- Throughout this class, we have talked and read about numerous topics regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion. Wong adds to this ongoing conversation in this article she wrote about organizational culture. The section I would like to focus on is the paragraphs under the subheading titled Privilege, Marginalization and Differences in Experiences on page 28 and 29. this section caught my eye and I think it is critical to this conversation of diversity. Wong states how in order to create an inclusive culture for a diverse workplace, one must become aware of social identities and how they are perceived in places such as a place of work. People have been going into this conversation with the mentality that people are all the same or should be the same. However it is important to see the differences in identities and experiences and not just go off of what has been the norm. In the next paragraph, Wong uses an example of gender to further convey her message. She states that “once one begins to critically reflect on how gender shapes peoples’ everyday experiences in profoundly different ways, the influence of gendered norms and gender bias can be found in nearly all corners of an organization’s culture.” It’s important to first identify and become aware of the surroundings to then make it easier to learn and address.
- Wong does a really good job at “connecting the parts” throughout her entire article. The way the article flows from one section to another with the use of the subheadings makes it much easier to read and locate main ideas. In addition to the subheadings, she uses manifold transition words to also help connect her ideas and make it flow. The words “in contrast” were used on page 29 in which Wong identifies the difference in ideas and as a result, sets the reader up in a way that they can follow more easily.
Week of 6/29 – Discussion
- For me one of the most significant pieces Wong adds is found under the ‘Starting with Better Question’ section. By prompting the audience to reflect and ask more targeted, meaningful questions, she’s teaching others how to welcome more people to be apart of the conversation. In doing so it creates a more hospitable discussion and overall enables one to reach larger audiences. One of the biggest difficulties for entering any controversial issue is learning where to start. From personal experience I found this become true whenever I tried to enter political discussions. Given the vast amount of media coverage, events, and body of literature, I felt overwhelmed never knowing how to approach an issue. Because of that, I found myself often shy away from discussing these topics, unsure of how my perspective could ever add to what other enlightened perspectives already knew. Wong acknowledges how overwhelming this can become whilst pointing where to begin. She not only addresses the incomplete and thoughtful questions one could ask but adds how it can begin to shift our thinking on the issue. Instead of having a corporate company ask ‘who else can we bring on board,’ for example, she proposes a deeper alternative that looks at ‘who is not being represented at the table and in what ways how have we kept out?’ As Wong puts it, “these questions invite examination of potentially exclusionary aspects” targeting the deeper source of the issue, rather than merely scratching over the surface. It places responsibility on the organization which in turn is more likely to move an organization to be more inclusive. Emphasis is added to what questions we should ask versus what we might (negatively) assume.
2. Immediately following that last paragraph, Wong makes a compelling argument on the distinction between equality vs equity. Smoothly transitioning from counters to claims, she first does so by recognizing the issues specific groups of people then and even now have had (identifying ‘it’ is a recurring argument in her article). The extra note saying people “continue to experience” disproportionate harm, hardships, and disadvantages adds a dimension of time and scale signaling that this issue is problematically static.
She later explains how assumptions, such as believing that equality associates sameness for everyone, can become the root of these issues. While the idea that we’re “treated the same and get the same things” may entertain groups of people, Wong discredits it immediately in the following sentence by saying “however, treating everyone the same is a surefire way to exacerbate and reproduce inequalities.” Not only will it continue reproducing inequalities, but she adds it will more negatively aggregate the issue.
Wong goes further in explaining where this logic may come from which is powerful because it helps the reader or the naysayer identify an incomplete evaluation or assumption they might have made. As she puts it, while it “may seem counterintuitive, there are many examples that demonstrate how treating everyone the same is often more unfair…” Here she is backing up her claim by providing concrete examples on how all parties of the discussion can reevaluate themselves and instead, “actually have more equal opportunities to succeed.”
