Positive Change in Diversity and Inclusion: Engaging Those in Power

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Organizational scholars have devoted substantial attention to the challenges and weaknesses of diversity initiatives. However, we still lack a clear understanding of how to design effective diversity policies, especially initiatives that will engage those in power or who otherwise may not see a benefit for themselves. How can organizations design more effective policies that successfully engage people in powerful and privileged positions? This symposium presents work that suggests avenues for positive change in diversity and inclusion policy. Together, these presentations show how different approaches to diversity affect the way people in dominant societal positions (e.g., men, Whites, the wealthy) receive and engage with diversity issues in organizations. Further, this symposium identifies how organizations can engage those in power not only to increase diversity and inclusion, but also to inspire meaningful participation from groups otherwise often excluded or even threatened by diversity conversations. This symposium also provides practical solutions and interventions to help make diversity efforts more effective - thereby making organizations truly meaningful. Talks integrate research from psychological, sociological, and organizational sciences to move beyond the challenges identified by previous researchers and suggest new ways of improving diversity and inclusion in organizations. Overall, such work can deepen our understanding of organizational approaches to diversity, while helping researchers and practitioners create better policies that successfully engage people in powerful positions. First, L.T. Phillips develops a theoretical approach to understanding how those in power react to diversity initiatives and inclusion efforts; dual concerns of maintaining power and resources and achieving a sense of personal merit drive the responses of the powerful and privileged to diversity policies. Using this lens, she provides empirical evidence that addressing maintenance and security concerns can encourage the powerful to engage positively in diversity efforts within their organizations. Second, Martin, K.W. Phillips, and Sasaki use experimental methods to test how different ideologies about gender can influence inequality outcomes. They find that gender-blind approaches (downplaying differences and focusing on similarities between men and women) cause men to stereotype women colleagues less and treat women more respectfully compared to gender-aware approaches, which contrasts with recommended approaches for reducing racial bias in organizations. Third, Wynn uses a one-year ethnographic case study to analyze high-level organizational leaders’ engagement with gender equality initiatives; she finds that leaders combine the rhetoric of the initiative with their preexisting views about gender to conceptualize diversity and its importance to the organization. Finally, Romero, Emerson, Johnson, and Malahy draw from their practitioner experience at Paradigm, a strategy firm that partners with companies to build more diverse and inclusive organizations. They outline three strategies from the field for engaging organizational leaders in diversity initiatives and discuss how these leadership engagement strategies contribute to sustainable positive change in organizations. By exploring ways of successfully diversifying organizations, this symposium suggests how organizations can increase their social value and contribute positively to the inclusiveness of marginalized groups. Strategies for Engaging Leaders: Implementing Gender Equality in a Silicon Valley Tech Company Presenter: Alison Tracy Wynn; Stanford U. The Benefits of Gender-Blindness for Men's Bias Towards and Inclusion of Women Presenter: Ashley E. Martin; Columbia Business School Presenter: Katherine W. Phillips; Columbia U. Presenter: Stacey Sasaki; Columbia Business School Using Research to Inform D&I Strategies: Lessons from Engaging with Tech Companies and Leaders Presenter: Carissa Romero; Paradigm Presenter: Joelle Emerson; Paradigm Presenter: Natalie Johnson; Paradigm Presenter: Sean Malahy; Paradigm Merit vs. Maintenance: Using Safety Nets to Promote Merit Motives Among the Powerful Presenter: L Taylor Phillips; NYU Stern