Tag: K&D

Kaplan and Donovan Summary

The issues concerning diversity and the lack of inclusion in the workplace have largely gone unnoticed or unaddressed.  Mark Kaplan and Mason Donovan bring awareness to this problem in their book The Inclusion Dividend: Why Investing in Diversity & Inclusion Pays Off;Specifically in chapter three they discuss the ways in which executives might unconsciously create biased and unequal workplaces and how companies should recognize these occurrences.  Kaplan and Donovan provide examples of these accidental prejudices, such as intent and impact, unconscious bias, insider-outsider dynamics, and levels of systems.  These are all things that hinder diversity and inclusion and through recognition of the aforementioned barriers, the workplace can begin to adjust and correct the wrong behavior. 

Kaplan and Donovan show these biases in action through an in-depth example of a day in the life of an executive Kim in a company.  Throughout the day, Kim countlessly shows that while she might have good intentions, she contributes heavily to creating a workplace in which she does not respect people who differ from her ideas of a hard worker: from evidence, an outgoing assertive male.  The sort of behavior that she exhibited was not inclusive and clearly necessary for assistance to create a safe space for all the workers in the company, especially minorities.

Kaplan and Donovan Summary

Mark Kaplan (a principal for The Dagoba Group) and Mason Donovan (Managing Partner at The Dagoba Group, a diversity and inclusion consultancy that specializes in leadership development, unconscious bias and inclusion dynamics) write a compelling article on the intent– impact mismatch. They suggest that while organizations may have good intentions in their development of policies, these policies may have unexpected results.  There are many different approaches to inclusion and diversity within organizations reflected by various methodologies.  Kaplan and Donovan while exploring the daily routine of a female executive, discovered multiple instances during the day in which the concept of intent versus impact shows up. The article offers examples of situations that “Kim” finds herself in throughout a given day. While the intent of the organization may be to create an expeditious circumstance in which to perform her duties, the impact is that she is isolated from other employees, lacks critical feedback to all employees (including diverse employees) and projects an atmosphere of elitism.  

This intent- impact difference reminds me of when a supervisor instituted a new policy at my work. This policy was under the pretext of improving the company culture, but the employees got the sense it was a surveillance situation. The impact was an increase in mistrust and decrease in morale versus intent of enhancement of efficiency. This is a cautionary tale as outlined by Kaplan and Donovan, for all organizations to carefully consider that good intentions can meet a bad impact and potentially cause unintentional consequences.

Kaplan and Donovan Summary

In Chapter 3 of The Inclusion Dividend, authors Mark Kaplan and Mason Donovan take a close look at the workday of a typical senior manager to discuss diversity and inclusion concepts and highlight key moments when changes to behavior can make a positive impact. With 20 years as consultants in leadership development, diversity and inclusion, and organizational change, the authors have witnessed the challenges to progress that can occur from mismatched intent and impact, unconscious bias, insider-outsider dynamics, and a failure to consider the different levels of systems in an organization. They argue that a typical manager’s day is so full of deadlines and distractions that important actions related to diversity and inclusion “can be easily lost in the noise of the daily office grind” (Kaplan and Donovan 1). The authors also claim that the leadership courses or webinars managers occasionally take are not enough. In other words, it is difficult if not impossible for the typical manager to invest the time that is really needed each day to make a difference. By using many examples, Kaplan and Donovan also show how the shortcuts managers take, such as when a manager gives everyone a stellar performance review, can harm diversity and inclusion efforts. In the end, the authors offer practical solutions for cutting through the “noise” to make diversity and inclusion a daily priority.

Kaplan and Donovan Summary

In the article Kaplan and Donovan cover very important and sometimes overseen issues that take place in a workspace. They do so by explaining the typical day of “Kim” who is a woman who works with a handful of different people. They walk through her day and then talk about what actions of hers needs attention because they are things that affect co-workers in ways Kim might not have seen.

