Tag Archives: inclusion

Diversity as a problem-solving strategy

Posted on March 16, 2018 by | Leave a comment

In 2007, social scientist Scott E. Page generated what seemed like counter-intuitive findings about problem solving. When modeling outcomes for various kinds of groups, he found that random groups almost always did better than groups of the best individual performers.

What was going on?  In his book The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies, he explained that a group with a diverse range of viewpoints is typically able to generate the best solutions. These groups include:

  • Diverse perspectives
  • Diverse interpretations
  • Diverse ways of generating solutions
  • Diverse ways of understanding cause and effect

Within higher education, we can seek diverse viewpoints through a number of strategies. Admissions, hiring, and appointment policies need to promote a diverse environment for learning and working. Reaching outside of traditional disciplinary silos is essential for solving complex issues.

Page says that leadership in higher education needs to have a fundamental belief in the value of diversity. That belief needs to be acted out in the way we form committees, who we consult with about decisions, and who is at the table when we’re deciding what to do and how to do it.

Google wouldn’t want only freshly minted graduates from MIT and Caltech. People with different training and experiences often add more than people who score better on measuring sticks. . . . All else being equal, we should expect someone different – be their differences in training, experiences, or identity – to be more likely to have the unique experience that leads to the breakthrough.
— Scott E. Page, The Difference

What have you done to generate diversity on your teams and work groups?

Dee Anne Bonebright

 

Advertisement

Leave a comment

Posted in building teams, Diversity, higher education, inclusion, Leadership

Tagged , , ,

Fueling innovation through diversity

Posted on March 12, 2018 by | Leave a comment

In his 2016 book, Driven by Difference, David Livermore makes the case that high-functioning, diverse teams outperform homogenous teams. However, he says diversity by itself doesn’t contribute to organizational success unless it supports your organization’s mission. And, he adds that unless leaders leverage diversity’s potential, it can actually erode performance and productivity.

So how can a leader leverage the potential of diverse teams? The secret is to minimize conflict while maximizing the informational diversity found in varied values and experiences. To overcome inherent frictions among diverse team members, Livermore says a leader needs to develop their workforce’s cultural intelligence or CQ.

Drawing on success stories from Google, Alibaba, Novartis, and other groundbreaking companies, Livermore identifies key leadership practices and elements of cultural intelligence that fuel innovation:

CQ drive: Build a desire to learn about other cultures and a willingness to adapt.

CQ knowledge: Cultivate appreciation and understanding of cultural differences.

CQ strategy: Be aware of the perspectives and ideas of different people and how their viewpoints affect the work of teams.

CQ action: Adjust to cultural differences and leverage diversity into results.

Leaders can increase their teams CQ by encouraging curiosity,  listening, respect and “perspective-taking” among diverse team members. Drawn from real-life examples, Livermore demonstrates that innovation is fueled by cultural intelligence and the ability to see things from others’ perspectives. Encouraging employees to consider their co-workers’ points of view and to mix their colleagues’ perspectives with their own can pave the way to developing innovative solutions that borrow from many ideas and work for everyone.

What advice do you have for increasing your team’s or your own cultural intelligence?

Anita Rios

Leave a comment

Posted in build organizational talent, building teams, chief diversity officers, Diversity, equity, inclusion, Innovation, Leadership, leadership challenges, racial tension

Tagged , , ,

Transforming what we do

Posted on March 5, 2018 by | Leave a comment

“How do we transform what we do in light of both how today’s students learn, but also WHO they are?”  That was the provocative question asked by Interim  Chancellor Devinder Malhotra last month when he spoke at a Luoma Leadership event.  As we know, our classrooms are becoming more diverse, with new learners accessing higher education from communities that have traditionally had low participation rates in higher education.

To ensure student success, Chancellor Malhotra said we must align ourselves to new student demographics and the new workforce needed for our knowledge-based economy. He challenged all leaders to engage with underrepresented groups and embed themselves in their communities in order to accomplish our mission of serving all Minnesotans.

