The long and winding road to inclusion

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Из курса от партнера ESSEC Business School

Diversity and inclusion in the workplace

64 оценки

ESSEC Business School

Diversity and inclusion in the workplace

64 оценки

Diversity is a fact. It is also paradoxical. We need to be capable of seeing and hearing differences in order to reap the benefits of diversity. But seeing and hearing differences hone our discriminating reflexes and can also lead to discrimination. If you take this MOOC, you will: 1. understand this paradox, 2. understand its dynamics, and 3. identify ways to manage it, so that you can better channel the diversity potential in the workplace for greater performance and innovation.

Из урока

Hi Diversity!

Welcome to the start of your learning journey! In this module, you will start to familiarize yourself with diversity concepts and their relevance in the workplace. First, you will learn about why diversity and inclusion are important for firms, and about the historical development of diversity and inclusion in firms. Next, you will be introduced to key diversity-related concepts and issues. Then, you will discover facts and figures for five diversity categories and the challenges that firms are facing to promote the inclusion of these diversity elements. By the end of this module, you will have a clear understanding of diversity concepts and their application to different diversity categories.

A brief history of diversity in the workplace6:24

Key diversity concepts3:59

The long and winding road to inclusion5:48

Познакомьтесь с преподавателями

Junko Takagi
Teaching Professor
Management Department, Chair of Leadership & Diversity

The diversity vocabulary has evolved from focusing solely on discrimination and

inequalities to address ways of bringing diversity elements together through

integration and inclusion.

This does not mean that discrimination and inequalities are no longer pertinent, but

that in order to deal with such issues,

it is necessary to bring diversity issues into the mainstream, and

to include majority and dominant groups into the diversity dialogue.

Discrimination and inequalities are still prevalent for

populations that differ from the dominant group.

For example, women in top management functions,

non dominant ethnicities in higher education, and

consequently in the workplace, and people with special abilities, to name a few.

We can distinguish two general categories of discrimination,

structural discrimination and cognitive discrimination.

Structural discrimination refers to already existing

unequal distribution of wealth and

opportunities, which impact power relations between different populations.

If you look at gender relations for

example, we observe that in many countries, there are gender differences in

level of educational attainment and type of degree obtained.

We also observe that women tend to hold professional positions

that are inferior to positions held by men overall, and

there is a gender pay gap even within the same profession.

It is not surprising that we find more women than men

who live below the poverty line, particularly after retirement.

The systematic lack of access to opportunities, including educational

opportunities, leads to an unequal distribution of wealth and power.

The power to make decisions and distribute resources remains in the hands of

the dominant group, such that a self fulfilling schema is established.

Structural discrimination occurs because of and

is maintained by cognitive discrimination.

Cognitive discrimination focuses on individual cognitive processes

that yield the perceived differences in physique, lifestyles, values, etc.

We react to observe difference by confirming our own preferences, and

distinguishing ourselves from different elements by undermining them

When our distinctions are backed up by differentiated access

to resources such as education, status, and wealth,

this leads to a confirmation of power differences between diverse populations.

This process can be found for example, in gender and

race relations in many parts of the world.

Cognitive and structural discrimination, together generate and

maintain a status quo in which a power and prestige order is based on

diversity elements such as gender, ethnicity, or abilities.

For example, you will find an overrepresentation of men in important and

prestigious positions in politics, firms, and

public institutions, in societies that favor men.

In such an environment, there will be a tendency for boys and

girls to be evaluated differently for the same performance.

For example, in maths, boys may be perceived by teachers as being

talented for a good performance, while girls may be perceived by the same

teachers as working hard for a good performance.

This difference in appreciation based on gender

can have consequences down the road, such that we find significant majority of men

in engineering programs and significant majority of women in social sciences.

This contributes to reinforcing the status quo.

While an established social system is comfortable,

to the extent that we accept this social order,

it is not conducive to generating new ideas and new possibilities.

Darwin and the physical environment have shown that diversity is key to new

possibilities and survival, particularly in times of uncertainty and change.

In the same way, social diversity is an easily accessible factor

that can be mobilized to deal with changing social and economic environments.

Recently, states and firms have begun to address structural discrimination through

initiatives such as quota laws and equal opportunity programs.

It is more difficult to address cognitive discrimination since it is at individual

level, and often, individuals such as you and I are unaware of

distinctions we systematically make while interacting with our social environment.

It is important to note that discrimination is not a natural

phenomenon, and that the imbalance is reciprocated either consciously or

unconsciously by both sides of the inequality.

Therefore, identifying forms of discrimination

that create distinctions between populations with different characteristics

is the first step to creating a common understanding of diversity issues.

Developing a common vocabulary that takes into account the experiences of

both sides of a social imbalance create the building blocks for inclusion.

In the second module, categorization and diversity perceptions, we will

address more in detail the processes that create cognitive discrimination.

In this current module, you will have more concrete examples of structural

discrimination based on different diversity categories, including gender,

special abilities, cultural, social and intergenerational diversity.

You will also be asked to identify examples of structural discrimination, and

to think about how such a system is maintained.

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