Strength & diversity in the workplace
Introduction
The webinar will look at initiatives that address systemic racism from fashion to construction. How can we build equity, diversity and inclusion? What are the steps that need to be taken? What are the challenges and barriers we face as leaders and change makers? How do we get to the truth and build a healthy environment where discussion, action and change take place?
What is White privilege?
Who are the panellists?
Caryn Franklin
Caryn Franklin is a fashion and identity commentator and visiting professor of diverse selfhood at the Kingston School of Art. She believes that we are all biased. Our refusal to investigate our part in something that’s wrong because it’s uncomfortable is a psychological weakness. Humility releases us from permanent self-focus, virtue signalling, pride, competitive ego, aggressive defending, shame and self-loathing. Becoming aware of privilege should not be viewed as a burden or source of guilt but rather an opportunity to learn and be responsible so that we may work towards a more just and inclusive world. To shift from a closed defensive position to one of open curiosity means moving away from fragility and vulnerability and towards humility and action. To overcome our bias, we need to address stereotypes, assumptions and heuristics (rules of thumb).
Pascal Matthias
Pascal Matthias is a senior fellow in fashion and management at the University of Southampton and co-founder of FACE (Fashion Academics Creating Equality). He compares racism to COVID-19 with many of us being asymptomatic. He believes that real and meaningful change will only be implemented with a reframing and re-imagining of new systems and structures in education and business ecosystems. It is impossible to change to a new culture while we live and are constrained by the old one. Racial equality must be central to educational and business systems and structures. Racial equality cannot be achieved alone; the movement must shift from “me” to “we”. Individually, it’s about changing behaviour, changing language, listening to others and having meaningful conversations.
Kalkidan Legesse
Kalkidan Legesse is a social entrepreneur and ethical fashion activist. She considers the lack of black people in business (currently less than 1% of UK businesses are owned by black people). Systemic racism means that black people are excluded, have poor credit facilities, lower paid jobs and a lower perceived marketability. Change requires active allies and smart strategies. Some of the measures she proposes are inclusion through ring-fencing and affirmative action, credit opportunities with bias management and ethnicity pay-gap reporting.
Chenge Bobo
Chenge Bobo is the HR Business Partner for the real estate company JLL UK. She will present the key points from the organisation’s racial inclusion programme. Findings include that most acts and behaviours are subtle making it difficult to challenge them. Although some maybe driven by malicious intent, most are associated with unconscious bias, cultural custom and practice, ignorance or thoughtlessness. There are challenges around people being fearful of calling out acts and behaviours but it would seem that there is, currently, momentum to bring about change. JLL’s action plan is based on education, visible role modelling, leadership and support, creating a more balanced and diverse workplace and influencing the wider community.
Watch the full webinar below
Below are some additional resources
John Amaechi – on the difference of being non-racist vs anti-racist (2 mins)
John Amaechi – on privilege (2 mins)
Nova Reid’s Ted Talk – highlighting the prevalence of everyday racial prejudice (15 mins)
Akala on everyday racism and how it is systemic in society (4 mins)
Short clip that asks white people if they are happy to be treated like black people (1 min)
Live experiment demonstrating racism and discrimination based on colour (30 mins)
Article exploring the reality of privilege (5 min read)
Peggy McIntosh’s Ted Talk – How studying privilege systems can strengthen compassion (18 mins)
Article highlighting the facts and reality of being black in Britain (3 mins read)
Emmanuel Acho – You Tube Channel – Uncomfortable conversations with a black man (series of short videos each approx. 10-15 mins)
Gina Rippon The Gendered Brain Penguin Random House 2019
Dominic Wilmott https://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/volume-31/december-2018/there-problem-juries-acting-myths-rather-evidence
Barry, B. (2007). Why Reflect Reality? an Exploratory Study on the Effectiveness of Traditionally Attractive Models (Tams) and Realistically Attractive Models (Rams) in Fashion and Beauty Advertising. In Proceedings of the 2008 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference (pp. 214-218). Springer, Cham.
Prati, F., Vasiljevic, M., Crisp, R. J., & Rubini, M. (2015). Some extended psychological benefits of challenging social stereotypes: Decreased dehumanisation and a reduced reliance on heuristic thinking. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 18, 801-816 .
Leicht, C., Randsley de Moura, G. and Crisp, R.J. (2014) Contesting gender stereotypes stimulates generalized fairness in the selection of leaders. Leadership Quarterly 25 (5) 1025-1039, Copyright © 2014 Elsevier
Van Knippenberg, D., van Ginkel, W. P., & Homan, A. C. (2013). Diversity mindsets and the performance of diverse teams. Organizational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes, 121(2), 183-193.
Wegge, J., Jungmann, F., Liebermann, S., Shemla, M., Ries, B. C., Diestel, S., & Schmidt, K. H. (2012). What makes age diverse teams effective? Results from a six-year research program. Work, 41(Supplement 1), 5145-5151.
Business Benefits https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion
Professor Steven Spiers https://www.kingston.ac.uk/news/article/2338/05-jun-2020-kingston-university-stands-together-as-a-community-tosay-black-lives-matter/?dm_i=3US8,1576M,1MZDGN,41KXE,1
Fewer than 1% of professors are Black https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/feb/27/fewer-than-1-of-uk-university-professors-areblack-figures-show 9
Layla F Saad Me and White Supremacy (Quercus Books 2020) http://laylafsaad.com/
Robin Diangelo White Fragility https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2020/jun/26/how-white-fragilityobstructs-the-fight-against-racism-video-explainer
Robin Diangelo https://compact.org/white-fragility-why-its-so-hard-to-talk-to-white-people-about-racism/
Psychological weakness not a sign of strength or conviction https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/thesqueaky-wheel/201811/why-certain-people-will-never-admit-they-were-wrong Brene Brown, Daring Greatly, (Penguin 2015)
Humility: Occupying low levels of self-focus and a willingness to accept the self and life without comforting illusions. https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/brainsnacks/201501/the-paradoxical-power-humility
Emotional Intelligence https://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/19-signs-of-high-emotional-intelligence.html
Neal Krause, Kenneth I. Pargament, Peter C. Hill & Gail Ironson (2016) Humility, stressful life events, and psychological well-being: Findings from the landmark spirituality and health survey, The Journal of Positive Psychology, 11:5, 499-510,DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2015.1127991
Don E. Davis, Everett L Worthington Jr., Joshua N. Hook, Robert A. Emmons, Peter C. Hill, Richard A. Bollinger & Daryl R. Van Tongeren (2013) Humility and the Development and Repair of Social Bonds: Two Longitudinal Studies, Self and Identity, 12:1, 58-77,DOI: 10.1080/15298868.2011.636509
Julie J. Exline & Peter C. Hill (2012) Humility: A consistent and robust predictor of generosity, The Journal of Positive Psychology, 7:3, 208-218,DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2012.671348