Prompts week of 6/29
- One particular contribution that I see to Wong adding to the larger conversation are her words under the “Privilege, Marginalization & Differences in Experience subtitle. This can be found on page 28. She writes, “It is important to raise awareness among those with the privilege of not having to think twice about how they function so they can be more responsive to others’ needs and simultaneously alleviate burdens for those who must be extra conscious and aware to simply get by.” I think this quote is significant because it is important to be an ally and a voice for those who struggle with carrying a burden that their skin color places on them. Inclusion is necessary in the workplace, and supporting your co-workers only happens when respect is present.
- Wong really connects her ideas through subheadings because I found this article way easier to read. Under “Starting With Better Questions,” Wong immediately uses the transition word “Approaching.” This sets up the reader in a way where they can clearly follow and ease into the section. Wong’s point in her sentence here that diversity and inclusion efforts can shift the understandings of specific issues leads into the rest of the paragraph smoothly.
Week of 6/29 Discussion
- In Wong’s article, the section “Starting from the Margins” brings a really good point to the discussion. She writes ” Again, different forms of support are not to be confused with special or unfair treatment simply because they are not intended for or used by everyone.” (Wong, pg. 3)
This is important because it deals with differences in peoples needs to get the equity they deserve. I’ve often heard the argument before that it’s not fair for people to get “special treatment” and Wong in a very matter of factly way shoots this argument down by simply pointing out that because not everybody is the same, people need different things in order to be on the same level playing field as others. This is a point that I think a lot of people forget and would be well suited to remember and acknowledge.
2. The last paragraph in the section ” Equity vs. Equality” has many examples of using language to connect the text. She starts out by using the pointing word “This” to go back to the metaphor she wrote about in the previous paragraph with the foot size and running shoes. Her use of “not only” to connect avoiding acknowledging our identities to unhealthy behaviors that make it out to our identity characteristics being undesirable was very powerful as well, I thought. These examples are on page 3 also.
Discussion Week 6/29
1. I think one of the most significant contributions Wong made to our ongoing conversation of diversity is found in her section about “Equity vs Equality” (page 27 to 28). The paragraph was very eyeopening for myself when considering the conversation currently focusing on inclusion. A key point Wong made, that I never really considered, is that treating everyone the same would result in more inequality as everyone has different needs. It is to recognize those different needs employees have to ensure everyone is supported, helping to increase feelings of inclusivity because no everyone is the same. Her metaphor of running shoes and runners in a race was a great way to represent visually what she is saying: not everyone is the same shoe size, but all the runners should have a tailored shoe to help them run the best. This can be used when treating employees too, as every employee would have different needs butt if they are all met with the same urgency and respect then all the employees would be able to perform their best. I think highlighting this need for different levels of treatment is crucial, because no one is a carbon copy of the other. Some employees may need more support than others, but making that need for support a priority is what will change the work environment, providing more resources and care. Connecting this further with our ongoing conversation of inclusion while also promoting diversity, this comes to show that giving those what they specifically need will only improve a company.
2. Wong utilizes the use of “connecting the parts” throughout the entire article, as she seamlessly flows from one topic of conversation to another through her subtitles and subheadings. One instance of this is is her transition into the subheading of “Starting with Better Questions” as Wong transitions from providing the context of the situation, this being shifting the workplace environment, to starting the conversation about how to challenge the initiative to shift the workplace. Using the word “approaching” to begin the paragraph is a transition word as she elaborates more on how to shift these misunderstood issues with inclusion. Following in her next sentence, Wong uses the pointer word “it” claiming that understanding the backdrop of these inequities in the workplace can shift the questions used to “guide and inform” those who have trouble understanding means of inclusion. Repeated use of the word inequities highlights that it is the main issue at hand, that there are discrepancies when it comes to how different demographics of employees are treated. She continues to use the idea of repeating the phrase yourself but with a difference, as she further contends to changing the wording and meaning behind questions that challenge the issues of inequity in the workplace.