They discuss impact vs. intension which is the overreaching theme of Kims actions. While her intension of her words and actions might be positive and most likely are, some people will see it differently and possibly feel offended. They also discuss ways that companies may tell their workers that they are different without saying the words and how that needs to stop being over looked. Between unconscious bias, insider-outsider dynamics and levels as systems are concepts that make some workers feel inferior to their co-workers.

The authors point is that diversity and inclusion is important and these concepts that companies use are doing the opposite of inclusion. These are things that need to be looked over and figured out how they can be eliminated all together so that everyone in the workplace feels comfortable and equal.

Kaplan And Donovan Summary

To some, unpacking the nuances of how to implement Diversity and Inclusion in everyday workplace interactions may seem like a daunting task. In the article The Inclusion Dividend: Why Investing in Diversity & Inclusion Pays Off by Mark Kaplan and Mason Donovan, we find a helpful and insightful exploration of four inclusion concepts and examples of how to apply them at work. The authors’ analysis includes discussion on intent and impact, unconscious bias, insider-outsider dynamics and levels of systems.

Kaplan and Donovan employ a clever technique to immediately engage readers. They tell a relatable story about female executive, Kim’s day at work. Throughout the piece, the authors point to her interactions with co-workers as “case studies” on how not to manage common workplace scenarios vis-a-vis the lens of inclusion. The authors provide a thoughtful, yet no-nonsense approach in breaking down the actions that led to the executive’s missteps, as well as what alternative measures, through implementation of the four concepts, would have been better.

Those that are new to D & I often focus on the benefits of diversity in an organization but not how important the role inclusion plays. The Inclusion Dividend: Why Investing in Diversity & Inclusion Pays Off reminds us that how we manage the impact of our biases is a vital skill that must be learned and developed.

Kaplan & Donovan Summary

In the article, Kaplan and Donovan claim that it is difficult for managers to embrace differences in the workplace due to unconscious bias’, insider-outsider group dynamics, and the idea of different levels in systems. They also suggest that good intentions are often not matched with a positive impact. For example, the article speaks about, Kim, a manager, going into a separate cafeteria only available to a small population. Although the intent is to create a quite space for upper management, it comes off as elitist because of separation from the rest of the employee population.

The authors also illustrate that by giving uniform performance reports, Kim is damaging the opportunity for organizational growth. The article speaks that it is difficult to review others who are different from us, as people are often unaware of the other person’s needs. As a result, the author states that daily actions as well as reflecting on our own biases are essential to foster diversity and inclusion.

After reading the article, I support the idea that changing daily processes are essential in promoting diversity and inclusion. Continuous development and growth are required and can only be done by matching intent with impact within the organization.

Kaplan and Donovan Summary

Kaplan and Donovan’s article drew upon the importance of visual maps regarding diversity and inclusion. The article starts by going into detail about a manager’s day and then explains each key inclusion concept. Key concepts then are seen, such as intent and impact, unconscious bias, insider-outsider dynamics, and levels as systems. By learning about “Kim”, readers know that good intent does not always mean good impact. Kaplan and Donovan use these key concepts to explain Kim’s day in the office. Failures of intent can get even worse when diversity is a goal. Kaplan and Donovan clarify that because we aren’t educated about everyone around us, our “unconscious bias” blurs the reality that we perceive. Insider-outsider dynamics often create a decorrelation between intent and impact. When talking about unconscious bias, ultimately, in the recruitment process, it takes place, causing a plethora of candidates not to be seen or heard. With insider-outsider dynamics, it is explained that there are unfair advantages for insiders, while there is a disadvantage for outsiders. When it comes to levels as systems, Kaplan and Donovan define four levels that help to understand successful inclusion. The authors then explain what Kim could have done differently and how she could have applied these key concepts to create healthy inclusion. This hypothetical situation is very relatable, I would assume, to many managers, which produces almost a guideline for those reading it. Kaplan and Donovan’s main points they want readers to take away are that when it comes to diversity and inclusion in the workforce, good intent does not always mean good outcomes, small changes can have a drastic positive effect, and continual development is needed to fully understand each other.