#workplaceculture — Blog — Co-Creating Inclusion

Collaborating with rather than deferring to HR

As DEI consultants at CCI, we are very clear that we are not HR. We are equally clear that DEI and HR need to closely collaborate - it is critical that DEI be integrated into HR practices, just as it is critical for DEI to consider the role that HR plays within the organization when it comes to creating a culture of equity, inclusion and belonging where diversity can thrive.

What we have found though is that HR is often seen as and therefore functions as the culture keepers, in other words, responsible, to varying degrees, for culture.

What does friendship have to do with it?

We talked a few weeks ago about people pleasing, and we’ve been talking on the CCI team about how this leads to folks trying to make friends and develop “personal relationships” in the workplace.

We want to work with people that we like, right?

And so it makes sense that we would hire people that we like, right?

When a culture is designed around its leader

There has been a post circulating about a certain CEO of a certain social media platform who seems to be rapidly running it into the ground, whether deliberately because of a hidden agenda or through sheer incompetence or both.

The post is by someone who was an intern at one of this CEO’s other companies, and they talk about how managing this person was a huge part of the company culture.

Inclusive LeadershipAlethea FitzpatrickNovember 27, 2022#workplace, #workplaceculture, #managingup, #feedback

Overworked but underutilized

Staff, usually those least aligned with power and privilege whether because of their identity, position in the organization, or both, are often expected to carry a heavy workload without appropriate compensation or support, and they are expected to do so with little complaint or pushback either.

The assumption is that they will work miracles with little time, money or other resources. Those who raise concerns about unrealistic expectations or lack of resources risk being characterized as “not a team player” or “divisive” or a “troublemaker” or they are blamed for being poor performers. Meanwhile, those with more privilege, usually white men, are the first ones to get money and other resources thrown at them to fix crises that they are rarely held accountable for.

Dismantling oppressionAlethea FitzpatrickOctober 10, 2022#workplace, #workplaceculture, #workload, #overwork

What kind of leadership does it take to drive change towards equity and inclusion?

Leaders are often “visionaries” and “change makers” by definition. They have a vision for something that is different than currently exists, and they have the drive to make that vision a reality.

Not every leader is suited to driving change towards equity and inclusion however.

The harm of rushing in to fix things

Many of us, especially those who are “professionally” successful, have been trained to be perfectionists, over-achievers, and fixers.

If there is a problem, our immediate reaction is to ask - how do we fix this?

We see this all the time when we do DEI and culture work with organizations. At the end of our initial discovery phase we present our findings, and the desire to react with solutions, actions, next steps, and a resolution is so deeply engrained, it creates a palpable kind of fix-it itchiness in the room.

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