborough et al., 2019). The article goes on to confirm the previous statements that policies are more effective when supported by organizational leaders along with employees. While one would find it difficult to argue against diversity in the workplace there are certainly some restrictions to putting these elements in place rapidly but the opportunity for change is far greater.
The attitude toward workplace diversity initiatives needs to change, not only because it is the right thing to do but it is the profitable thing to do. Organizations that have racially diverse teams outperform non-diverse teams and teams where men and women are equal earn more revenue. Diversity takes time, resources and energy and it is up to organizations to inject these resources into development of solutions. Breaking through the superficial environment of diversity training will allow organizations to remove barriers to becoming more equal.
References
Baker, S. J., & Lucas, K. (2017). Is it safe to bring myself to work? understanding LGBTQ
experiences of workplace dignity. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, 34(2), 133-148.
Rebar, Jim. “It’s the Same, Only Different.” SIOP, Society for Industrial and Organization
Psychology, 9 Jan. 2019, www.siop.org/Research-Publications/Items-of-Interest/ArtMID/19366/ArticleID/1639/It%E2%80%99s-the-Same-Only-Different.
Scarborough, W. J., Lambouths, D. L., & Holbrook, A. L. (2019). Support of workplace
diversity policies: The role of race, gender, and beliefs about inequality. Social Science Research, 79, 194-210.
Kelan, E. K., & Wratil, P. (2018). Post-heroic leadership, tempered radicalism and senior
leaders as change agents for gender equality. European Management Review, 15(1), 5-18.
