Are You Asking the Tough Questions? From Diversity and Inclusion to Equity and Justice

As an executive educator and facilitator with an academic background, I often uncover deeply buried research and bring it to light in the world of professional practice. Powerful business models, communication concepts and leadership constructs exist in the world of academia, but many practitioners don't know about these ideas along with their promise and potential.

In this vein, I have recently discovered a timely article by Dafina-Lazarus Stewart of Bowling Green State University. Many facilitators, myself included, are tasked with helping organizations elevate their cultures to cultivate inclusion and diversity. Some are focused on this effort now because they realize it's important to recruit and retain talent that attracts as well as serves the needs of diverse customers. Others want to foster an environment where employees can be appreciated for their authentic selves. Whatever the reason, Dafina-Lazarus Stewart offers a list of powerful questions that take diversity and inclusion efforts to a deeper, broader and more transformative equity and justice yardstick to measure true and lasting progress.

I challenge us - facilitators and leaders - to incorporate some of these tough questions in our important interactions:

·     Diversity asks, “Who’s in the room?” Equity responds: “Who is trying to get in the room but can’t? Whose presence in the room is under constant threat of erasure?"

·     Inclusion asks, “Has everyone’s ideas been heard? Justice responds, “Whose ideas won’t be taken as seriously because they aren’t in the majority?”

·     Diversity asks, “How many more of [pick any minoritized identity] group do we have this year than last? “Equity responds, “What conditions have we created that maintain certain groups as the perpetual majority here?”

·     Inclusion asks, “Is this environment safe for everyone to feel like they belong? Justice challenges, “Whose safety is being sacrificed and minimized to allow others to be comfortable maintaining dehumanizing views?”

·     Diversity celebrates increases in numbers that still reflect minoritized status [in the workplace] and incremental growth. Equity celebrates reductions in harm, revisions to abusive systems and increases in supports for people’s life chances as reported by those who have been targeted.

·     Inclusion celebrates awards for initiatives and credits itself for having a diverse candidate pool. Justice celebrates getting rid of practices and policies that were having disparate impacts on minoritized groups.

Lee Broekman is a communication coach and trainer with a mission to make the world a better place, one communicator at a time. Her company Organic Communication works with high level leaders and trains decision makers in top organizations to communicate, collaborate and innovate naturally and effectively. Delivering programs in concentrated bursts, with high intensity and elevated engagement, Lee turns powerful content into actionable, applicable tools. Her recent book, Stop Blocking, Start Connecting: 8 Key Skills of Successful Communicators, is available on Amazon.

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