Advocating for social justice, equity, and inclusion in the workplace: An agenda for anti‐racist learning organizations

Bohonos, Jeremy W.; Sisco, Stephanie

doi:10.1002/ace.20428

Cited by 26 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…I would like to lie and say that adult education and human resource development (HRD) might respond to Russia's war of aggression with research that will help strengthen the Ukrainian resistance, but I do not think that is actually going to happen. And I would like to lie and say I believe that the outpouring of writing regarding racial justice since Floyd's murder (Alexander, 2022; Bell et al., 2021; Bohonos, 2021a, 2021b; Bohonos & James‐Gallaway, 2022; Bohonos & Sisco, 2021; Davis et al., 2020; Henry, 2021; James‐Gallaway & Turner, 2021; Lewellen & Bohonos, 2021; McCluney et al., 2021; Muzanenhamo & Chowdhury, 2021; Rosser‐Mims et al., 2020; Rudel et al., 2021; Sisco, 2020; Sisco et al., 2021; Wicker, 2021) is moving us quickly toward a more racially just society, but I cannot pretend to be that naïve.…”

Section: The Pandemic Continues Russia Has Invaded Ukraine and George...mentioning

confidence: 99%

An editorial in three parts

Bohonos¹,

Patterson²,

Smith

2022

New Horiz Adult Ed & HR Dev

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The prospect of writing an editorial for a themed issue on Covid-19 for New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development made me instantly tired. Why? Because every day I wonder if I will lose a loved one to Covid-19. Because every day I wonder if my family members who fled Ukraine as refugees will be able to return home. Because every day I wonder if my family members in Ukraine will survive Russia's invasion. Because every day I wonder if one of my family members who are Black will be victims of racist violence. Why does the prospect of writing an editorial make me tired in the face of these worries? Because I do not want to face questions like: What does this mean for adult education? And what does this mean for HRD? I cannot face these questions because the honest answer is right now, I do not care. I care about survival, and advancing academic discourse seems like a far distant concern. I would like to lie and say that the multiple themed issues that have emerged regarding Covid-19 and our field over the past few years (Byrd, 2021;Hughes & Niu, 2021;Smith et al., 2021) give me hope. But they don't. I would like to lie and say that adult education and human resource development (HRD) might respond to Russia's war of aggression with research that will help strengthen the Ukrainian resistance, but I do not think that is actually going to happen. And I would like to lie and say I believe that the outpouring of writing regarding racial justice since Floyd's murder (

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Section: The Pandemic Continues Russia Has Invaded Ukraine and George...mentioning

confidence: 99%

An editorial in three parts

Bohonos¹,

Patterson²,

Smith

2022

New Horiz Adult Ed & HR Dev

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“…These policies can take a variety of forms, including diversity training, mentorship programs or the establishment of diversity offices. Because diversity policies have grown increasingly important in recent years (Edelman et al , 2011), experts are now paying greater attention to these initiatives from an HRD perspective (Abdel-Rahman et al , 2021; Bohonos and Sisco, 2021). As a result, we now have a growing body of evidence regarding the types of diversity programs that work and those that are counterproductive.…”

Section: Using Testimonio As a Qualitative Approach In Human Resource...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Future direction in HRD: the potential of testimonio as an approach to perturb the dominant practices in the workplace

Salcedo

Williams

Elias

et al. 2022

EJTD

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Purpose Marginalization exists in many organizations, despite a zero-tolerance stance on discrimination, abuse and harassment. Human resource development (HRD) professionals are increasingly asked to respond to the calls for crucial conversations on race and diversity. However, traditional HRD methods and tools may not be sufficient to address and eradicate racism in the workplace. The usage of testimonio could enable oppressed groups to communicate their narratives to counter stereotypes. This paper aims to describe testimonio and the various ways it can be used as a research methodology and to perturb the dominant practices in the workplace. Design/methodology/approach This conceptual paper uses testimonio, a narrative methodology with Latin American roots in indigenous oral storytelling, to expand beyond Eurocentric qualitative approaches to capture the voices of marginalized groups. This study gives examples and theorizes how leaders, including human resource professionals, may use this approach to give voice to underrepresented stakeholders in the margins of organizations. Testimonio serves as a non-Eurocentric framework and venue to legitimize their stories. Their voices are assets, enriching while transforming and perturbing and so are needed for communities and organizations to foster a just and sustainable culture and climate. Findings The use of testimonio as an HRD approach to amplify unrepresented voices in the workplace may be an asset to HRD professionals. However, to realize the full potential of this research tradition in HRD, researchers and practitioners must create more space where trust is present for these groups to tell stories that matter most to them. Research limitations/implications This study on the testimonio approach provides a view into organizational power dynamics and voices from the margins. It serves as a means to acknowledge the voices of underrepresented stakeholders in the workplace. HRD scholars should contribute to organizational effectiveness and inclusive workplace climate by using scholarship to highlight the harm of marginalizing policies and behaviors. Practical implications Testimonio implies that HRD practitioners in positions of privilege should use their authority to foreground the voices of marginalized individuals who are typically silenced. This can be accomplished by prioritizing unheard voices in the work of HRD professionals. Testimonio as a methodological approach and workplace tool highlights the personal experiences of oppressed groups who experience social injustice, particularly racism. This method encourages organizations that do not operate in a culturally sensitive and inclusive environment to reconsider the discourse that influences their social position. Originality/value While there is a clear need to address inequities, few practical inquiry tools are presented. Moreover, through their epistemologies and research procedures, scholars and practitioners may unintentionally maintain and reinforce existing inequitable structures and processes. This paper presents testimonio as a non-Western alternative to Eurocentric qualitative research methodologies to perturb dominant practices in HRD.

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“…The Beloved Community (BECO) is a Non-Profit organization dedicated toward advancing equity for Black communities in the USA. Recent police killings of Black and Brown people within the USA have led organizations to demonstrate their commitment to antiracism within their workplaces as well as their support of the #Black Lives Matter movement (Bohonos and Sisco, 2021). As part of their work in addressing equity within organizations, BECO designed an Equity Audit tool to measure racial diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within workplaces.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring DEI within workplaces: questioning the theoretical, empirical, and practical models

Bowe,

Drame,

Duval-Diop

et al. 2023

Bulletin of Sociological Methodology/Bulletin de Méthodologie S

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BECO designed an Equity Audit tool to measure racial diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within workplaces. The tool has three versions (K-12 schools, For-Profits, and Non-Profits) and is currently undergoing the Standard Setting Process. This study reports on quantitative and qualitative findings for For-Profits and Non-Profits and by doing so, extends the conversation regarding the theoretical, empirical, and practical issues we encounter with the social reality of DEI work. Empirical findings via confirmatory factor analyses reveal at least reasonable fit of the tool which supports the measurement theory undergirding the tool. Qualitative findings demonstrate mixed opinions among experts as to how diversity, equity, and inclusion constructs relate, thus highlighting the unclarity about how we should engage in DEI work in workplaces. Altogether, we discuss findings in relation to the call for empirical work to ground sociological theories and constructs, and the extent to which progression in the field of diversity management aligns with the success and sustainability of DEI work.

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Advocating for social justice, equity, and inclusion in the workplace: An agenda for anti‐racist learning organizations

Cited by 26 publications

References 37 publications

An editorial in three parts

An editorial in three parts

Future direction in HRD: the potential of testimonio as an approach to perturb the dominant practices in the workplace

Measuring DEI within workplaces: questioning the theoretical, empirical, and practical models

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