To do that, he advised that leaders not only learn about these communities, but that we learn with them and from them.  Doing so will ensure that Minnesota’s businesses and industries will have the talented workforce they need so communities across the state can thrive.

During the month of March, we will explore the leadership competency: valuing diversity. As you can see from Chancellor Malhotra’s remarks, valuing diversity is not just a good thing to do, but it is a strategic imperative. We must transform what we do in light how students learn and WHO students they are. In Minnesota State, here are the key behaviors that leaders are expected to demonstrate in valuing diversity:

  • Demonstrates inclusivity in work processes and work teams.
  • Encourages and promote the diversification of our faculty, staff and student body.
  • Actively seeks out and invites alternative viewpoints in planning, discussions, and decision making.

I invite you to join us in the conversation about our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion this month.

Anita Rios

 

Leave a comment

Posted in chief diversity officers, Diversity, equity, inclusion, stakeholders

Tagged , ,

Authentic conversations about difference

Posted on January 15, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Having authentic conversations about difference can be hard. This is especially true in the workplace. Sometimes, leaders can feel like they might say something wrong, so they choose to say nothing. In these instances, they can miss valuable opportunities to increase awareness of racial, ethnic, and gender differences and to create greater inclusivity on their own campuses.

Having spent over a decade in my early career working primarily on diversity and gender equity issues, I know it can feel intimidating to wade into topics of equity, diversity, and inclusion, especially as a white, middle-class woman with privilege. I also appreciate those who work hard to genuinely understand difference and create inclusive work and learning environments.

Understanding and creating a climate where difference is respected and honored is not just a nice thing to do, it has real benefits. Research from Catalyst shows that “employees reported feeling included when they feel both valued for their uniqueness and a sense of belonging. When employees feel more included, they reported being more team-oriented and innovative.”  Authentic conversations where different viewpoints are encouraged and shared and “outsider” perspectives are honored, can set the foundation for building good working relationships, fostering collaboration and resolving conflict.

So, are you wondering how to get an authentic conversation started? If so, Catalyst has created a wonderful tool to help, called: Engaging in Conversations about Gender, Race, and Ethnicity in the Workplace. The 29-page booklet published in 2016 is full of excellent information to help you navigate talking about difference. To give you an idea, here are a few of the conversation starters and suggested actions included:

  • Ask people who are different from me how they experience their own gender, race, or ethnicity—and then really listen to the answer.
  • Talk to my colleagues about what the most salient issues are for different ethnic groups in our country, in our organization, and in our work team.
  • Ask my colleagues what fears or misconceptions prevent them from having discussions about differences.
  • Encourage one-on-one or group discussions about traditionally “unspoken” issues related to race or ethnicity in the culture in which I am working. For example, “I’d like to talk about how we can make our team meetings more inclusive and build trust among teammates. What are one or two issues we need to put on the table, but are usually overlooked or considered undiscussable? Why do we find these issues undiscussable? Why are they important?”
  • Ask my colleagues to think about times when discussing “difference” (in any sense) has led to a positive outcome.

As Catalyst authors say, “Openness and the ability to have difficult conversations are needed to effectively communicate across our differences and build inclusive workplaces.”

In recognition of Martin Luther King day, I want to challenge each of us as leaders to find opportunities to initiate more conversations about difference. Go ahead, try it out in a one-on-one conversation, or your next team meeting. Be bold! Why not think about facilitating a large group discussion about difference in your workplace? You’ll be modeling an inclusive workplace.

Anita Rios

Leave a comment

Posted in chief diversity officers, communication, Diversity, equity, inclusion, self awareness

Tagged , ,

Demanding equity and inclusion

Posted on March 14, 2016 by | Leave a comment

mizz“Will having more chief diversity officers, as student protestors have asked, resolve tensions behind the wave of protests at campuses around the nation?” This is an insightful question, asked by Jackie Jones, in her article: “Demanding Inclusion” published in the Chronicle’s Diverse: Issues in Higher Education for March 18, 2016.

