Inclusive Climate Research Articles

Meaning-making in a context of climate change: supporting agency and political engagement

ABSTRACT Responding effectively to climate change requires an understanding of what shapes people’s individual and collective sense of agency and responsibility towards the future. It also requires transforming this understanding into political engagement to support systems change. Based on a national representative survey in Sweden (N = 1,237), this research uses the novel SenseMaker methodology to look into these matters. More specifically, in order to understand the social and institutional prerequisites that must be in place to develop inclusive climate responses, we investigate how citizens perceive their everyday life and future, and the implications for their sense of responsibility, agency, and political engagement. Our research findings show how citizens perceive and act on climate change (individually, cooperatively, and by supporting others), their underlying values, beliefs, emotions and paradigms, inter-group variations, and obstacles and enablers for change. The findings reveal that, in general, individual and public climate action is perceived as leading to improved (rather than reduced) wellbeing and welfare. At the same time, climate anxiety and frustration about structural and governance constraints limit agency, whilst positive emotions and inner qualities, such as human–nature connections, support both political engagement and wellbeing. Our results shed light on individual, collective, and structural capacities that must be supported to address climate change. They draw attention to the need to develop new forms of citizen involvement and of policy that can explicitly address these human interactions, inner dimensions of thinking about and acting on climate change, and the underlying social paradigms. We conclude with further research needs and policy recommendations.

Patient perspectives of the climate of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the emergency department.

ObjectiveAssessing the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) climate of emergency departments (EDs) can inform organizational change to provide equitable, inclusive, and high‐quality care to their diverse patient populations. The purpose of this project was to investigate patient perspectives on the climate of DEI in an urban ED.MethodsThis was a cross‐sectional survey study conducted in a large‐volume, urban ED in Detroit, MI, from November 2018 to January 2019. The survey was developed by an experienced ED DEI committee via an iterative process and broad consensus.ResultsDuring their care in the ED, 849 patients completed an anonymous survey about their perspectives and experiences of DEI in that ED. Overall, the responses were favorable as most respondents reported that the ED staff treated patients from all races equally (75.8%) and made patients feel accepted (86%). However, some respondents felt that the ED staff's treatment of populations with greater complexity, such as patients who are mentally ill (16.8%) or lower income (14.3%), needs the most improvement.ConclusionsThis DEI climate assessment survey of ED patients’ perspectives revealed important insights that could guide strategic initiatives to advance DEI in the ED. This assessment may serve as a model for continuous evaluation of DEI over time and in multiple healthcare settings to help guide organizational change efforts.

Empathetic Leadership and Follower Workplace Engagement: Mediating Role of Climate for Inclusion

Although inclusive climate is an emerging approach in empathetic leadership to enhance workplace outcomes, limited research has shown how empathetic leaders create climate for inclusion. The basic aim of current study was to investigate the role of empathetic leaders to promote a climate for inclusion and to examine the effect on workplace outcomes. Survey method was used to collect data of female teachers from various universities. Data revealed that Empathetic leadership plays a vital role to create an inclusive climate for female teachers to engage at their workplace. Findings supported the research hypothesis and research model and established a connection between empathetic leadership, climate for inclusion and follower workplace engagement.

Empathetic Leadership and Follower Workplace Engagement: Mediating Role of Climate for Inclusion

Although inclusive climate is an emerging approach in empathetic leadership to enhance workplace outcomes, limited research has shown how empathetic leaders create climate for inclusion. The basic aim of current study was to investigate the role of empathetic leaders to promote a climate for inclusion and to examine the effect on workplace outcomes. Survey method was used to collect data of female teachers from various universities. Data revealed that Empathetic leadership plays a vital role to create an inclusive climate for female teachers to engage at their workplace. Findings supported the research hypothesis and research model and established a connection between empathetic leadership, climate for inclusion and follower workplace engagement.

