3 unconventional DEI book insights you might have missed
By Dr. Jonathan Ashong-Lamptey on 11 September 2023
Books are a low cost, high return way to continue your development as a DEI professional. It’s a great way to leverage the expertise of others while developing your own thinking. With so many publications and new titles every year, it’s hard to know where to start.
Here are 3 interesting insights from books you may have missed.
1. The business case for inclusion
Much is made of the Business Case for Diversity. Not enough people talk about how the body of research does not support the claims many experts make. This is not a controversial statement among people who are familiar with the research.
In her book Evidence Based Inclusion; It’s Time to Focus on the Right Needle. Dr. Lauran Star addresses this in a different way.
After reviewing over 500 research studies and over 200 diversity training meta-analyses, the author found that research claiming to prove a Business Case for Diversity all have one thing in common:
The organisations all had an Inclusive culture.
The author presents this as a Business Case for Inclusion. This also means being clear about what Inclusion is not.
The author spends a lot of time doing this in the book:
– Inclusion is not Diversity
– Inclusion is not Belonging
– Inclusion is not Tolerance
I think it’s useful to focus on what you think Inclusion is. This helps you to take action.
We think of Inclusion as a systematic business strategy to ensure everyone shares the same advantages and benefits.
– Everyone can perform
– Everyone can belong
– Everyone can reach their potential
This is a useful starting point for you to decide what Inclusion is for you.
2. Three perspectives on diversity that will change everything
I always say that Diversity is one of the most used and abused words in the workplace today. I think a huge part of that is the lack of clarity about what people mean by the term.
In their book: Diversity in Organizations: A Critical Examination; Cedric Herring and Loren Henderson identified 3 perspectives on Diversity that will help you to create greater clarity in your own life.
Color Blind Diversity.
This suggests that it is sufficient to embrace cultural differences without acknowledging disparities among cultural groups in terms of:
– Power
– Status
– Wealth
– Access
This can be recognised in the celebration bias we observe in organisations. Have you noticed organisation participating in as many Celebratory Diversity related events as possible?
Flags, Food and Fun.
– Flags
Celebrating cultural calendar events once a year.
– Food
Recognising cultural groups through their food.
– Fun
Creating room for underrepresented groups to have parties.
These are indicative of this approach to cultural differences. The authors suggest Color Blind Diversity masks social inequalities. The narratives around these celebrations rarely invite critique of the systems that make it necessary to have designated celebrations in the workplace. I’ve noticed that asserting Diversity outside of these designated times and spaces is not encouraged. The authors say this also silences individuals who serve as harsh critics of the status quo.
Snowflake Diversity.
This suggests because all individuals are unique, just like snowflakes, we should not pay attention to group based differences.
The authors said this was insidious. They said despite every snowflake being unique, they can still be placed into 4 classes:
- Dendrites: the classic snowflakes with shape.
- Graupel: formed when freezing fog condenses.
- Needles: these are longer than their diameters.
- Sleet: snowflakes that thaw and then refreeze.
What’s their point?
Even with snowflakes it’s useful to go beyond their unique individual traits.
In practice, people who believe in Snowflake Diversity don’t want to talk about:
– Group based advantage
– Group based disadvantage
– Group based processes
People supporting this will always emphasise individualism and refer to individual examples of success.
Segregated Diversity
This suggests Diversity exists and can be recognised within a social entity. However the dominant groups remain isolated from the subdominant groups.
This could refer to:
– Organisations
– Communities
– Nations
– States
Examples from the book:
Racial Diversity in a racialised social system.
Gender Diversity in a gendered social system.
The authors presented the US Army as an example of this. They said that despite an increasing number of women and soldiers of color, “these soldiers remain disproportionately represented in the lower ranks of the army.” They acknowledged positive steps towards Inclusion but drew attention to organisational segregation and exclusionary practices.
They suggested this highlights the need for Inclusion.
In practice, people who believe in Segregated Diversity recognise cultural and social differences. They tend not to recognise the differences in outcomes for different cultural and social groups.
3. Training is not a good go to solution for discrimination and harassment
Most people will find this inconvenient, given the emphasis placed on Diversity training.
In their book Getting to Diversity: What Works and What Doesn’t, Frank Dobbin and Alexandra Kalev considered training as a solution for discrimination and harassment. They suggested it wasn’t useful as a precautionary measure to prevent either.
The authors revealed evidence to suggest that it didn’t work because:
a) Training programs often treat employees as culprits.
This antagonises them instead of encouraging change.
b) Anti-bias and anti-harassment training programs have shown limited effectiveness in reducing bias and discrimination.
I talk about it so much and typically get ignored.
c) Harassment training can increase hostility towards victims
This was a distressing result. This is one of the reasons why people don’t trust HR.
The authors did present some solutions:
Cultural Inclusion Training
The book was about Diversity but Inclusion was often part of the solution.
Specifically: collaboration and communication across diverse groups.
Harassment intervention Training
Sounds like the same thing with a different name right?
The authors suggested shifting the narrative: present managers as allies in solving problems rather than culprits.
Understand Systemic Inequality.
The suggestion was to incorporate social justice principles into training programmes. This helps people to understand systemic issues.
The other obvious thing is to assess and follow up:
You would be amazed how many people do not evaluate the impact of training programs.
Insights like these are what I look for in books.
If you want more I share insights every two weeks.
About the author
Dr. Jonathan Ashong-Lamptey, the world-renowned authority on Evidence-Based Inclusion in the workplace, has helped global brands like Conde Nast, Sony and Meta. With a PhD from the London School of Economics, he combines academic rigour with practical insights to deliver impactful solutions. He is also the host of The Element of Inclusion, a popular podcast that informs and educates using applied research and thought leadership. Dr. Jonathan’s expertise has been featured in prestigious media outlets like the FT, Bloomberg and the BBC. He is on a mission to help a million people make their workplaces inclusive.
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