![]() Because fear of being seen as “confrontational” for either white or minority employees hinders open dialogue, conflict needs to be reframed as a solution-seeking act necessary to progress. Company-wide discussions about race have the potential to be tense, and getting defensive is the quickest way to halt progress. Over time, this investment led to a significant overhaul of its evaluation metrics to ensure equity, as well as an increased capacity for difficult dialogues about race and other inclusion topics.Ģ. ![]() One company my firm worked with in the insurance sector engaged in customized diversity and inclusion training over the course of three years. Just as becoming a skilled manager didn’t happen in one workshop, becoming a competent participant in or a facilitator of racial dialogues also takes time and development. And unconscious-bias training – which has gotten very popular recently - is important, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle. Successful customized training sessions that are embedded and sustained over time involve cohort-based experiences, immersion opportunities, coaching, book clubs, and small study groups that convene for at least a quarter or, at best, a year or longer. Cordoning off diversity and inclusion efforts in a single department signals those issues aren’t priorities, making challenging conversations easier to avoid. ![]() When conversations about race occur within a larger investment in inclusion, those discussions gain a context that helps employees understand why they’re valuable and where they fit into the overall business strategy. Positive change comes from customized trainings and regular discussions that are informed by and interwoven with business strategy (and presented consistently over time). Standalone trainings and one-off dialogues - though currently considered best practice - are too quickly forgotten and too easily written off as “nice to do,” limiting a company’s ability to foster sustained workplace climate change. Here are three steps - based on both my academic research and my consulting work - that managers can take to increase discussion, decrease fear of saying the “wrong thing,” and avoid sidestepping conflict:ġ. population growth between 20. As these changes transform the workplace, being comfortable talking about race will become increasingly important. Department of Commerce projects nonwhite ethnic groups will represent 85% of U.S. ![]() Today, minorities make up 37% of the United States population and will climb to 57% by 2060. But pretending the elephant in the room isn’t there won’t make it go away. Many white people may avoid conversations about race out of fear of “saying the wrong thing.” And many people of color in predominantly white companies may avoid these conversations out of fear of being seen as a complainer - or worse. While such dialogues can provoke anxiety or discomfort and can be difficult to navigate, they are essential - and beneficial - even before an incident occurs. Wolfe’s ouster and similar stories underscore how the ability to discuss race and racism is vital to being a leader today. Unwilling to acknowledge protesters during the homecoming parade and unable to effectively respond to questions about systematic oppression, Wolfe was seen by students as uninterested in addressing their concerns - concerns they had attempted to raise with him time and again. He lost his job because he didn’t talk about them. Tim Wolfe, former president of the University of Missouri system, did not lose his job because of racist incidents on campus.
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