Humanization of professional training specialist of information, library, and archival affairs under distance learning

The goal of the work. To determine the trends in the functioning of higher education in the field of social communications and the essence of the humanization of professional training of specialists in information, library and archival affairs, under conditions of forced distance learning of students during martial law. The research methodology consists in the application of the scienific methods and systematic method of research. The scientific novelty of the work is to expand the understanding of online learning, strategic approaches that create an inclusive climate of the online course, able to maintain cognitive and affective differences that coexist in training specialists in information, library and archival affairs in higher education. Conclusions. It was found that the system of professional training requires significant optimization, revision of the pedagogical paradigm of effective educational process, increasing attention to the study of the basics of general culture, the formation of economic, legal, political, psychological, pedagogical and informational cultures. Scientifically substantiated need for humanization of professional training of future specialists in information, library and archival affairs, special attention is paid to providing formal and informal online education, awareness of internal needs and at the same time objective need for mobile self-development, ability to adequately and dynamically communicate with others and yourself. It has been established that humanization supplies the strict, practical education strategy for online education, which creates an inclusive online course environment, which is able to support the cognitive and affective differences, that coexisted within the courses of the high education institutions. It is defined that the education humanization actualizes the issue of the improvement of the organizational and management of the future specialist culture on the basis of self-oriented technologies development, ensures self-developing conditions for the student, for his self-realization in professional activity, contributes to the growth of the mental potential, philosophy formation, moral behavior pattern. Keywords: humanization, professional training, online courses, culturally responsible training, specialists in information, library and archival affairs.

Enhancing Employees’ Daily Inclusion at Work: A Multilevel Temporal Approach to Social Context

The mission of inclusive organizations is to create a positive work environment that makes every employee feel like a valued part of the organization. Achieving this goal relies upon not only inclusion initiatives that reduce overall bias and conflict, but also, more importantly, the crafting of day-to-day social context that ultimately enhances employees’ inclusion experiences. Yet, we have a limited understanding about the nature of social context that engenders daily employee inclusion. Integrating the functions of positive work relationships model with inclusion research, we adopt a multilevel temporal approach to investigate how coworker social interactions at the daily level interact with inclusive climate at the unit level to impact employees’ daily inclusion, and subsequently their activities during and after work. We surveyed 97 employees from 31 pharmacies in China over 10 consecutive workdays (N = 911). Results showed that daily support-related coworker interactions enhanced employees’ daily inclusion, which translated into enhanced task proficiency at work and problem-solving pondering after work. The positive association between daily coworker interactions and perceived inclusion was stronger for employees working in stores with higher (vs. lower) inclusive climates, and employees’ socioemotional attribution of coworker interactions mediated the moderating effect of inclusive climate.

Gender and Ethnic Dissimilarity and Organizational Embeddedness: A Study of Team Climates

Drawing upon relational demography and conservation of resources theory, we study the relationship between gender and ethnic dissimilarity and organizational embeddedness to understand why dissimilar employees stay in their work organizations. Further, we study the role of team justice climate and climate for inclusion as moderators ameliorating this adverse effect. The study was conducted on 82 work teams in Malaysia. We conducted this study in a unique national context where a societal numerical minority—Chinese—has higher socioeconomic status than the Malay majority, as well as less gender egalitarianism than Western countries. The results show that climate for inclusion ameliorated adverse ethnic dissimilarity effects on organizational embeddedness, but not for gender dissimilarity, and that justice climate ameliorated adverse gender and ethnic dissimilarity effects on organizational embeddedness. Further, the ameliorating effects of justice and inclusive climates were more pronounced for women and non-Chinese employees, demographic groups who are more sensitive to justice and inclusion due to lower status and relative lack of social and material resources in the workplace. Our study points to the importance of fostering positive team climates for justice and inclusion to retain traditionally underrepresented employees in Malaysia and other nations.

Antecedents and Outcomes of Team Gender Diversity: The Boundary Condition of Managers’ Inclusiveness

Integrating the diversity and inclusion literature, this study investigates the role of organizational inclusive staffing as the antecedent and team voice as the outcome of gender diversity in team contexts. In addition, managers’ inclusiveness and inclusive climate are considered potential moderators and mediators in our research framework. Multi-wave and multi-source data collected from research and development (R&D) teams, including 71 team leaders and 257 team members, revealed that team managers’ perceived organizational inclusive staffing is positively related to team gender diversity, and this relationship can be strengthened by top managers’ diversity-valuing behaviors. Moreover, team gender diversity is also found to facilitate team voice through team inclusive climate when team managers have higher levels of leader inclusiveness. Finally, we discuss valuable findings as well as theoretical and managerial implications of the study.

Do Diversity-Related HR Practices Matter for Employee Performance? A Multilevel Investigation

In this study, we investigate whether diversity-focused HR practices exert an influence on employee performance through the intervening mechanisms of inclusion climate and relational attachment. The proposed links were hypothesized relying on the social processing information and social exchange theories. Multiphase and multisource data were collected from employees working in the hotel industry in Italy. In order to verify our hypotheses, we employed a multilevel statistical technique. The findings of this study indicate that diversity-focused HR practices can boost employee performance through inclusion climate and relational attachment. The results are novel as they address an empirically hot topic and identify outcomes of diversity-focused HR practices. Discussion, implications and limitations are presented.

