Equity Matters CREATING AN INCLUSIVE SPACE FOR EXCELLENCE

KAZIQUE J. PRINCE, PH.D., CEO, JELANI CONSULTING, LLC

@JELANICONSULT @EQUITYTURNEDUP

Terror Zone

Courage Zone

Comfort

Zone

Risk-free, avoid

change, conflict,

and asking for

what you need

Overwhelming

fear, vulnerability,

and emotional

paralysis

Who’s at the table?

What is your background (e.g., nationality,

ethnicity) around cultural differences?

What is more challenging for you in working

with people from other cultures (e.g.,

nationality, ethnicity)?

3 Faces

Jack Johnson | Booker T. Washington | WEB DuBois

Why equity, diversity, and inclusion?

Orlando shooting: 50 murdered, 53 wounded

South Carolina church shooting: 9 murdered

Baylor sexual assault scandal

Gorilla shooting: parents ridiculed

Presidential campaigns: biased statements

Black Lives Matter

First black president, first female presidential nominee

Why equity, diversity, and inclusion?

1. Change is here: Majority U.S. babies are people of color

2. Disparities continue: College readiness/completion, reading

3. National interest to invest in our future: By 2050 one in two

workers will be a person of color.

4. Diversity fosters innovation, creativity, &

competitiveness: 85% of the leading Fortune 500 companies

identify diversity as crucial

5. Fortune 500 companies: Diversity is good for the bottom line

Why equity, diversity, and inclusion?

6. Diversity is a national security issue: Diversity adds to

the strength of the military as a force

7. Diversity benefits all students. Learning with people

from a variety of backgrounds encourages

collaboration and fosters innovation

8. Race-neutral policies are detrimental: Color-blind

approaches stifle creativity and ignore real challenges

facing our communities

Nu

mb

er

of

Tea

ms

Performance

Multicultural

Teams

Monocultural

Teams

Multicultural

Teams

• Leaders ignore and suppress

cultural differences

• Cultural differences

become an obstacle to

performance

• Leaders acknowledge and

support cultural differences

• Cultural differences

become an asset to

performance

*Distefano, 2000

Team Performance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wyt7-jGNX4U&app=desktop

Trainwreck (2015) – Film Clip

Why is the scene funny?

Why was it awkward?

What are we saying about Amy

Schumer’s character?

Social

Networks 11%1%1%1%%3%

White

Black

Latin@

Asian

Other Race

Mixed Race

Don't Know

91%

The Good News . . . And Not So Good

Most value fairness, diversity, inclusion, and equity

Social good is part of mission-driven organizations

Struggle with turning values into action steps

Difficulty connecting with stakeholders, community

members, students, diverse staff

Leadership may not represent diversity

Community disconnected/isolated from solutions

Equity vs. Equality

Equity and equality used interchangeably.

Both are about fairness and justice.

Confusion – 2 distinct qualities related to fairness and justice.

Equality: What is applied, allocated, or distributed?

Equity: What models, programs, and strategies are used?

Equity is about the process, equality is the outcome.

Ways to think about culture

Objective Surface Structure

Subjective Deep Structure

Ways to think about culture

Objective Surface Structure

Subjective Deep Structure

Art & Music

Dance Language

Games & Sports

Values

Social

Expectations

Roles

Myths

Beliefs

Customs Food

Individuals were asked how they saw their leaders.

They responded as follows:

1. Leaders are viewed as a “kind of parent.”

2. Leaders are viewed in terms of “getting the job done.”

What do you think?

32% Egypt

35% Oman

45% Hong Kong

57% China

69% Japan

83% US

97% Australia

Prefer Getting the Job Done

Core Concepts*

Diversity

Mix of differences

Assessed by representation

Inclusion

Making the mix work

Assessed by outcomes

(i.e., climate)

Cultural Competence

How to achieve D&I goals

Assessed by cognitive,

behavioral, & affective factors

*Adapted from Andres Tapias, (2009) The Inclusion Paradox. Chicago: Hewitt Associates.

Global

Tribal

Gender Identity

Regional

Generation

Education

Gender

Profession

Local Age

Ability

Affect

Orientation

Sexuality

Ethnicity Race

Language

Diversity in the mix

Focusing only on our similarities:

Blinds us to new possibilities &

power differences

Limits thinking; conformity

Gets in the way of healing;

prevents further trauma

Focusing only on our differences:

Divides us; fragmentation

Keeps us stuck

Prevents us from moving

forward making world better

for everyone

Similarities & Differences

Getting diverse

resources to the

organization

Maximize contributions from diverse

resources

Enhance performance,

motivation, creativity and

satisfaction across the diversity

“mix”

Inclusion: Making the Mix Work

The capability to shift cultural perspective and adapt

behavior to cultural commonality & difference

Deep cultural

self-awareness

Deep

understanding

of different

cultural

communities

Ability to

adapt/bridge

across various

cultural

differences

Cultural Competence

Eliminate interpretations & behavior based on stereotypes

Evaluative overgeneralizations,

personal traits assigned to group

Stereotypes support less complex perceptions & experience of cultural

differences & commonalities

Competence – 1st Core Concept

Increase interpretations & behavior based on cultural generalizations/frameworks

Neutral, relative descriptions of a group’s preferences

Cultural generalizations support more complex

perceptions & experience of cultural differences &

commonalities

Competence – 2nd Core Concept

Cultural competence is like wine

Denial

Polarization

•Defense

•Reversal

Minimization

Acceptance

Adaptation

Intercultural

Mindset

Monocultural

Mindset

Intercultural Development Continuum

Individual Development

Inventory (IDI); 50-items;

16 languages; robust;

individuals/groups; online

Monocultural

Mindset

Intercultural

Mindset

cultural differences, Generally unaware of

“That’s just the way it is.”

Denial

Monocultural

Mindset

Intercultural

Mindset

Judgmental orientation toward cultural

differences; “us vs. them.”

Polarization

Monocultural

Mindset

Intercultural

Mindset

Highlight cultural commonality that can mask

deeper recognition of cultural differences. “We

are all the same – human.”

Minimization

“Golden Rule”

Monocultural

Mindset

Intercultural

Mindset

Acknowledges relevance of cultural context. Unclear how to

adapt to cultural difference. “I recognize cultural similarities and

differences, but I’m not sure how to integrate that knowledge

into my interactions with people.”

Acceptance

“Platinum Rule”

Monocultural

Mindset

Intercultural

Mindset

Able to shift cultural perspective and adapt behavior to

cultural context.

Adaptation

Two Students

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yOkwoH5H4M

Kazique J. Prince, Ph.D.

CEO, Jelani Consulting, LLC | www.jelaniaustin.com | @jelaniconsult

512.777.1272 | drkjprince@jelaniaustin.com