1) As I was searching for an article that would be appropriate for the canon, I utilized the “Summons” search engine. I was interested in “peer reviewed”, “full text online” “journal articles” “past five years”. I found this type of search was able to initially narrow down my selection. At this point, I could continue to narrow my choices with terms such as “organizational diversity.”
One of the aspects that was of particular interest was analyzing how CEO’s indicated their diversity management policies to the employees. I don’t mean the flashy brochures and signage but rather the unspoken – read between the lines message. Can we somehow ascertain what they’re really thinking? Now, we’ve recently had political figures that let us know exactly what they’re thinking but this is rare. Usually only a select few know their true intentions. I began to wonder, were the CEO’s truly serious or just giving the concept of organizational diversity efforts “lip service”? How does this commitment or lack of commitment within the company result in the successful execution of diversity programs?
2) Robert Austin and Gary Pisano in their article, Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage content that discriminatory practices against hiring individuals with neurodiversity result in organizations missing out on valuable employees whereas in the article Understanding Key D&I Concepts, authors Mark Kaplan and Mason Donovan’s objective is to assist employers in comprehending the how diversity and inclusion policies can have a positive influence on organizations however the good intentions of these policies may have unexpected results. It should be noted that Austin and Pisano report data from multiple organizations. On the other hand, although Kaplan and Donovan provide an engaging example of various policies that had unanticipated impact there are no authentic illustrations of managing bias.
One point that I found particularly compelling in the Kaplan and Donovan article was the concept that by failing to appropriately assess employees can impact diversity and inclusion. Regrettably diversity and inclusion groups without this necessary feedback fail to improve and develop. When I think back on this concept, I can remember several instances in which managers took this approach.
In the Austin and Pisano article is filled with examples of neurodiversity success in organizations and the unexpected benefit of managers developing a better working relationship with all employees. The soft-skills that sometimes are overlooked in managers are critical attributes when dealing with neurodiverse individuals.
Hi Edward,
I think it will be extremely interesting to see what you find, and whether or not CEOs intentions are serious, or if they are just putting on a show. It is difficult to tell however, mostly due to the fact that people rarely show their true opinions in public. Especially due to the fact that CEOs are the face of the company, and every word that they say is heavily scrutinized.
Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow, shared his views. His views were extremely hurtful, not only to the company, but to many people, as he shared some of his theories on the election (not backed up with any evidence). His views did not coincide with the truth, but he still shared him. His product got dropped by many stores, including Kohls and Bed Bath and Beyond. As a result of him supporting these theories, his product will suffer, as no one will want to buy his product anymore, resulting in millions in revenue lost. Mike Lindell is a rare case of a CEO actually speaking out in public about his views.
I will be interested to see what you find on the relationship with CEO intentions versus CEO impact on their company and on company diversity in general.
Definitely an interesting entry point into these issues–to consider how much people really say what they mean and mean what they say. That can be challenging to ascertain, but it’s certainly important.
This is a situation where you might not find exactly what you’re looking for, but where you might be able to create a well-rounded set of perspectives and evidence that will help you to move forward. Remember, your starting point doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to get you started.