Are Your Employees Hopeful at Work? The Influence of Female Leadership, Gender Diversity and Inclusion Climate on Japanese Employees’ Hope

There are two well-known truths about Japan: one is that Japan is one of the most advanced economies, which takes pride in its highly advanced technology, social infrastructure and system; the other is that Japan ranks lowest at women’s social participation among Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. Even though the Japanese government has initiated programs to promote female participation and advancement in society, these initiatives have not yet borne remarkable fruit. This study intends to address this issue by investigating the effectiveness of female leadership in Japan, specifically its effect on organizations’ gender diversity and inclusion (D&I) climate and employees’ task-related positive attitudes. Synthesizing social information processing theory and social identity theory, the study examines 306 Japanese employees working with their female supervisors in medium- and large-sized manufacturing companies. The findings show that female ambidextrous leadership contributes to shape and strengthen a gender D&I climate and ultimately enhances employees’ hope on their work. In addition, the positive effect of a gender D&I climate on employees’ hope is the same for all employees regardless of gender. The findings clarify the role of female leadership and the underlying psychological mechanism through which female leadership influences employees’ positive work attitudes. This first empirical study in Japan contributes to the research on female leadership and D&I management.

Protecting Coastal Environment in India: Reading Laws in the Context of Climate Change

The oceans’ role in maintaining the climate of this planet is unquestionably vital. But today, the fine balance in ocean chemistry is dangerously upset by the global warming, leading to more warmer oceans and a continuous rise in sea level across the globe. With that comes the threat to marine lives and ecosystems. India has a 7,516.6 km long coastline which is the home to many marginal poor communities who mainly survive on the ocean resources. Alongside, the adjacent marine environment contains an astounding array of biodiversity, harbouring innumerable species with ecological and commercial significance. However, Indian coastal regions are also not spared from the ill effects of climate change. The condition is frightening enough as the lives of hundreds and thousands of people living at the coast are at critical risk, along with the possibility of irreparable loss of biodiversity. India, thus far, has offered a fragmented conservation methodology for its coastal regions. The laws, regulations and policies that matter most in their current forms lack synergy and clear insight. This article tracks those ambiguities and advances a central argument that India needs to put in place an inclusive climate strategy without further eroding environmental laws that play a key role in conserving its coastal and marine environment.

We need to make sure telecommuting does not exacerbate gender disparity

We need to make sure telecommuting does not exacerbate gender disparity

Examining Parental Perception of Inclusive Education Climate

Parental perspectives about the inclusion of their child with a disability has received limited attention in the literature. Considering parental voice plays an important role in determining the quality of inclusive education, the lack of reliable and valid tools to investigate parental experiences has significantly limited research in this area. One of the key objectives of this study was to build the evidence base in the field by testing the psychometric properties of the newly developed Parental Perception of Inclusion Climate Scale, using a systematic approach drawing on a review of available research in the field. The scale incorporates items that address parental perspectives regarding six key aspects of inclusion for their child including presence, participation, acceptance, achievement, happiness and belonging. Participants were recruited through social media, and data from 190 parents of children with additional learning needs attending a range of school settings were collected. Results suggested a three-factor structure, with strong internal consistency for the scale. These factors were: Teacher and School Support; Student Engagement; and Friendships. The scale showed that parents are generally moderately satisfied with their child’s inclusion in school overall. A series of independent sample t-tests and one-way ANOVAs revealed significant differences in parental perspectives of inclusion as measured by the scale according to school sector, disability type, and parent gender. Parents whose children attend government schools reported less satisfaction with their child’s inclusion at school and also with the support provided by teachers and schools more broadly as measured by the Teacher and School Support subscale, as compared to parents of children who attend independent schools. Results also suggested that parents of children with a social emotional disability reported less satisfaction with their child’s engagement in school as measured by the Student Engagement subscale as compared to parents of children without a social emotional disability. Finally, fathers reported higher levels of satisfaction with their child’s engagement in school as measured by the Student Engagement subscale and also higher levels of satisfaction with their peer relationships as measured by the Friendships subscale than mothers. This study provides a tool that researchers, school educators, and policy makers could use to collect evidence about the efficacy of inclusive practices for students with a disability or additional support needs. The scale could provide educators and researchers with a valuable tool to guide evidence-based practice and theory in inclusive education.