Week of 6/29 Discussion Post
- In the beginning of her article, Wong says that in order to create a diverse workplace, we must start with inclusion. This is important because it is true for both the workplace, and many other areas. I could certainly relate this to education because inclusive schooling is such a hot topic right now. In order to create a diverse classroom, students from all backgrounds and abilities should be in one class together. Adopting a more inclusive ideology will allow for a more diverse environment. Wong believes that it is also important to acknowledge the fact that there are some groups of people who have experienced hardship because of their race, gender, ability, etc. Even though it seems like everyone receiving the same treatment means that everyone is treated fairly, this is not always true. For example, someone who has a disability may need accommodations in order to be successful whereas someone who does not have a disability does not need this. Overall, Wong’s article does a great job of showing the reader that in order to create inclusive environments, we must keep an open mind, and understand that we may be wrong about some things.
- In my opinion, Wong does a great job of connecting her ideas and sentences using transitions throughout the entire article. One section in particular where she does this is the passage labeled “Supporting Others to Make Change”. In the first paragraph of this section, Wong says that it may seem difficult to help create more inclusive spaces. In the last sentence of this paragraph, Wong says, “Additional steps can be taken regarding who is asked to be involved in decision-making and which efforts are pursued in the name of culture change” (p. 30). In the second paragraph, she goes back to talking about the fact that people who are different often experience hardships. However, this ends up connecting to how people can help create inclusive environments because she says that the people who are experiencing hardships are the best people to ask about how you should change. So, she is using this area to connect to the first paragraph of this section by talking about who should be involved in the decision making process.
6/29 Discussion- Isaac
- Cori Wong makes a really important stance in the ongoing organizational culture reform; Equality is not going to fix all our issues. For thousands of years, the oppressed minority groups of our population have received inequality and profiling nonexclusive to organizational culture. To combat this, on a moral viewpoint, equality will not make everyone satisfied, or make everything fair. There are several good quotes from Wong’s article that precisely tell the reader why this is true, and what really needs to be done. In pages 2 and 3 of the article, equity is contrasted with equality, and it helps solidify the argument that the answer isn’t a flat, fair playing field, but rather one that adapts to people’s needs. Especially when there is prejudice and hate involved. Racial and gender bias is a huge epidemic in our lives and social culture, for organizations to say “to make things look better we will finally give you what you deserve” is not helping the minority groups, it is pushing the problem under the rug. In order to have an effective change in the treatment of these subgroups, we must listen to their needs and address and understand them as if they were our own. These groups have a completely different perspective on life and issues because the majority population continually told them they are different, wrong, and unwanted. It is the organization’s job to reverse those preconceptions that we place on them, and that doesn’t mean to just stop putting them in the disadvantaged position. Rather, we need to help them get into the advantaged seat.
- Throughout Wong’s article, there are dozens of examples of smooth connections using transition words and phrases. Organizational culture is a complex topic, and addressing its issues creates many subtopics within itself. Wongs ability to move from one topic to another in a coherent and smooth manner helps the reader comprehend it better. “Our differences are inherent to our experience as human beings,”(Wong, page 3) this sentence may be considered a filler sentence, but it actually does more than that. It is the first sentence in the concluding paragraph of a section, but it refers back to the previous section involving the metaphor using a group of runners as an example of how equality is not the answer to inequality. Wong starts the conclusion of one section with a connection to the previous section, thus connecting the sections as a whole and how their main ideas are based on the same mindset.
Discussion week of 6/22 (Dan)
- So far I have been using the Syracuse library as my main database for finding sources. Although it took a little bit of digging, I was able to find an article that I thoroughly enjoyed in unit 1. I seem to be struggling a little more with unit 2. I have found many scholarly articles on linguistic diversity in the workplace through the SU library (though some are quite lengthy). I am mainly struggling with finding a primary source. The advanced search option has many filters which has helped me obtain some options. Though I have not yet decided which article I would like to focus my attention on. I will spend some time looking for other sources ( especially a primary source) with resources such as Google and Bing.
- My topic that I am choosing to research is unconscious bias of multilingual individuals in the workplace. I was intrigued by the work of one of my classmates on this topic. I believe this was in no small part due to my friendship with multiple immigrants in my department at my job. I am really hoping to find a primary source that is written by someone who has immigrated to the United States and experienced the struggles of being a nonnative speaker. I believe this will be a very valuable source of information to include in my research as they will have first hand experience with these issues. I would like to hear about how they were treated and if they felt valued at work. I would also like to hear about if they were compensated fairly and given the same opportunity to prove themselves as natives of our country have been given. Though I am struggling to find a source that does this. I am going to continue searching the web until I find a primary source that is satisfactory.
