Diversity and Inclusion – the Case of Entrenched Prejudgement' case study Essay Writing

The following essay will analyse the 'Diversity and Inclusion – the Case of Entrenched Prejudgement' case study. This essay will review the approach taken by Violet, the newly appointed CEO of an employment and recruitment company, in selecting, creating and implementing diversity policies, procedures and frameworks. This review includes a particular focus on inclusivity, inbuilt bias and equal employment opportunities within the recruitment practices of the workplace. When reviewing the implementation of diversity and equal employment opportunity (EEO), consideration will be placed on the consultation and training provided to existing employees and hiring managers on diversity and inclusion within the workplace and throughout recruitment practices.

To ensure this essay appropriately reviews the selection, creation and implementation of policy, procedures and frameworks within the workplace, the research has been limited to published peer reviewed academic and professional articles, journals and texts, and regulatory government resources.

Inclusion and diversity have relatively broad and varied definitions, particularly across different sectors and within workplaces, particularly from a values perspective. However, for this essay, we will rely on the formal definition of the terms inclusion and diversity. Merriam-Webster (2023) defines inclusion as 'the act or practice or including or accommodating people who have historically been excluded (because of their race, gender, sexuality or ability'. While Cambridge Dictionary (2023) defines diversity as 'the condition or fact of being different or varied; variety'.

Inclusion and diversity practices have become growing topics of interest within organisations, with the focus shifting from diversity management to inclusion in recent years. To provide this environment, many organisations are now focusing on fostering a climate for inclusion, which encompasses eliminating sources of bias by ensuring access to resources and creating opportunities that are accessible to those of diverse backgrounds (Nishii 2013). The rhetoric behind why a climate for inclusion is provided within workplaces. However, the most common belief is that inclusive and diverse workplace practices ensure that diverse employees are valued for whom they are, treated fairly and included in decision-making processes. This inclusion can lead to positive employee attitudes, increased organisational commitment, job satisfaction and retention (Le et al. 2021).

The approach of Violet in the instances of identifying the need and opportunity to rescope the recruitment process to remove both unconscious and conscious bias appears to be within a satisfying balance of wanting a diverse and inclusive workplace to increase employee engagement and satisfaction. While also considering measures and frameworks to ensure that operationally the organisation is performing at an optimal level. The notion of creating an inclusive and diverse workplace to further organisational performance is backed by Kramar (2012), who identified that sometimes managing diversity has been firmly grounded in an economic rationale rather than a moral or societal rationale. As Kramar (2012) noted, this notion of diversity management has been incorporated as part of an organisation's corporate social responsibility (CSR) agenda. This is furthered by Freeman and Velamuri's (2006) notion that a CSR agenda creates the obligation for organisations to make decisions and implement strategies and actions to enhance and support the welfare of multiple stakeholders within their society and broader society furthering the interests of the organisation.

Violet has strongly considered understanding how the organisation's internal diversity impacts its consumers and customers, both their existing and desired cohorts of consumers and customers. As Thakur and Dhar (2022) found, consumers today are hyperaware of corporate social responsibility. They take many steps and extra efforts to exhibit consumer and customer behaviours more closely directed to their values and perceived responsibility. Thakur and Dhar (2022) further reinforced that this increased connection with socially aware organisations shifts consumer mindset and demonstrates the significant impact of diversity and inclusion frameworks within organisations on consumers and their experiences. An integral part of this is the visibility consumers and customers have over diversity and inclusivity frameworks.

Violet's approach to equal employment opportunity initiatives appears to align with the main common goal derived from EEO initiatives. This goal is often for everyone to receive the same treatment from a potential employer regardless of individual characteristics (Finney et al. 2014). In theory, Violet's attempt to remove discrimination and bias from the recruitment process by anonymising candidates by removing their diverse characteristics and all identifying details, including photos, names, and date of birth, from applications works. As noted by Foley and Williamson (2018), many managers can create and use implicit signals to deduce information about the diverse backgrounds of candidates, including but not limited to employment patterns, communication styles, and the confidence or wording selected to describe achievements. They found that whilst anonymising applications removed the explicit signals of age, gender, ethnicity and disability, it is not sufficient to eliminate stereotypes or remove the opportunity for managers to create ideas of the candidate within their own mind using implicit signals that harm the candidate.

Further, Foley and Williamson (2018) found that adopting anonymised applications left hiring managers and selection panels feeling they could not be trusted to control their biases and did not address the underlying cause of inequality and discrimination within recruitment. This is further underpinned by Hoque and Noon's (2004) findings that there is often a long-held suspicion that such exercises are implemented as an exercise in image management. Their findings also highlight that EEO can often be seen by both employees and hiring managers as a façade in which unfair practices, discrimination, prejudice and inequality are prevalent and thriving. Hogue and Noon (2004) argue that this defines many EEO policies and strategies as empty shells, containing nothing of substance or real value to candidates of diverse backgrounds.

