Information and media inundate us from various angles. Sometimes it’s hard to prioritize what we consume, and sometimes pieces we come across require more thought than the few minutes it takes to read them. Three thoughtful and interesting articles related to diversity, equity, and inclusion have come across my feeds this week, and I wanted to share them with you with some tips on how to process them and make them learning tools for you and your colleagues.
Six Diversity Myths
by Kate McAlpine, Michigan Engineering
After over eleven years of delivering diversity-related professional development, I’ve seen plenty of misconceptions. This article unpacks six common myths specifically related to diversity in engineering; however, the principles apply to many fields.
- Invite colleagues to read one myth a week and discuss it at your weekly staff meeting.
- Read the article
Getting Serious About Diversity: Enough Already with the Business Case
by Robin J. Ely and David A. Thomas, Harvard Business Review
(You can also listen to this article) This article tackles a common myth that diversity alone is a means for increased teamwork, creativity, and output (re $$), and a panacea for closing participation gaps. “Increasing diversity does not, by itself, increase effectiveness; what matters is how an organization harnesses diversity, and whether it’s willing to reshape its power structure.”
- The article provides four actions to help us shift to a new paradigm. Focus on one approach at a time and reflect on how you can put each into action within your circle of influence.
- Read the article
The Art of Equity and Justice Facilitation
By Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee, Emily Alicia Affolter, Robyn Bryers, Armina Khwaja Macmillan, Elizabeth Litzler, and Cara Margherio, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS
Written by a colleague of mine and her collaborators, this article gave me the most to consider. They provide advice for people hiring diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) practitioners and prompt deep reflection for those who are doing this work. They break their advice into three key areas, content, process, and alignment.
- If you are in the position to hire a DEIJ practitioner (like Engineer Inclusion or me) for your organization, you can use these questions to interview potential providers.
- If you are a DEIJ practitioner, join us on Elevate Inclusion to discuss how these questions inform our approach.
- Read the article
No matter how you plan to spend the end of 2020, I hope it includes rest and reflection. I also hope that you and your loved ones remain healthy and find ways to celebrate that keep you and others safe.
Peace, love, and Happy Holidays.
✌🏼 + 💙 + 😎
