Chapter 3 from The Inclusion Dividend: Why Investing in Diversity & Inclusion Pays Off by Mark Kaplan and Mason Donavon is an excerpt from a book that discusses Diversity and Inclusion. This chapter outlines and exemplifies how to take the complicated issues of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and address each level individually so that the issues as a whole can be corrected. The writers use an example of Kim a manager of a company and her day at work to relate to the reader’s own work experience. This allows them to visualize how microaggressions can be seen in the most common work dynamics along with unconscious biases and insider-outsider dynamics. The role of intent vs impact is stressed showing how although people might have good intentions with their actions they can still have negative impacts. This chapter was written to help people navigate how to increase inclusion and diversity in the workplace. The key concepts each address how negative workplace culture can go unseen and aim to bring to light to how each person, group, and the system can lead to a better or worst environment. What can be taken away is that to fix the problem inclusion and diversity need to be apart of everyone’s daily though the process.
Dan K&D summary week of 6/1
The Inclusion Dividend article was written by Mark Kaplan and Mason Donovan. This article focused on the common issue of organizations struggling to implement positive change to diversity and inclusion. The authors made their argument by telling a relatable story of a woman in an upper management position at her firm. It is clear to see from the story that Kim is a very hard worker and is dedicated to her career. As foreshadowed early in the story regarding her having no recollection of her morning commute, she spent the rest of her day on autopilot. A main task for her was to complete her employee evaluation forms. Unfortunately, her positive intentions to complete them earnestly had faltered as she was treading water in her urgent tasks. She may have also unintentionally belittled two of her subordinates when they asked for her attention and she neglected. The authors strongly assert that good intentions are not enough. A slight change in her words can have a much more positive affect on her coworkers. The authors also warned of our inevitable biases in the workplace. At one point in the story Kim seemed to make time for a male executive that she had previously mentored. This happened directly after she had dismissed a south Korean woman of whom she was supposed to be mentoring. This could be or could be perceived to be bias and negatively impact the woman she was supposed to mentor. This is both an example of possible unconscious bias and of the insider-outsider groups that exist in all organizations. The Authors proceeded to explore how this dynamic is present in all levels of organization. The authors then Include a few tips on how to help create more inclusive work environments.
Responses – Week of 6/1
I hadn’t heard the phrase “neurodiversity” until I read this article, but I liked a quote from John Elder Robinson in the article which described neurodiversity as “the idea that neurological differences like autism and ADHD are the result of normal, natural variation in the human genome” which is accurate and inoffensive. The article explains that many people with neurological conditions have extraordinary skills in areas other people might not such as pattern recognition, memory, and mathematics. Despite these skills, the neurodiverse population remains largely unemployed (roughly 80% unemployment rate, this includes people with neurological conditions that prevent them from working in any capacity) because it takes more time and energy to hire someone with a neurological condition. Another two reasons why the neurodiverse population remains untapped is that traditional recruitment methods like job interviews and the belief that scalable work processes require absolute conformity to standardized approaches end up filtering out neurodiverse people who could be valuable employees. More and more companies in the last 4-5 years have reformed HR practices to capitalize on the talents of neurodiverse people, which has benefitted those companies in terms of productivity, reputational enhancement, innovation, and employee engagement. In the process, these companies are becoming better able to fully leverage the skills of all workers.
Week of 6/1 – Summary K&D
From a chapter excerpt written in “The Inclusion Dividend: Why Investing in Diversity and Inclusion Pays Off,” managing partners Mark Kaplan and Mason Donovan bring to public light the cognitive and ever-present yet rarely discussed behavioral effects diversity and inclusion can take at the workplace. Through the day-to-day operations of the protagonist character Kim, readers are able to relate and sympathize with the perspective of a company executive as she goes about her busy work schedule. Kaplan and Donovan go on to discuss in detail the impacts Kim’s words and actions may have created or at large, contributed to a bigger crisis of mismanaged events.
The issues they present here ask one to reflect on our humanly inherent biases which commonly create unfair advantages and dividing insider-outsider work relations. Specifically addressing the need for systematic views at various scales, their argument stands to reduce micro-inequities that oftentimes goes unrealized and creates obstacles for underrepresented people. Kaplan and Donovan reinforce the idea that an individual’s good intent, while it may as well be in everybody’s agenda, is not enough to create lasting impacts a company should learn in order to move themselves forward. The goal of inclusion, as they put it, “should be apart of our daily decision.”
K&D Summary
Authors Mark Kaplan and Mason Donovan wrote a book centering around Inclusion and diversity in the workplace. Both authors themselves are managing partners in a firm that specializes in inclusion and diversity in the workplace. This chapter uses a protagonist named Kim who is an executive level manager in a company and runs through a normal day in her work life. Throughout this day, the authors let us know that she has a very hectic schedule and is overtaxed at work and may have good intentions in what she choses to do or say, but the impact doesn’t match her intentions (the authors say it rarely does with anybody).
