Ester Todd

Diversity in Organizations
Summer 2022
FIELD NOTES
Course Objectives
• Course objectives:
o Understand diversity and how it impacts organizations
o Apply critical thinking skills to improving understanding of diversity
o Demonstrate improved skills and competence to work in a diverse environment.
o Engage in novel perspectives, taking views and experiences of others.
o Understand some of the issues and challenges related to managing a workforce that is diverse
with regards to race, gender, ethnicity, etc.
• What is Diversity and Inclusion?
o Can refer to demographic differences among members or differences between groups
o Can also refer to the amount of differences within a unit and the distribution of differences
among the members of a unit with respect to a common attribute
o Diversity can be surface vs. deep, visible vs. invisible, observable vs. non-observable.
o Inclusion is the extent that individuals are involved, can access information, and are part of
decision-making processes
o Major differences still between diversity and inclusion in organizations.

Diversity Overview – June 22, 2022

• Objects, people, places, etc. don’t have intrinsic meaning. We can all look at the same thing and
interpret it differently. We assign meaning. It is the same with diversity.
o Meaning that is not shared does not transfer to action. We must collectively share our
meanings.
• We watched clips of the movie Pleasantville, which was really disturbing.
• We discussed public policies on diversity, and the role of government vs. corporations.
o We cannot make government solely responsible for diversity and inclusion initiatives.
o Public policy can push this forward onto the plates of corporations.
• Biases:
o Implicit bias (leads to not allowing someone the chance to develop)
o In-group favoritism (biases that are bigger than us, protect the group vs. inclusion)
o Overclaiming credit (ego and self-preservation, undervalue other people’s contributions)
 o Conflict of interest (Pfeffer, Power Rule on YouTube)
• Social identities – we all have multiple identities (culture, age, gender, experience, etc.) and these
identities are valuable resources.

Takeaways:
1. Do not expect an immediate or intrinsic profit increase when diversity policies are enacted.
2. When people refuse to let go of power, it makes it very difficult to implement inclusion.
3. We need experience if we want to change behavior.
4. We are all biased.

Reflections
I enrolled in this course because I wanted better understand diversity and incorporate my learnings into
my interactions in the workplace. In the United States, the word “Diversity” is very much a buzz word—a
hot topic with a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding associated with it. To me, diversity means
strength and growth, but I also understand now the conflict and risks associated with it.
During the first live class session, I was really impressed by the cultural diversity represented by my
classmates. Although I have previously participated in classes with foreign exchange students, this was a
completely new experience. Being in the “minority” for the first time offered me a great perspective. One
of the first things that Professor Luciana did was point out that for most of the class participants, English
is a second language. “Language should not be a problem,” she said. And it was not. The patience
demonstrated by everyone was admirable.
Resources/Follow-Ups
• Watch Pfeffer “7 Rules of Power” on Youtube

Diversity & Gender – June 23, 2022

• Positive perspective: motivate different standards for day-to-day interactions, Foster a more
inclusive workplace (especially for underrepresented groups)
• Negative Perspective: prevent constructive communication, difficult collaborative behavior.
• Political correctness builds more inclusive environment through rules not skills, which is a very
limited incentive to for proper behavior. Can be a good starting point.
• Discussion: there can be little room for mistakes and therefore limit their conversations and
vulnerability. If there is not an environment to listen and respect each other, we set up expectations
for people to not be honest. Leaders and individuals must have confidence and high self-esteem in
order to receive criticism and make mistakes. There is a balancing point of listening to each other and
 understanding where each person is coming from. When an individual is purpose-driven and
authentic, individuals’ behaviors are compared to the values of the organization vs. the expectations
of some other individuals. As a leader, authenticity is not being true to yourself, rather to what people
need from you OR As a leader you must balance authenticity to yourself and to the people you are
leading (two different ideas).
• How to talk about diversity
a) Pause
b) Connect
c) Question yourself
d) Get genuine support
e) Shift your mindset
• How to facilitate the learning mindset
f) Collect, analyze, and use data
g) Shape the environment
h) Broaden decision-making scope – we do not want to hire someone just for the sake of having a
disability in the environment
i) Invest in relationships
j) Develop your learning and reflexive mindset
• When discussing the benefits of diversity, we need more data in order to say that diversity pays.
o Diversity does not necessarily translate to pay, but it indirectly affects group dynamics, can
improve ability to handle conflict, and affects communication.
• Case Study on Jenny
o In this case study, Jenny is face with sexual harassment from a potential client. Even after
initial comments that I immediately identified as red flags, Jenny felt like she had to attend an
uncomfortable lunch in order to get a deal sealed.
o Discussed the importance of confidence – to call out bad behavior when it happens to
yourself as a woman or to your coworkers (for non-women)
o Discussed the role of leadership to not allow gender discrimination to occur, even at the cost
of “sealing a deal.”