Within Violet's implementation strategy, there has been a failure to consider the training, coaching and learning and development opportunities that should be provided in conjunction with such strategies. Shen et al. (2009) suggest that any training and development provided in relation to diversity awareness should be high quality and include the integration of diverse group members. These offerings can include awareness training, which builds on understanding diversity while improving individual and organisation outcomes. It is important to note that Shen et al. (2005) also recommend that any training on diversity and inclusion should be tailored to the specific needs of the organisation while also considering the intended department and the level of the individual. It should also be implemented with a top-down strategy by providing awareness training to senior managers and managers following team-building training. Kossek et al. (2006) suggest that the training should have a clear linkage to organisation goals and strategic objectives while also suggesting the engagement of external facilitators to help achieve higher levels of engagement and decrease conflict among members that may arise during diversity training.

Violet's initial approach in relation to the outburst from the assistant manager John was well measured and appropriate. She held the line of calling out his unprofessional and discriminatory behaviour while also ensuring she was professional and acting in line with organisational values and the intent of the diversity and inclusivity framework she was attempting to build within the organisation. As observed by Kim and Roberson (2022), within their confronting prejudiced response model (CPR), the first step is identifying implicit or explicit bias while it is being expressed. Violet expressed strong knowledge and understanding as a bystander of knowing her responsibility in confronting the bias displayed by John. Violet chose to enact the second step of the CPR model of confronting the bias through education; she achieved this by calling out his behaviour and simplifying the belief that there is no real difference between any of the people recruited and himself. Equally, for the third step in the CPR model, Violet was prepared for the pushback she may have received and could close down the situation in a manner that was professional and safe for all. Violet was also preparing herself for the next steps, in which she was quick to communicate directly with HR, John and his manager.

However, she has failed within and after the disciplinary process by failing to identify and provide relevant cultural safety, unconscious and conscious bias and professional conduct within the workplace training. Instead, she has reprimanded John and subjected him to punitive action, which has not enabled or allowed him to experience growth, learning, and further understanding from his inappropriate statements and actions. This has made him feel disgruntled and has not helped bridge the gap in his skillset and knowledge of the importance of diversity and inclusion. However, as noted by Kim and Roberson (2022), increasing individual contact with outgroup members or those you do not easily identify with is beneficial for John's development and exposure to diversity.

Unfortunately, Violet has not considered John's importance in driving her diversity and inclusivity framework and policies. As noted by Buengeler et al. (2018), leaders within organisations are critical drivers in communicating and implementing human resources, and corporate social responsibility practices are often called important gatekeepers. Further, Buengerler et al. (2018) found that managers required substantial education and training to understand that inclusion occurs on multiple levels and departments and how to align the notion of diversity and inclusion within multiple processes, policies and the overall organisational strategy. The notion of managerial buy-in is further enforced by Noon and Ogbonna (2018) as a twofold process of first getting the commitment from all key stakeholders to pursue diversity and inclusion within the workplace. While also recognising that a secondary problem of this can be management agency, in which managers can choose to act in ways that are not in line with new organisational diversity objectives or policies.
What is also not evident in Violet's diversity and inclusivity framework is how she plans to measure its success or how she intends to conduct periodic reviews. As Mishra and Mishra (2015) believe, the most impactful way to measure the success of the hiring actions of managers is through statistical reviews of diverse characteristics such as age, gender, and ethnicity. Chavez and Weisinger (2008) found that the success of diversity and inclusivity training provided to employees can be measured through employee engagement surveys, calculating and reporting on turnover and absenteeism costs specifically within minority groupings within the organisations and by routinely reviewing diversity data of employees. However, as Jones et al. (2008) noted, organisations cannot always eliminate discrimination. However, they can create conditions that decrease perceived and actual discrimination by engaging their workforce whilst building a strong culture and promoting a climate of belonging and inclusivity.

Whilst Violet has correctly identified poor equal employment practices, the prevalence of unconscious and conscious bias within the recruitment process, and the overt prejudice and discrimination displayed by managers within the organisation, she has failed to address the underlying issues adequately. In future, it would be recommended that in conjunction with the steps taken by Violet to rectify these issues within her organisation, she also places focus and emphasis on consulting with existing employees. This will ensure she has a strong understanding of their knowledge of diversity within the workplace. It will assist her with identifying the required training, including training on unconscious bias, diversity and inclusion. A failure to do this has led to no manager buy-in, which has meant that her desired intent of creating a culturally aligned inclusive workplace has been unsuccessful.

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