The Orthodoxy of Special Education Among Public, Private, and Islamic Secondary Schools Providing Inclusive Education

Purpose – The extent to which a special education orthodoxy influences teachers’ understanding and practicing of the idea of inclusion in teaching and learning is essential to be revealed to construct the meaning of inclusion for the Indonesian context.
 Design/methods/approach – Thirteen participants of three types of Schools Providing Inclusive Education (SPIE) i.e., Sekolah Harapan (public), Sekolah Mulia (Islamic), and Sekolah Wijaya (private) in the Special Province of Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta were selected purposively, and a qualitative case study was conducted using an in-depth interview to gather the data.
 Findings – All participants articulated inclusive education is a placement for students with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) in the general education system. All students with SEND were welcomed in Sekolah Harapan but were then labeled and pulled out to a resource room to be educated separately by a support teacher. In Sekolah Mulia, most students were visually impaired without support teacher provided to assist them. Teaching and learning were very minimal offered various strategies, media, and assessments; mirrored the special education model. Sekolah Wijaya, in contrast, implemented a more inclusive education model, no labeled was marked for students with SEND and promoted an inclusive climate through learning activities.
 Research limitation – The small number of participants meant that the findings cannot be generalized as the participants cannot be considered representatives of secondary schools in Yogyakarta or Indonesia.
 Originality/value – Teachers in three SPIE investigated are willing to promote inclusive education although the orthodoxy of special education philosophy still has been flavoring most of the teachers’ language in defining and practicing the inclusive concept.

Epistemic justice in public involvement and engagement: Creating conditions for impact.

IntroductionPatient and public involvement in research is anchored in moral and epistemological rationales. Moral rationales relate to the public having a right to influence how knowledge about them is generated. Epistemological rationales relate to how research design and implementation can improve when informed by experiential, as well as technical, knowledge. In other words, public involvement can increase the epistemological resources of researchers, and contribute to research that is fit for purpose and has high external validity.MethodsThis article presents an analysis of 3 meetings and 11 interviews with public collaborators and researchers in three UK‐based health research studies. Data comprised transcripts of audio‐recorded research meetings and interviews with public collaborators and researchers. Data were first analysed to develop a data‐informed definition of experiential knowledge, then thematically to investigate how this experiential knowledge was considered and received within the research space.ResultsAt meetings, public collaborators shared their experiential knowledge as stories, comments, questions, answers and when referring to their own roles. They were aware of crossing a boundary from everyday life, and some adapted their contributions to fit within the research space. Although researchers and public collaborators made efforts to create an inclusive climate, obstacles to impact were identified.ConclusionsConsidering experiential knowledge as a boundary object highlights that this knowledge has a different form to other kinds of knowledge that contribute to research. To enable impact from experiential knowledge, researchers need to create a space where public collaborators experience epistemic justice.Patient and Public ContributionThe Peninsula Public Engagement Group (PenPEG) was involved in the planning and conceptualization of the study, including the development of the ethics application and the interview schedules. One member of this group (Richard Fitzgerald) and one from outside the group (Leon Farmer), were full members of the author team and were involved in the data analysis. Leon Farmer has since become a member of PenPEG. Richard Fitzgerald and Leon Farmer were not involved in the three research studies sampled for this study. Sadly Richard Fitzgerald died during the course of this study.

Anchored or Detached? A Student Commentary on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at Urban Institutions

In 2020, Americans witnessed the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impact the most minoritized groups. Concurrently, the innumerable police killings of Black Americans re-ignited racial justice protests across the world. As a result, students, faculty, and staff observed a rapid push by administrations to enact diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and commit to creating more equitable and inclusive climates. Since higher education's inception, urban anchor institutions have played an integral role in the political, social, and economic well-being of their surrounding communities. After 2020, as the distance between universities and their surrounding communities continues to expand, it’s as critical as ever for urban and metropolitan universities to dismantle the pervasive inequities that torment their students and surrounding communities. Although numerous anchor institutions have expressed their commitment to DEI initiatives in recent years, minoritized students, faculty, and staff continue to face systemic barriers to academic and professional achievement and overall well-being. Given this discrepancy, we, four graduate students from an urban anchor institution, were invited to provide recommendations for universities to dismantle inequities and provide a more inclusive, anti-racist environment for its students. As such, we address three concerns: increasing the diversity of faculty and staff, correcting housing and medical injustices of the past, and remodeling campus safety and policing. Our commentary also provides actionable steps for urban anchor universities to address these challenges, particularly for minoritized students and communities.

