Chapter 11: Creating an Inclusive Workspace

Question 1

What is diversity?

Answer 1

onsiders the demographic composition of the workforce.
Can benefit organizations through more different ideas, perspectives etc and developing innovative ideas that serve a diverse customer base equally

Are more likely to experience conflict and tension that disrupt performance.

Question 2

What is inclusion?

Answer 2

considers the lived experience of employees in the workplace – can they be authentic self at work, are they respected and valued.

Question 3

What are the benefits of inclusion?

Answer 3

Employee who feel included are:
1. More committed to organization and less likely to leave
2. More satisfied with the job
3. Better performers

Question 4

What is an inclusion climate?

Answer 4

climate in which all employees are appreciated and respected as insiders. They are encourage to maintain and express individuality. Shared perception among employees of organizational policies, procedures and activities.

Question 4

What can you do to encourage a strong climate?

Answer 4

Strong climates are encouraged when employees receive constant messages about what their employer values.

Question 4

When do people feel inclusion?

Answer 4

1. They feel they belong to a larger community (belongingness)
2. Are valued as individuals (uniqueness)

Question 5

Into what baskets can D&I policies and practices be divided?

Answer 5

1. Increasing diversity basket
2. Increasing inclusion basket
3. Increasing accountability basket:

Question 6

What is an increasing diversity basket?

Answer 6

activities designed to attract diversity to organization and ensuring diverse workforce

Question 7

What is an increasing inclusion basket?

Answer 7

activities that focus on supporting a diverse workforce by connecting people to one another and teaching employees how to engage with diverse coworkers.

Question 8

What is an increasing accountability basket?

Answer 8

activities that make managers responsible for D&I outcomes and reward them for progress.

Question 9

What are flexible work arrangements?

Answer 9

work arrangements that offer flexibility in regards wo when, where and how much an employee works.

Question 10

What are the benefits of FWA programs?

Answer 10

1. Helps employees achieve work-life balance
2. Improving employee job satisfaction and well-being
3. Help attracting and retaining talent.

Question 11

What are the disadvantages of FWAs?

Answer 11

1. Works against people from minority groups to build connections, while it is already harder for them
2. Opting out of face-to-face workplace communications can harm careers by missing out on networking opportunities, stretch assignments, or promotions.
3. Gatekeeper problem:

Question 12

What is the gatekeeper problem?

Answer 12

differences in interpretation of FWA rules and procedures. Can be offset by encouraging all employees to take advantage of FWA that suit them best.

Question 13

What are the benefits of informal mentoring programs?

Answer 13

Informal mentoring programs are great ways to retain talent as well as a D&I strategy. Mentoring is more likely to occur when people are similar.

Question 14

What should managers do to make FWAs more effective and beneficial?

Answer 14

1. Give employees control over their work schedules and prioritize outcome over work time
2. Support FWA aloud – not all employees know you support FWA
3. Monitor your own use of FWA – role modeling

Question 14

What 6 proactive steps can you take as manager to increase D&I effects of mentoring?

Answer 14

1. Check in with employees who has a mentor and who needs one
2. Help employees who need a mentor to find one
3. Show appreciation to employees for mentoring activities
4. Help mentoring employees balance mentoring and job responsibilities
5. Express support for mentoring activities and provide tangible resources
6. Reflect on your own mentoring activities.

Question 14

What is strengthening belongingness?

Answer 14

highlight shared identity as team or unit by logo’s and the way you run meetings and make decisions. Ask for input employees. Role model desired inclusive behavior.

Question 15

How do you monitor inclusion? What strategies can you use to monitor inclusion?

Answer 15

Seek out information how inclusive you as a manager really are. Three strategies:
- Seek feedback directly from employees. Mixed feedback is good – means employees feel safe to express their opinions
- Collect evidence on inclusion by observing your employees. Team-based language use? Amplification?
- Engage in self-appraisal; managers aren’t very good at evaluating their own behavior. Be honest and regularly consider what you could improve. Employees will follow your example.

Question 15

What is amplification?

Answer 15

behavior in which team member actively call attention to ideas of other team members, giving credit to person who voiced idea. Good way to ensure unique contributions aren’t lost

Question 15

What are the three principles to use to maintain and strengthen an inclusion climate?

Answer 15

1. Strenghten belongingness
2. Affirm uniqueness
3. Monitor inclusion

Question 15

How do you affirm uniqueness?

Answer 15

find opportunities to acknowledge individual contributions based on each employee’s unique skills and talents. Express appreciation with focus on individual. Avoid role incredulity. Show support for diversity in all forms.

Question 16

What are the two purposes of team charters?

Answer 16

1. Process of developing charter gives everyone voice in what environment is created. Communicates shared responsibility
2. Team can revisit charter in case team members are mistreated to reflect on personal contribution to climate in which mistreatment occurred.

Question 17

What are team charters?

Answer 17

Team charters shared agreement about rules of engagement within team/unit.

Question 18

What is role incredulity?

Answer 18

Employees are being stereotyped based on demographic characteristics

Question 18

What are the benefits of team charters?

Answer 18

1. Teams with high-quality charters outperform teams without one.
2. They are better positioned to deal with adversity,
3. maintain inclusive norms across changes in leadership and
4. demonstrate upward trend in performance.