Phillip L. Ealy - Böcker

Research has shown that having a diverse organization only improves and enhances businesses. Forbes and Time report that diversity is an $8 Billion a year investment. However, poorly implementing diversity programs have damaging effects on the organization and the very individuals these programs attempt to help. Poorly implemented programs can cause peers and subordinates to question decisions and lose faith in leadership. In addition, it can cause even the most confident individuals to doubt their own skillset and qualifications. Many organizations have turned to training to solve this complex issue. Yet still, other organizations have created and filled diversity and inclusion positions to tackle the issue. The effects of these poorly implemented programs are highlighted during strenuous times such as the latest COVID-19 pandemic. Marginalized people are more marginalized, and resources and support do not reach everyone. Tasks such as providing technical support, conducting large group meetings, or distributing work obligations without seeing employees on a daily basis becomes more challenging. Complex problems cannot be solved with simple solutions. Using organization development (OD) to develop a comprehensive change initiative can help. This book outlines how properly conducting an OD change initiative can effectively increase an organization’s diversity and inclusion -- it is grounded in research-based literature on diversity and OD principles. Many organizational leaders realize the key importance of diversity, equity, inclusion and multiculturalism in modern organizations. It is only through such efforts can organizations thrive in a networked world where much work is done virtually—and often across borders. But a common scenario is that leaders, recognizing the need for a diversity program, will pick someone from the organization to launch it. Perhaps the person identified for this challenge is in the HR department but has had no experience in launching diversity efforts—or even in managing large-scale, long-term, organization wide change efforts. But these are the challenges to be faced. This book quickly identifies some reasons why diversity programs fail and how to avoid those failures. The majority of the book highlights how to use OD to improve organization culture and processes to not only increase diversity and inclusion but develop overall organization talent and prevent personal preferences and biases from hindering the selection of the best talent for positions.

Research has shown that having a diverse organization only improves and enhances businesses. Forbes and Time report that diversity is an $8 Billion a year investment. However, poorly implementing diversity programs have damaging effects on the organization and the very individuals these programs attempt to help. Poorly implemented programs can cause peers and subordinates to question decisions and lose faith in leadership. In addition, it can cause even the most confident individuals to doubt their own skillset and qualifications. Many organizations have turned to training to solve this complex issue. Yet still, other organizations have created and filled diversity and inclusion positions to tackle the issue. The effects of these poorly implemented programs are highlighted during strenuous times such as the latest COVID-19 pandemic. Marginalized people are more marginalized, and resources and support do not reach everyone. Tasks such as providing technical support, conducting large group meetings, or distributing work obligations without seeing employees on a daily basis becomes more challenging. Complex problems cannot be solved with simple solutions. Using organization development (OD) to develop a comprehensive change initiative can help. This book outlines how properly conducting an OD change initiative can effectively increase an organization’s diversity and inclusion -- it is grounded in research-based literature on diversity and OD principles. Many organizational leaders realize the key importance of diversity, equity, inclusion and multiculturalism in modern organizations. It is only through such efforts can organizations thrive in a networked world where much work is done virtually—and often across borders. But a common scenario is that leaders, recognizing the need for a diversity program, will pick someone from the organization to launch it. Perhaps the person identified for this challenge is in the HR department but has had no experience in launching diversity efforts—or even in managing large-scale, long-term, organization wide change efforts. But these are the challenges to be faced. This book quickly identifies some reasons why diversity programs fail and how to avoid those failures. The majority of the book highlights how to use OD to improve organization culture and processes to not only increase diversity and inclusion but develop overall organization talent and prevent personal preferences and biases from hindering the selection of the best talent for positions.

This book extends strategic diversity work beyond internal organization efforts toward social engagement and accountability and supports organizations to ground social impact across both business and employee interests, the first of which is ethics, covered in the initial chapter. Organizations around the world are committed to increasing the racial diversity of their employees. Simultaneously, there is also greater interest in creating more welcoming and psychologically safe environments for people of color within organizations.As the workforce demographics shift because of these initiatives, the interests and needs of the employee population have also shifted. This shift presents a challenge for organizations to move beyond symbolic diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) work, of which increasing racial representation is chief, to helping organizations understand how to determine which issues to support of concern, value, and importance to their employees and society.Essentially, this book, a venture into the field called transorganization development, also moves beyond the traditional view of corporate social responsibility to take the position that businesses have a responsibility to make the world a better place by taking proactive stances on the many challenges facing the world today, including DE&I and accessibility. Many employees today expect their employers to take positions that will lead to making the world a better place.