Takeaways
1. Let people be themselves, when they want to. Stop controlling.
2. Political correctness can be helpful in talking about diversity, if for nothing else but
terminology, but there is no black and white. (Referencing Ely, Meyerson, and Davidson 2006).
 3. Policies should address voice. No matter what happens, Jenny (women) have the right to
choose what to do. No one should override her choice or step on her toes.
4. The role of leadership is to support the environment so that people can be themselves.

Reflections
During the second day of class, we had a really impactful conversation about leadership and political
correctness. There can be little room for mistakes and therefore limit their conversations and
vulnerability. If there is not an environment to listen and respect each other, we set up expectations for
people to not be honest. Leaders and individuals must have confidence and high self-esteem in order to
receive criticism and make mistakes. There is a balancing point of listening to each other and
understanding where each person is coming from. When an individual is purpose-driven and authentic,
individuals’ behaviors are compared to the values of the organization vs. the expectations of some other
individuals. As a leader, authenticity is not being true to yourself, rather to what people need from you
OR As a leader you must balance authenticity to yourself and to the people you are leading (two different
ideas).
The case study about Jenny brought up several questions that made we wonder how I would react
in a similar situation. Five years ago, I would have probably done exactly what Jenny did and tried to
ignore the behavior in order to please my boss. However, I have grown since then and would not tolerate
these kinds of comments today. Having the confidence and being willing to address issues is an important
part of leadership. Addressing these issues when they happen to other people is something that I am still
growing in.
I also thought about how, as a woman, I have frequently been physically intimidated or verbally
put down because of my gender. I have had to learn to step toward men, not to step away when they get
six inches from my face. I have learned to not let myself be talked over. And, I have learned to accept that
if I want to be taken seriously in a room full of men (as frequently is the case with my job), I will have to
put in more effort and be more prepared that they will. Unfortunately, I have experienced this over and
over in the workplace, and been shown repeatedly that men with the same responsibilities and position as
I are not held to the same standards.

Diversity & Race, Disabilities– June 24, 2022

• Anyone can be a token, depending on the proportion of the characteristics in a social group.
o It hurts to be a token, but there was discussion recognizing that some individuals were given
opportunities and places at tables that they probably would not have been otherwise, thus
leading to more opportunities.
• Stereotypes: there can be all sorts of stereotypes, from age to gender to cultural identities, etc.
o Threats (Triggers) – personal task investment (if you care more, it will be more difficult), task
difficulty, and contextual variables
o Roberson and Kulik, 2007: when individuals had a stereotype reinforced, they “lived up” to
that stereotype:
▪ Black students were told that they are not smart, so they performed poorly on a test
▪ Gay men were told that they are dangerous around children, so they were more
anxious at a daycare
▪ White men were told that they are not as athletic as black men, so they did worse
playing golf.
• Leaders deal with collective problems, and individuals who have had to utilize their resources and
critically think are more effective than privileged individuals who are used to outsourcing problem
solving.
• Joshi, Son & Roh, 2015 asked when can women close the gap? There are certain characteristics that
shape gender inequality: contextual characteristics, organizational dynamics, and gender gap in the
organizations.
o Women receive less pay and promotions, while men receive more pay and promotions for
less competency. → increases gap
• Leaders should tackle structural aspects such as performance evaluations and rewards. Hold people
accountable.
• The quality of integration behaviors are not the same depending on your race. It is very important to
be aware that perception impacts your workforce
o Mere attendance does not have any positive indications.
o 1. Organize better integration behaviors
o 2. Have dissimilar people complete tasks together to help them identify with each other.
• Disabilities: Public policy can help guide inclusion of people with disabilities, but organizations must
include them once they are hired
• Brazil has the 3rd highest rate of people with disabilities, and they have a protective Quota Law
requiring a certain number of people with disabilities to work in each organization.
o Affirmative action – hiring programs, training programs, salary gap reducing goals
• Barriers for people with disabilities: training, qualifications, self-esteem issues, stereotypes,
accommodations for their tasks, socialization,
Takeaways
• Changes should happen at an industry level vs. organizational level
 • Stereotypes are not relevant, but their threat is. Do not brush them under the table.
• Pay attention to how we welcome and create a safe atmosphere for social interactions.
• Managers need more information and training on how to make jobs more inclusive,
improve the environment, and break stereotypes of people with disabilities (Lengnick-
Hall, Gaunt & Kulkarni, 2008).
Reflections
We took the Harvard Implicit Bias test during this class, and I participated in both the gender and race
tests. The data suggested that I have a moderate automatic preference for European American children
and a moderate association of male/career or female/home. Although it is never fun to be reminded of our
biases, I was not extremely surprised by the results given that I have grown up in a very conservative,
biased community. In our breakout room, we discussed the results and I was somewhat surprised to learn
that each individual did have biases associated with their test. One of my classmates asked me an
interesting question: “how many black friends do you have, Ester?” and I had to admit that I only have a
couple. The community where I have lived now for the past 1.5 years has a 98% white population, so
there is very little diversity. However, I have lived most of my life in much more diverse areas, and I was
made to reflect on why I do not have more diversity in my personal life.
Resources/Follow-Up
• Recommendations by classmates to read: Weapons of Mass Destruction, Algorithms of
Oppression, Coded Bias, Social Dilemma, Creepy Line, The Great Hack

