Abstract
Increasing knowledge and understanding of diversity and inclusion is a continuous process. Appropriately, the organizational chief diversity officer (CDO) provides leadership by implementing strategic business and planning process solutions. The CDO's role presents a unique opportunity for organizations to support the CDO with an onboarding and mentoring framework. Additionally, the role of the chief diversity officer is to mitigate workplace stress. Further, the impact of industrial and organizational psychology on cultural assimilation practices in the workforce improves the understanding of behavioral factors of group dynamics. As a result, group dynamics impact diversity and inclusion initiatives. Provided are recommendations to support CDOs in their execution of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives.
TopIntroduction
Implementing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) in organizational change initiatives is an indispensable strategy to improving organizational performance (Adejumo, 2020). Additionally, there has been a fundamental shift in the importance of DEIB initiatives in organizations. Further, as leaders navigate change management, they must ask themselves critical questions: what went right, wrong, and what can be improved? Leaders must encourage employees to openly share their experiences when DEIB issues arise (Anderson et al., 2017). leaders may find challenges engaging stakeholders due to a myriad of concerns yet must institutionalize, implement, execute, and review DEIB initiatives to ensure organizations are safe, inclusive, and productive (Creary et al., 2021). Likewise, leaders must recognize that stakeholder engagement is valuable, not an obstacle, when trying to alleviate challenges in change management initiatives. through well-organized change management, DEIB issues dismantle. further, the ability of leaders to provide DEIB solutions is critical for creating an organizational culture of equity, equality, belonging, inclusion, and shared responsibility.
Indeed, the social and political changes of this era have created a climate change and fundamental shift in how businesses view the impact of DEIB in the workplace. additionally, when leaders make significant, sustainable changes utilizing communication abilities, envisioning, conflict management skills, servant leadership, and innovative DEIB initiatives, organizational performance increases. simultaneously, essential change management processes and principles are vetted by organizational stakeholders. Further, change management relies on expertise instead of antidotal evidence.
Consequently, leaders must not rely heavily on anecdotal evidence as it does not always reflect DEIB realities. Key principles of generally accepted change models (GACM) (ADKAR Change Management Model, Bridges' Transition Model, Deming Cycle (PDCA), Kotter's Theory, Kübler-Ross Change Curve, Lewin's Change Management Model, McKinsey 7-S Model, Maurer 3 Levels of Resistance and Change Model, Nudge Theory, and Satir Change Model) form insightful analysis of DEIB change processes, advancing an integrative scope of what is known, challenged, unconfirmed, and underutilized in change management.
Ways Employees are Affected By Hostile Work Environments
Organizations must manage the psychological, physical, and emotional stress levels of their employees. Notwithstanding, negative consequences often arise when employees experience stress due to hostile work environments. Training helps employees define a hostile work environment, implicit bias, and microaggressions (Creary et al., 2021). For instance, employees must understand that when they make offensive comments, whether they think it is a microaggression or not is a matter of perspective, situational, and based on how the comment makes others feel. As a result, attention to team building ensures employees work well together and clearly understand organizational ethos, culture, and structure (Anderson et al., 2017). Likewise, utilizing employee’s suggestions defines how and if employees will engage in stress management programs.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Organizational Change: The term organizational change measures the pace of change, implicit as the distinctive frequency, tempo, or repetition of organizational activity. Intermittent change, distinguished by constant change activities such as systematizing, analytic frameworks, innovation, mediation theories, and implementation of GACM ( Weick & Quinn, 1999 ).
Intersectionality: An analytical framework for understanding how aspects of a person's social and political identities combine to create different modes of discrimination and privilege ( Crenshaw, 1990 ).
Industrial And Organizational Psychology (I/O): I/O, recognized as occupational psychology, or organizational psychology. I/O is an applied discipline within psychology ( Maynard & Ferdman, 2009 ).
Generally Accepted Change Models (GACM): The following change models form insightful analysis of deb change processes, advancing an integrative scope of what is known, challenged, unconfirmed, and underutilized in change management. ADKAR Change Management Model, Bridges’ Transition Model, Deming Cycle (PDCA), Kotter’s Theory, Kübler-Ross Change Curve, Lewin’s Change Management Model, McKinsey 7-S Model, Maurer 3 Levels of Resistance and Change Model, Nudge Theory, and Satir Change Model.
Cultural Assimilation: Assimilation is the conscious or unconscious interaction of shifting one's language, and cultural practices ( Bless & Burger, 2016 ).
Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging, Equity (DEIB): Diversity indicates the demographic characteristics of an organization. Inclusion indicates the environment fostered for candidates and employees. Equity indicates the leveling of an uneven playing field. Belonging indicates the emotional state is the goal of diversity and inclusion (D & I) efforts ( Avery & McKay, 2010 ).
Organizational Performance: Organizational performance encompasses tangible output of an organization as measured versus its projected yield related to product market performance, financial performance, and stockholder return ( Brimhall, 2019 ).