‘The Right Thing To Do’:Deconstructing the Communication of

Diversity Programs

Kristina Ticknor, George Mason University kticknor@gmu.edu

Kathryn Ticknor, Georgetown University ket37@law.georgetown.edu

About the Presenters• Kristina Ticknor

▫George Mason University▫Masters in Strategic and Health Communication▫Sr. Consultant, Booz Allen Hamilton▫kticknor@gmu.edu

• Kathryn Ticknor▫Georgetown University▫Masters in Language and Communication ▫Faculty Assistant, Georgetown Law Center▫ket37@law.georgetown.edu

Today’s Agenda•Activity 1: Defining Yourself•Diversity Defined•Organizational Communication Defined•Diversity & Inclusion at Company Inc.•Naming Employee Resource Groups•Activity 2: Planning a Diversity & Inclusion

Event•DiversityInc’s Top 50 Companies Criteria•Key takeaways and final questions

Activity: Defining Yourself•Write down a list

of 10 things that make up your identity, or “who you are.”

•[5 minutes]

Diversity Defined•Diversity: the ideology of including people

with different background and beliefs•Ethnicity: an aspect of social identity based

on cultural phenomena such as place of origin, language, rituals, and tradition

•Race: an artificial and social construction of human differences based on physical characteristics such as skin color, facial features, and hair texture/color

Example of Organizational Diversity•Princeton Review named

George Mason University most diverse university in the nation in 2005▫127 countries represented

•How is diversity interpreted in your organization?

Organizational Communication Defined▫Language and visual

semiotics▫Construct and reinforce

identities ▫Social structures,

member categories, roles and knowledge

▫Internal communication vs. external communication

Communication Defined (Cont.)•Institutional rhetoric: strategic advocacy

of organizational interests, including employee handbooks, corporate websites, press releases, advocacy advertising, or lobbying communication ▫Ex: Business Resource Group

•Everyday talk: everyday conversations shared among organization members and important others, such as family/friends ▫Ex: affinity groups

Introduction to Company Inc.

•Large communication and media organization

•About 5,000 employees•Globally-located•Robust Intranet for employee news with Web 2.0 features, forums, etc.

•Internal Diversity and Inclusion Website

Institutional Rhetoric at Company Inc.•“What we mean by diversity and inclusion

is best summed up by these six words: Honor Similarities… Respect Differences… Celebrate Diversity.”

•“Most importantly, however, we are committed to diversity and inclusion because it is the right thing to do.”▫Diversity & Inclusion Employee Website

What connotations do these words have? +/-

“Honor”

“Respect”

“Celebrate”

Everyday Talk: Words that Anger•Those people•Terms boy and girl•Handicapped •Gay or homosexual lifestyle•Sexual preference•“We are all American.”

Diversity & Inclusion at Company Inc.• What do you think is the purpose of a “Diversity &

Inclusion” department?▫“Goes beyond a traditional view of race, gender, sexual

orientation, ability and age”▫“Includes different aspects of our workforce's

backgrounds, experiences, perspectives” ▫“Drives innovation, creativity and competitive

advantage”• What do you think is the purpose of a “Business

Resource Group”? ▫“Formed by employees who have similar backgrounds”▫“An internal support system for diverse employees”

Naming Employee Resource GroupsSonia Nieto in her book Affirming Diversity recommends that we base our choice of terms on two major criteria:1. What do the people in

question want to be called?

2. What is the most precise term?

Our Words and Our World:Thought

LanguageSociety

Activity: Planning a Diversity & Inclusion Event for Company Inc.•You have been assigned with the planning and

development of a Diversity & Inclusion event for Company Inc.

•Each team must decide:▫Which groups will co-sponsor the event?▫What does the event entail?▫Where does the event take place?▫How will you advertise the event to employees?▫Inclusion must be favored alongside diversity

•[20 minutes]

DiversityInc’s Top 50 Companies for Diversity• CEO Commitment

▫ Strategies/Demonstration of Support

▫ Board of Directors• Human Capital

▫ Workforce▫ New Hires▫ Management▫ CEO and Direct Reports▫ Reports to CEO's Direct Reports▫ Two Levels Below CEO and

Direct Reports▫ 10% Highest-Paid Employees

DiversityInc’s Top 50 Companies (Cont.)•Corporate and Organizational

Communications▫Employee-Resource Groups▫Mentoring▫Work/Life▫Diversity Training▫Philanthropy▫Corporate Website

•Supplier Diversity•Global Diversity

“Managing Diversity”•According to Company Inc., managing

diversity is “creating and sustaining an environment where all employees have the opportunity to utilize their personal best in reaching their full potential and contribute to the company achieving its goals.”

•What does it mean that we need to manage diversity? What does that imply?

Key Takeaways•Develop tools for those who are eager to

create relationships across differences•Be conscious about the importance of

words•Facilitate change by encouraging and

creating safe places for conversations of differences

•Language not only expresses ideas and concepts but actually shapes thought

Questions?

References & Resources• Kathy Castania, The Evolving Language of

Diversity

• Pamela Lutgen-Sandvik & Beverly Davenport Sypher, Destructive Organizational Communication: Processes, Consequences & Constructive Ways of Organizing

• Sonia Nieto, Affirming Diversity