Diversity & LGBTQIA+ and Age – June 25, 2022

• There is a lot of fear for LGBTQIA+ individuals in the workplace.
o How will their coworkers react? Will they support them?
o How will their supervisor react? Will they support them?
o Depends on: sexual orientation of supervisor and coworkers, previously known social support
or discrimination (Ragins et al, 2007).
• Employers can help support transgender people by implementing gender-neutral dress codes, titles,
and pronoun guidelines and gender-neutral restrooms.
• It is always up to the employee to decide when and how they want to come out to their coworkers, or
if they want to do it at all.
o One way we can show them support is by not outing them in front of others.
o We can also stand up for them when our colleagues or supervisors make insensitive
comments in general about LGBTQIA+ topics
• Age: there is a stereotype that younger people are entitled, easily distracted, impatient, lazy, arrogant,
disrespectful, etc.
o Constanza et al 2012 and Stewart et al 2017 demonstrate that there are no meaningful
differences between generations, rather it is more to do with a life stage.
• Millenials, GenX, and Baby boomers do have some differences in career goals. For example, “help
solve social and environmental challenges” was the single most commonly chosen goal of baby
boomers (24%), while “make a positive impact on my organization” was the single most commonly
chosen goal of millennials (25%) and “work for an organization among the best in my industry was
the most common for GenX (25%).
• Aging population impacts:
o Slower economic growth
o Poverty among elderly
o Generational equality
o Inefficiency of the labor markets
o Unsustainable public systems
Takeaways
1. Transgender people go through their transition while in the workplace, and they need the
support of their employers.
2. The population is aging worldwide, which will have a huge impact on the workforce.
3. We should provide opportunities for people of all ages to work together.
Reflections
I found myself distracted during this last class, because the announcement came on Friday that the U.S.
Supreme Court had ruled against Roe. V. Wade, withdrawing the constitutional right for women to
choose bodily autonomy. Although I know that this is an international class and many of my classmates
were not aware of this happening, it was on the forefront of my mind as we had just discussed gender
issues in our previous two classes. Abortion rights have been federally protected since before I was even
born, so I have never lived in a world in which that part of my bodily autonomy was not existent. I have
been forced to reflect on the impact of gender inequality, and similar inequalities in the areas of race,
disabilities, LGBTQIA+. In a world where many of us (evidenced by all of my wonderful classmates and
their vivid and engaging conversations) are purposefully striving to appreciate diversity, it seems odd to
realize that there can still be enormous gaps to be bridged. As I write this I can’t help but recognize that
the hurt I am feeling as a heterosexual, white, middle class, American woman is extremely privileged. I
hope to turn these feelings of disappointment and unbelonging into more empathy for the struggles that
individuals of other races, abilities, and sexual orientations face daily in the workplace.
Conclusion
This course, especially the live classes, stretched me in an uncomfortable way. Not only was I one of the
youngest in the class, but I was (more importantly for me personally) the least experienced. When we
broke into small groups for the first time, I was immediately struck by an out-of-place feeling. So often
my classes have been in very homogenous peer groups, and I have felt confident, capable, and
comfortable sharing my experiences, though limited they may be. However in this class, I was reminded
of how little I actually know and how many opportunities for growth that I still have. In addition,
diversity has always seemed like a touchy subject, which is honestly part of the reason why I wanted to
learn more about it. But, this also means that having open conversations about our own biases is not
always fun. I was impressed by the openness and high level of respect that each one of my colleagues had
during these classes, and I was able to learn so much just through the chat box and verbal discussion.
My classmates and Professor Luciana were able to provide dozens of mini case studies through personal
experience and reflection, many of which will stick with me for a long time. That level of personal
experience is invaluable. I also was able to write down several books and articles for follow-up reading,
and look forward to continuing to learn through our group project later this month.