Campus Climate Assessments: Limitations of Siloing Sexual Violence and Diversity Surveys

ABSTRACT Climate surveys are common tools for assessing and improving the experience at institutions of higher education. However, methodological limitations currently exist as assessment tools tend to be siloed with climate surveys assessing sexual misconduct on campus generally failing to assess issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion and vice versa. As a result of this siloing, institutions of higher education possess a limited ability to notice and address patterns of injustice and inequity that cut across campus climate domains. This review summarizes the limitations of siloing sexual misconduct and diversity and inclusion climate assessments and provides a theoretical framework that emphasizes the importance of utilizing a comprehensive approach to assessing campus climate. From this framework we derive theoretical and practical recommendations for researchers and practitioners to advance scholarship and guide institutional research, planning, and practice.

Accelerating Climate Change Adaptive Capacity Through Regional Sustained Assessment and Evaluation in Hawai‘i and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands

As the impacts and risks from climate change increase, the climate assessment landscape has expanded in scope and application, resulting in the desire for more information relevant to local decision-making. Some regions lack detailed climate projections and a body of consensus findings about sector-specific impacts, and there is a need for actionable, culturally cognizant, translated climate information suitable for integration into operations and management, budgeting, funding proposals, and domestic and international policy. The Pacific Islands Regional Climate Assessment, or PIRCA, is the subject of this decade-long case study illustrating the need, development, and benefit of creating and sustaining a nuanced, collaborative, and deliberately inclusive climate assessment effort among researchers and practitioners in Hawai‘i and the US-Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI). Using external evaluations done in 2013 and 2021, and our observations as participants in the process, we describe regional adaptive capacity challenges—an important component of the decision context for PIRCA stakeholders—and analyze the role of the PIRCA network in accelerating climate adaptation. We also examine how regional and national assessments complement each other, and how assessment processes can aid in translation to sub-national decision making across the climate science-policy interface. Results reveal components of the PIRCA that are foundational to its effectiveness: framing climate information in human and decision-centric ways; use of inclusive and non-extractive methods; willingness to shift approaches to meet stakeholder objectives; leveraging the resources of the Pacific Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) and other boundary organizations; taking the time to build relationships; and creating a dedicated position to sustain collaborations and relationships within the region and at larger assessment scales. Our experience and the feedback received through the evaluation suggest that these lessons are transferable to other regions and scales, and that sustained and collaborative regional climate assessments can serve a key function in complementing major national and international assessments, by translating and more effectively targeting information to meet local needs in support of regional climate adaptation and policymaking.

Explaining the relationship between ethnicity and depressive symptoms: The roles of climate for inclusion, job self-efficacy, and job demands

Prior research indicates that employees from ethnic minority backgrounds are more likely to experience depression and other mental health problems than their ethnic majority counterparts. To understand what drives these negative outcomes, we integrate research on ethnic minorities at work with the job demands-resources (JDR) model. Based on the JDR model, we consider climate for inclusion as a key job resource for ethnic minority employees that mitigates the deleterious effects of ethnic minority status on job self-efficacy, perceived job demands, and depressive symptoms. We conducted a two-wave survey study (Time 1: N = 771; Time 2: N = 299, six months apart) with employees from five medium sized not-for-profit and local government organizations in Australia. Our empirical results indicate that ethnic minorities report a higher job-self-efficacy and fewer depressive symptoms when they perceive a high climate for inclusion.

“I’m Going to Live My Life Freely”: Authenticity as an Indicator of Belonging Among Urban Latinx LGBTQ+ Youth

While there is a growing body of scholarship on the experiences of LGBTQ+ youth in school and community settings, less is known about Latinx LGBTQ+ youth specifically. In response, this phenomenological study examined the experiences of eight Latinx LGBTQ+ youth relative to school and community belonging, with a specific focus on urban environments, using intersectionality and minority stress frameworks, and Lee and Robbins’ operational definition of belongingness. Three overarching themes emerged from the data: (a) navigating challenges, (b) the importance of an inclusive climate, and (c) thriving through adversity. Further, authenticity was identified as an additional indicator of belonging among Latinx LGBTQ+ youth. This article reviews the study’s findings, explores implications for Extension research and practice, and suggests strategies for educators and youth-serving professionals.