My simple answer to Jone’s question is: it depends!

According to Mary Frances Berry, former chair and member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, student protestors on campuses across the country “…are looking for more black people, a reduction in overt racism, and micro- and macro-aggressive behavior.” Following a series of high-profile racial incidents at the University of Missouri, students demanded that the institution compose a 10-year strategic plan by May 1, 2016 to:

  • increase retention for marginalized students
  • sustain diversity curriculum and training
  • promote a more safe and inclusive campus

This is only one example of what is happening at U.S. colleges and universities. And the tensions only seem to be building across the country. Solving these dilemmas seems a very tall order for Chief Diversity Officers alone. And their ability to solve them depends on the authority afforded to their role and the influence they have in affecting many areas of an institution, such as:

  • Recruitment and Retention
  • Campus Climate
  • Curriculum and Instruction
  • Strategic Planning
  • Research
  • Institutional Advancement
  • Student Success
  • Staff/Faculty Performance Management
  • Intergroup Relations and Discourse
  • Procurement/Supplier Diversity

So what can we as leaders do about it? According to William B. Harvey, founding president emeritus of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, we need to support Chief Diversity Officers. He says, “The only way these positions can be successful is if they have the support of the university leadership and the staffing needed.” Harvey also says that we need to get senior faculty on board to address student concerns.

I agree with Harvey, but I’ll also push the issue further. It’s not just CDOs and senior faculty that can make a difference in fostering equity and inclusion. Each one of us has a responsibility to create inclusive campus climates, where diversity is valued.

Every time we hire new staff or faculty, we can pay closer attention to affirmative hiring efforts. As we welcome new staff and faculty to our campuses, we can make sure that everyone has an excellent orientation and onboarding experience. We can promote ways to create an inclusive curriculum and provide incentives to do that.

We can support diversity training and make sure that our leadership development programs have strong diversity components. We can model inclusivity in our decision making. We can build equity and inclusion efforts into our strategic planning. And we can hold ourselves accountable to the diversity goals we set.

For my part, I am working collaboratively with staff in Talent Management, Equity and Diversity,  Chief Human Resources officers, Affirmative Action Officers, and other leaders to produce training resources that help faculty and staff at our institutions hire affirmatively. It is one thing I can do to promote equity and inclusion.

What can you do?

Anita Rios

 

 

 

 

 

Leave a comment

Posted in Accountability, change and transition, Diversity, higher education, inclusion, leadership challenges

Tagged , , ,

Can I make a difference?

Posted on May 6, 2015 by | 2 comments

Oct25-Dalai-LamaI grew up going to a small cabin in northern Minnesota. To this day, over 50 years later, I can still remember the horrible whining buzz of even just one mosquito at night after we went to bed. It made it impossible to sleep and not a place I wanted to stay! Each night my grandpa would get out his flashlight and flyswatter and track down every mosquito. He made a huge difference and because of him I felt welcomed at the cabin.

Leaders also have the opportunity, and the accountability, to create a workplace where everyone on their team feels welcomed. That is my simple definition of diversity and inclusion. It doesn’t have to involve a large complicated program but it does require looking in all possible areas of the employee life cycle for those “pesky mosquitoes” that are problematic for your people. We can make a difference by shining a flashlight on how we:

  1. Recruit and make selection decisions
  2. Orient and onboard our new people
  3. Develop and train everyone on our team
  4. Provide coaching and feedback
  5. Review and evaluate each person
  6. Plan and support individual career development
  7. Reward and recognize contributions and engagement

One small change in how we lead and support our people can make a huge difference. Where have you built inclusiveness into any of these employee life cycle events?

Todd Thorsgaard

 

2 Comments

Posted in building teams, Developing Capacity, Diversity, Engagement, talent management

Tagged , , , ,