An inclusive workforce boosts organizational effectiveness by lifting morale, strengthening access to new markets, and increasing productivity. Before organizations can reap these benefits, they must grow beyond simply increasing the number of affinity groups represented. Develop a better understanding of the relationship between diversity and disparities and how they affect your organization. Discover what it means to have a truly inclusive workplace and walk away with ideas and strategies you can use to reshape your organization by unleashing the power of diversity management.
Frederick Hobby, president, Institute for Diversity in Health Management
1. Shifting Paradigms: Diversity and Inclusion as a Strategy for Organizational Success Sunday, August 16, 2009 3:15 - 4:30 p.m. Frederick D. Hobby President and CEO Institute for Diversity in Health Management
23. Prejudice... “ A feeling, favorable or unfavorable, toward a person or thing, prior to contact, or not based on actual experience.”
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25. Stereotypes “ A standardized mental picture held in common about members of a group and representing an oversimplified opinion, affective attitude or judgment”
35. Contact Information Frederick D. Hobby President Institute for Diversity in Health Management Email: [email_address] SEE YOU NEXT YEAR! Annual Meeting & Expo August 21 - 24, 2010 Los Angeles, CA
Hinweis der Redaktion
We have several objectives so let’s take a minute to look the over.
There are numerous ways to define diversity. The Institute uses the broadest definition available in order to be INCLUSIVE of all groups. This is part of the process of Shifting the Paradigm
We are all products of our respective CULTURAL EXPERIENCES. Whether consciously or un-consciously, we are affected. effected by our religious beliefs, genders, socio-economic backgrounds, educational levels, social traditions, etc. Diversity is much greater than the differences and similarities that meet the eye.
It is these differences and similarities in cultural and social experiences that creates the Diversity we witness in the workforce, the clients and customers we serve, and in the country as a whole. The goal is to harness this diversity and use it as a tool for increasing productivity and maximizing customer and employee satisfaction
Whether we like it or not, your communities, your customers and your employees are changing. This change in the demographic makeup of the people we work with and enter-act with will continue to change. The question for us is,” are we prepared to manage the differences” ?
How do we manage these differences to create a competitive business advantage? How do we create products and services that are linked to these demographic changes that drive market share? How we change our organizations and service delivery systems so that it results in a work environment in which every employee contributes to the success of the organization?
There is a common misconception that minority communities constitute the poor, the uninsured, the indigent. We often overlook the economic stratification of these groups. While hospitals spend billions in charity care every year, we have not figured out how to tap into the lucrative strata that exist within every group. Minorities are earning more and each generation is advancing in education.
During the period from 1840 to 1940, the majority of the immigrants entering the U.S were coming from European countries. They changed heir names, religious affiliations, language preferences and cultural practices to assimilate quickly. That has not been the case with the immigrants entering the country since the 1960’s.
One of the primary goals of a Diversity Management Initiative is to first create a culture of Inclusion. This means going beyond having a diverse workforce. It requires achieving diversity of thought and experience by having diversity at all levels of the organization including in the decision making levels. There is representation of the communities and the customers being served on your leadership team, in your governance structure and at all levels of the association. Remember our definition of diversity! If you serve a largely female population such as a Battered Women’s Shelter, that draws it clients from a multi-racial or multi-ethnic community, your leadership and governance should reflect these features. We look forward to the day when we can appreciate our differences and someday even celebrate our differences. But we must start with a basic understanding of who we are! Then ask “ how did we come to think the way we do about people who are different ” ? Valuing diversity begins with a self examination of our belief systems and an assessment of their accuracy in today’s environment. In the words of Michael Jackson, we begin by looking at the “Man in the Mirror”.
A hospital contacted us recently wanting to know the benchmark for diversity complaints filed externally ? How many in one year are acceptable? Others ask how many or what percentage of minorities should serve on the Board? We receive questions about these standards and others all the time. Remember, Valuing diversity is a way of thinking that should effect our behavior and the decision making process.
This is where the paradigm shift occurs. Whether your diversity issues are based on religious differences, language differences, gender differences, generational differences, sexual preference or life style differences, differences in geographic origin, marital status, height, weight, hair color, race, ethnicity , or styles in decision making, these differences cannot not be allowed to become the source of disparities. They cannot become the basis for unequal treatment in your organization. If they are ignored and allowed to fester beneath the radar screen of your organization, they will become barriers to communication, teamwork, productivity, and customer and employee satisfaction. Ultimately, these difference, if allowed to become the source of inequities and unfair practices, they will effect your bottom line and the public image of your organization.
