{"id":4958,"date":"2024-08-23T15:02:26","date_gmt":"2024-08-23T14:02:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.coachmentoring.co.uk\/articles\/?p=4958"},"modified":"2024-08-28T08:26:47","modified_gmt":"2024-08-28T07:26:47","slug":"diversity-and-inclusion-beyond-diversity-washing-and-di-missionaries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.coachmentoring.co.uk\/articles\/2024\/08\/diversity-and-inclusion-beyond-diversity-washing-and-di-missionaries\/","title":{"rendered":"Diversity and inclusion: Beyond diversity washing and D&I missionaries"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"DiversityThere should be a consensus that, over time, D&I management becomes unnecessary because diversity and inclusion have become a natural culture. There would be no diversity washing; everyone has developed empathy for difference, and those who repeatedly feel like a minority in everyday social life no longer feel that way in the workplace.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

We present another deep-dive from our friend and contributor Kuno Roth.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Making D&I accommodations to go beyond diversity washing<\/h2>\n

This improvement in workplace empathy<\/a> does not mean that “everyone can empathise with everyone else’s situation all the time”, but rather \u2014 using the example of a wheelchair user \u2014 the following:<\/p>\n

People on foot do not always have to imagine how people in wheelchairs might feel in certain situations. However, all staff are sensitive to the special needs of this group and organisations can include wheelchair users in infrastructure planning as a matter of course. On the other hand, wheelchair users understand that not everyone is thinking about them all the time. They should not be inhibited, or need to go to great lengths, to point out a particular difficulty.<\/p>\n

And if we now take “wheelchair” as a metaphor for any kind of restriction, this would correspond to the culture in question, that includes “wheelchair situations” from both sides as a matter of course and without fuss.<\/p>\n

There is no NGO that has not written on its flag \u2014 or in its staff rules \u2014 that its working environment should be inclusive and highly diverse.<\/p>\n

“Diversity and Inclusion\u201d (D&I) refers to organisational frameworks that promote “the fair treatment and full participation of all people”, especially employees (groups) “who have historically been underrepresented or discriminated against because of their identity or disability”. Diversity refers to the existence of differences within an organisation, for example in terms of colour, language, physical disability, level of education, age and gender. Inclusion refers to the goal of an organisational culture in which “all employees feel that their voice is heard” and that they have a sense of belonging (quoted from Wikipedia).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Of course, that ideal is still a long way off in many places. This is because, amongst other things, studies show that \u2018diversity washing\u2019 is widespread. Similar to \u2018greenwashing\u2019, many organisations are only pretending. So says diversity researcher Johanna Degen in an interview. Her research in German companies, for example, shows that diversity management is often just a figurehead because it is necessary for legal protection.<\/p>\n

\"Diversity<\/p>\n

In reality, Diversity Managers usually have no power and are unable to tackle structural discrimination. It is particularly worth noting that when asked if they would contact the Diversity Manager if they had experienced discrimination, those who had experienced discrimination said that the Diversity Manager would not be able to help them. However, this does not speak against diversity management or suggest diversity washing, but only against the prevailing practice, Degen continues [1].<\/p>\n

Expanding the concept of diversity without diversity washing<\/h2>\n

Diversity is often limited to simple criteria such as skin colour, gender, language, religion etc. But there are other diversities. I think we need to broaden our understanding of diversity. However, these other aspects are usually more complex and therefore more difficult to handle. For example, when it comes to differences in political views, values in dealing with one another or social aspects.<\/p>\n