1. When it comes to the topic of organizational diversity policies in the workplace, most of us will readily agree that said policies bring beneficiary values. Where the agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of “whether and how these can play a pivotal causal role in shaping minority group member’s leadership-related perception” (p 173). Whereas some are convinced that we should explicitly value the characteristics of diverse minority members, others maintain that suppressing the categorization of people into distinct groups will eliminate negative consequences such as prejudice or conflict. My own view is that ideologies of colorblindness will always influence a time and place for assessing the best possible workplace type and climate based environment.
For this exercise I worked off a template that introduced an ongoing debate. Where I decided to expand off this template was in the last sentence of the paragraph. Here I’m basically trying to say that the nature of colorblind theory (whether positive or negative) carries a be-all and end-all placement for determining the direction of diversity policies in the workplace. I think because my knowledge on the subject is fairly new and limited, the point I wanted to make may read a bit difficult, however, it is an area of research I’d be interested in exploring further. Overall I found this approach pretty useful for getting my thoughts to follow a logical process onto the page.
2. Something these weekly readings have began to do is expand my horizon for how I think about diversity in organizations. In my earlier views I always thought about diversity kind of as a black and white slate. The readings particularly on neurodiversity illuminated groups I had not fully considered. Even more so as I kept reading on the topic, it unveiled how widespread these organizations can be. Often times they’ll break up into further subgroups and subcultures within an already distinct body. Being a minority myself found me agreeing with a lot of the claims made especially in Gundemir’s reading. It made me reflect on conversations I’ve had in the past with family or friends alike whom identify as such. From our discussions we would talk about how being a minority places one on a constant pedestal (showcase) to society. As individuals we have a role and responsibility to live up our name or fall in either stereotypical category. Its sad to think like that though most would agree that if there were greater personal and leadership examples in the workplace, we would feel more motivated to excel. The reality is though with our current policy standards and systems in place, it isn’t as easy to progress. To say “yes we support diversity, here it is” is not enough. Theres a teetering and sensitive balance for how companies and individuals can work. As I’ve come to learn, instilling a new message requires discussing all grounds no matter how uncomfortable or confrontational they may be.
Hi Bryan,
While reading these articles I also found it hard to sit with that being apart of a minority locks you into a specific stereotype and limits your opportunities for growth. It’s so sad to believe that the systems in place fail to continually benefit us and make movement for change. However, it is refreshing to know that articles like these expose the workplace ideals and try to make our communities more open and inviting spaces.
Hey Bryan, I too am fairly new in these types of studies. Though I am pleasantly surprised that I have found them to be very interesting to learn about. In your post you wrote
“others maintain that suppressing the categorization of people into distinct groups will eliminate negative consequences such as prejudice or conflict.”
This reminded me of an argument I read in a book recently.
It stated that there is literally an unlimited amount of ways that you can categorize people. ( Race, Religion, sexual orientation, education, height, weight, wealth, occupation etc..)
I don’t believe that colorblindness is a virtue as I think that it dismisses a persons own identity, culture, and history.
I think we need to reach point where people understand that it is actually a good thing that we are not all the same and we should proud to live in such a diverse world.
I think Value-in-difference policies are the best way to go as it eliminates the categorization aspect that would ultimately never be able to include all “types” of people.
There are many, many takes on this issue, but I’ve chosen this one because it was published in Forbes magazine, a publication geared toward folks in the business world, and thus clearly a part of this very conversation–a lot of their readers would overlap with Austin & Pisano: https://www.forbes.com/sites/janicegassam/2019/02/15/why-the-i-dont-see-color-mantra-is-hurting-diversity-and-inclusion-efforts/#13cad2aa2c8d
Capsule summary–efforts at “colorblindness” don’t help inclusion efforts; they minimize or erase the realities of people’s identities and experiences in ways that effectively deny their personhood and can make them feel unwelcome.