Essentially, Kim’s actions come off as tone deaf in a way because she uses her busy schedule as an excuse to be insensitive to other employees, even her mentee, who she doesn’t pay attention to and blows her off for a previous mentee who is an “aggressive guy”, which is an attitude she seems to favor. The message we can take from this chapter is that most people have good intentions and that doesn’t usually add up to positive impact, we all have unconscious bias and it affects us at work, there are in-groups and out-groups at work (similar to cliques in schoolchildren) and that there are different levels of these groups: Individual, group/team, and organizational.
Week of 6/1 Discussion Post
- In order to find a valuable source that can be added to our resources, I have decided to look further into neurodiversity. This topic is important to me because my major is inclusive elementary and special education teaching. When I become a teacher, it will be extremely important for me to create an accepting and inclusive environment for each student in my class. I am looking for articles that are professional, but not difficult to understand. I want an article that will get an important message across to the reader. I think that in order to have a meaningful and informational article about neurodiversity, it would be important to hear from someone who has a disability because someone without a disability cannot fully understand what someone who has a disability goes through on a daily basis. I have been using the SU Library website to research articles. I also filter them so that they meet the requirements. For example, I put a filter on that will only show articles that are 5 years old or less. This just helps me to ensure that I am meeting the expectations, and makes it easier to find valuable articles.
- According to Harris, in order to “come to terms” with a specific text, there are three things that someone needs to do: “Define the project of the writer in your own terms…Note keywords or passages in the text… Assess the uses and limits of this approach” (Harris n.d., p. 15). Some of the key words in this article that helps the reader to understand the main purpose are, “bias”, “behavior/actions”, “outsider”, etc. These are just a few key words that are essential to understand. In the Kaplan and Donavan article, the project of the authors is finding out more about inclusive settings and diversity in the workplace. In order to do this, Kaplan and Donavan decide to explain a typical workday to display their main concepts in the “real world”. They also show the reader how small changes to actions and biases in a company/business. This article helps the reader to understand that minor changes can allow for major differences, and it is extremely important to promote an inclusive environment.
Summary 6/1
The article by Austin and Pasino focuses on the problem that many people with neurological conditions are not well represented in the workforce. However they should because these people often show skills such as pattern recognition, great memory and high level mathematics that people without these conditions sometimes lack. The cause of all this is because organizations often in their hiring process disregard these skills and put a greater emphasis on the things that may be harder for these individuals. The behaviors of a lot of neurodiverse people may run counter to what most companies look for in an employee. While some companies have implemented some type of change in their hiring process to make it easier for these individuals to get hired, many more companies should follow and use the skills of these people to their advantage. In the long run it will help the company and individual achieve goals that they might not have thought would be possible.
Summary of Austin / Pisano Article
“Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage” by Austin and Pisano explores the relationship between people who have neurological conditions and the workforce. This article dives into the problem that people with neurological conditions are not being seen by companies although this specific population provides itself with many opportunities. Companies have ample room for growth when it comes to expanding their staff, but innovation needs to be made in relation to exactly how these companies are recruiting and hiring employees. SAP, Microsoft, HPE, and Ford are some of the many companies which have efforts to solve this problem under way, and SAP specifically has implemented an “Autism at Work” program while also has found that job interviews are not the only way a company can successfully assess a candidate’s suitability, opening the door for those with neurological conditions to be hired. “Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage” presents itself with challenges that must be overcome in order to include a more diverse atmosphere in the working environment. As the article explains, some steps managers must take to combat this lack of neurodiversity people in the workforce include teaming with social partners, tailoring methods for managing careers, scaling neurodiversity programs, and setting up a support ecosystem.
Week of 6/1 Summary of A/P
When we normally think of diversity inclusion, our minds may automatically think about race. However, Austin and Pisano highlight the importance of including neurodiverse individuals in that definition. The two authors dive into the alienation many individuals with cognitive disorders face when entering the workforce. While acknowledging that many struggle to find jobs, they include how those who have jobs have created an efficient workplace around them. Those who are given the opportunity to have a job, as stated by Austin and Pisano, do the job with precision and arguably care more about the job that those who are considered to be normal functioning. The authors then go on to suggest a series of ways that businesses and companies can set up systems for their neurodiverse employees to create a functioning workplace that is accessible for all.
6/3 Summary
Authors Robert D. Austin and Gary P. Pisano advocate for a more diverse representation amongst organization’s employees, specifically focusing on expanding their workforce to be inclusive to those with neurological conditions. Throughout the article, the authors aim to provide reasons for neurodiversity as these individuals are extraordinary in their own way, with talents and traits that could bring prosperity to a company. While strengthening their article with the wise words and input of credible doctors and scholars, the authors present reasons as to why some companies may feel hesitant to jump onto the inclusivity bandwagon for those who suffer from neurological conditions. In addition, they also advocate for more inclusion by providing those who may be hesitant with ways on how to incorporate more neurological diversity, while also changing the current stigma against those who suffer.