Too many organizations are leaving diversity management to chance! We like to believe that everyone who enters our access points is treated fairly and with respect. That just isn’t the case. Complaints by Deaf patients are reaching record levels in Maryland. Organizations that appear to employ racial and ethnic minorities only in low level positions, with little chance for advancement, are unlikely to be successful in what promises to be an extremely competitive job market. Our association knows that Minorities and immigrants may well represent much of the potential health care work force of the future. We know that Provider organizations are well advised to work toward the creation of an Inclusive, welcoming work environment in which all employees can achieve their full potential and contribute to the success of the organization.
Smart organizations are recognizing that age, religion, education or lack of it, nationality, gender, sexual preferences ,disabilities , veteran status, weight, language preference, job categories etc. can become barriers to effective team work.. Even if this group were made up of all White Males, there could be numerous diversity factors that keep us from reaching our full potential as a professionals, and therefore limit our contributions to the over all success of the organization. These same factors effect our patients/customer’s perceptions of the care/service they receive. The story of the Asian child in the waiting room( Press, Ganey – keeping family members informed. The red string around the child’s wrist story.
There are several different approaches to overcome the same challenges. They are often confused with each other and the very uninformed sees them as all the same.
Understanding Differences is a program for individual change. It focuses on trying to get people or a person to better understand someone else’s perspective, then change their behavior. There is an appropriate use of this methodology, but it seldom works, and is seldom sustainable.
Through the use of numerical quotas, racial and ethnic minorities and women are hired or advanced to achieve statistical goals as remediation for past practices of exclusion or discrimination. Affirmative Action creates advantages for “protected classes” as defined by the Federal Government and anyone over 40 years of age. It excludes White Males under 40 who do not fir in one of these Protected Classes. There is an appropriate use of this methodology. When voluntary plans fail to be inclusive, Affirmative Action may be required.
This requires a historical reflection by the leadership and governance structures of the organization. It should result in an awareness that some of the policies , practices and procedures as well as the organizational folkways and traditions may be out of sync with contemporary circumstances.
The roots represent the beliefs and values of the Founders of the organization. For some organizations, these ideals and principles are deeply seeded in the business culture of the organization that could have been planted over 100 years ago. I would encourage you to read the article by Pamela Babcock, entitled “ Detecting Hidden Bias”. Based on the research of a Harvard –led research team, Overt and permissive discrimination has been driven underground by societal norms and greater awareness of the law. This has potentially resulted in more unspoken and covert forms of the same biased practices. The trunk of the tree represents the written policies of the organization that flow from the “roots” . The leaves represent the Practices that flow from the formal policies of an organization . Remember, however, there are the formal practices and informal practices. The colored bars represent those areas most often identified where discrepancies, disparities and on occasion ,discrimination can occur. These practices often favor some groups and frustrate others. There could be hidden biases in these practices. If you want to know, just ask your women , ethnic minorities , gays, Jews, Catholics, etc if these practices are applied equally across the workforce?
The choice of Motivation is yours. Whether you base your Diversity Initiative on the Top line, your Mission, or the Bottom line, the much desired Margin, the fact is Managing Diversity is no longer an option. Failure to manage diversity can result in embarrassment, liability, but far more damaging is the trust and credibility that the community places in your organization
We believe the Barriers can be placed into 3 over-arching categories. You won’t be surprised when you hear them.
Simply put, prejudice is the act of pre-judging. Prejudice can be applied to all of the similarities and differences which constitute diversity factors. Whether the factor is personal appearance, sexual preference, ethnicity, age, gender, etc. there are prejudices
When we apply a real life experience we encountered from an interaction with an individual of a certain group but apply that experience to an entire group. What do we think about Asians and mathematics. What do think when we see an African American on the news that robbed a bank? What do we think about Gypsies. How did we coin the expression , “going Dutch”?
When prejudice impacts our decision making, the result could be discrimination
American businesses spent $ a year on resolving racial and sexual harrassment and discrimination complaints