Discussion Week 6/22
- I think one of the most helpful search tools I used was the category feature on most search engines and in the Syracuse Library database system. It was much easier to search for “inclusion organizational culture” and then narrow down the search further by specifying that I waned articles about inclusion from a business perspective, since our area of focus is diversity in the workplace. There were a few roadblocks I hit, one of the first being how broad the term “inclusive” is. It is used to refer to any situation that can include and encompass a wider variety, whether it be in terms of people in a group or items in a bag. I think finding ways around this roadblock were of use, but even so, the term inclusive is used so often to describe so many situations in our world today that remain “exclusive”. Another roadblock I ran into was when choosing the articles, finding ones that were substantial and related to our research on inclusion and in organizational culture. There were plenty of articles that just spit out statistics of companies being successful with a more diverse workforce, which is great and statistics are a way to analyze the success and failure of some approaches leading towards more inclusion. What was troublesome was articles having both the statistical research and the connections back to those being discriminated or excluded. It is one thing to hear the numbers and see the results and data, it is another to humanize these numbers and put more emphasis on the toll this takes on being a human ostracized for something they feel is the most representative of their identity.
- I hope to find texts coming from those who have felt “excluded”, especially in the work place. As stated before, numbers can only show and help us to learn how to be more inclusive, but it is from the retelling and words of those who have been discriminated that will help those who feel as though this is an unnecessary action to sympathize and possibly change their own opinion. I would love to find a written account of someone perspective on inclusion within the workplace from a before, during, and after perspective. I want to use voices of those who are part of the discriminated sum of employers, the people that face their fears every day to do something so normal and just so organic. To work, to socialize, to do anything within society should be reconsidered just because of the way someone identifies. I think that it was most definitely be easier to find the primary source article, I think that scholarly articles are a bit heavy on the data and research side of the issue which is the side I hope to not highlight as much.
Discussion posts for Week of 6/29
We’re going to take it a little easier this week on discussion–please respond to both of the questions below by Wednesday, 7/1; you do not need to reply to your classmates’ posts, though I certainly encourage you to read through what others have to say.
In “Changing organizational culture,” we see a rather different type of writing, one that’s pretty approachable and readable, but still presenting intensive research in a way that’s geared toward a very specific audience. What we’re looking at here is a trade/professional journal. Like scholarly journals, they often include peer-reviewed articles, but they’re designed for practitioners (in this case, in the workplace safety industry) rather than for other academics. The end result is detailed research that’s usable for people working in this field.
In part we’re looking at this article as a sample of a genre that might be useful for you to consider for your own inquiry. SUMMON (the SU Libraries’ search tool) allows you to select “trade publication” as a Content Type option in an Advanced Search. It can be really helpful to see what folks within a given field are talking about, how they’re making use of current research, developing best practices, implementing ideas, etc. The material there tends to be very current material from experts–good stuff to use when you’re trying to understand the implications of a particular issue.
And we can also learn some lessons from this text about how to develop an argument that will reach our readers. Wong does a solid job of making explicit connections between theory and practice as she translates this material for a non-academic audience. Let’s home in on how she makes this work.
Please respond to both of the questions below for this week’s discussion.
- Wong is entering a conversation around diversity (including the business case and the ethical case folks have made for diversity) and inclusion that was going on long before she showed up. What does she have to add to this discussion? Focus in on 1 particular contribution you see her making to this larger conversation. Name it, explain it, tell us where to find it, and talk about what you think is significant about it.
- Review chapter 8 of TSIS, which is about connecting the parts. Locate a place in Wong’s article where you see her doing this important work, and identify the TSIS moves that you see her using in this segment. Again, point us to a specific passage, and talk us through what she’s doing there and why it matters.
Categorize your posts as “Discussions/Homework,” and tag with “unit 2,” “week of 6/29,” and [your name].