Goyette 1

Kaylee Goyette

Inclusive Leadership Statement

Inclusion, diversity, and multiculturalism are an integral part of any organization. Before

attending the University of Rhode Island, I was unfamiliar with this type of inclusionary

language and practices. Coming from a primarily white town, I was not exposed to conversations

involving multiculturalism or the importance of acknowledging different diverse backgrounds.

However, at URI I have taken a handful of classes, such as HDF 291 and HDF 413, that have

given me the opportunity to have these meaningful discussions and expand my knowledge. For

example, in HDF 413, we learned about the Multicultural Organization Development model

(MCOD). This model has six main stages starting with the monocultural exclusionary stage and

moving to the perhaps unattainable multicultural stage (Jackson, 2006). As a leader and

consultant, my goal will be to achieve the “redefining organization stage” and continue working

towards the multicultural stage. I will help groups create and revise inclusionary policies, as well

as pursue endless opportunities for learning more about effective inclusionary practices as I

started to in my HDF classes. Furthermore, based on Tuckman’s Stages of Small Group

Development model, I will first identify which of the 5 stages, forming, storming, norming,

performing, and adjourning, the group I am working with is at (Tuckman & Jensen, 1977). Then,

based on which stage of the Tuckman model the group is at, I will facilitate conversations to

create a more equitable and welcoming environment for everyone. For example, if a group is in

the forming stage, they may not have enough trust among group members to talk about issues

such as barriers to inclusivity or how to work towards social change within their group. Overall,

as a leader and consultant, I currently strive to not only make sure that every person in the

organization has a voice, but also that they feel comfortable, safe and welcome to use it.
 Goyette 2

Bibliography

Jackson, B. W (2006). Theory and practice of multicultural organization development. In Jones,

B.B. & Brazzel, M. (Eds.), ​The NTL Handbook of Organization Development and

Change (​ pps, 139-154). San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.

Jackson, B. W., & Hardiman, R. (1994). Multicultural organization development. In E. Y. Cross,

J. H. Katz, F. A. Miller, & E. W. Seashore (Eds.), ​The promise of diversity: OVer 40

voices discuss strategies for eliminating discrimination in organizations ​(pp. 231-239).

Arlington, VA: NTL Institute.

Jackson, B.W. and Holvino, E.V. (1988, Fall), Developing multicultural organizations, ​Journal

of

Religion and Applied Behavioral Science (​ Association for Creative Change), 14-19.

Tuckman, Bruce W., & Jensen, Mary Ann C. (1977). Stages of Small-Group Development

Revisited. Group & Organization Management, 2(4), 419-427. Copyright 1977 by Sage

Publications. Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications.