Women and black employees at the Central Intelligence Agency: from fair employment to diversity management

Puyvelde, Damien Van

doi:10.1080/09557571.2020.1853052

Cited by 8 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…To be sure, the problem of exclusion and limited opportunity for advancement among women and those representing historically marginalized races and ethnicities in the workplace and professional organizations is one that has been studied extensively but has yet to be fully understood, despite extensive intervention at the level of organizational and governmental inclusion initiatives (Elias, 2020; Van Puyvelde, 2021). Some have argued that this may be because there has long been a lack of theoretical depth concerning how exclusivity according to sex-and-gender functions (Glick & Fiske, 1996).…”

Section: Organizational Scripts Inclusion and Benevolent Sexismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seedlings in the Corporate Forest: Communicating Benevolent Sexism in Dow Chemical’s First Internal Affirmative-Action Campaign

Cullinan

Maison

Parks

et al. 2022

Management Communication Quarterly

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Organizational affirmative-action programs have often failed to reach their goals, especially in the context of STEM professions and companies. Our study analyzes one of the first internal affirmative-action initiatives, Dow Chemical’s “Know More in ‘74” (KMi74) campaign, to explore discursive components that may play a role in this problem. An exploratory analysis of the campaign’s pamphlets revealed that KMi74 upheld a framework of benevolent sexism. In subsequent analysis, we found that KMi74 communicated benevolent sexism through appeals espousing: (a) vagueness via generalization and absurdity, (b) circularity via redundancy and buzzwords, and (c) disingenuity via bait and switch argumentation. We suggest, given the government’s public recognition of KMi74 as legislatively compliant, these appeals functioned historically as organizational scripts for inclusion initiatives in the years that followed, scripts that upheld (and continue to uphold) the law but not the changes in practice necessary for the achievement of meaningful inter-organizational opportunity and equity.

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Section: Organizational Scripts Inclusion and Benevolent Sexismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seedlings in the Corporate Forest: Communicating Benevolent Sexism in Dow Chemical’s First Internal Affirmative-Action Campaign

Cullinan

Maison

Parks

et al. 2022

Management Communication Quarterly

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“…21 The irony is that while UK-based historians are able to study the experience of women and black employees in the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) since 1947, helped by the release of official agency files in 2013, we cannot do the same for the UK in the post-war period. 22 It also is much easier study change across the modern-day US agencies, thanks to reports from the Office of Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). 23 In 2015, the ODNI launched its 'Equal Opportunity and Diversity Enterprise Strategy', and in June 2016 released its first intelligence community-wide data on agency demographics -information that had been provided to congressional oversight bodies from 2005.…”

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confidence: 99%

#ForgetJamesBond: diversity, inclusion and the UK’s intelligence agencies

Lomas¹

2021

Intelligence and National Security

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Diversity and inclusivity remain top priorities for UK intelligence, having been much maligned for the largely white, male stereotype. The Intelligence & Security Committee of Parliament has published a number of reports suggesting that, even in 2018, the UK's agencies were still behind Whitehall. Historically, there have been issues with female, BAME and LGBT representation, with the article placing today's criticism of the agencies in historical context with a particular focus on the period after 1945. The article also examines the position now and the steps taken by the agencies to promote change, suggesting there are grounds for cautious optimism.In February 2021, The Times reported that Britain's foreign intelligence agency, the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS or MI6), was relaxing rules to allow applicants with dual UK nationality, or with one parent being a UK national or having 'substantial ties to the UK', to apply. Sources told the paper it was just the latest move to access a 'larger talent pool', adding: 'We want a diversification of thought, a diverse workforce, not people who all think in similar ways'. 1 Later, marking LGBT History Month 2021, SIS's Chief ('C') Richard Moore followed other agency heads in apologising for the historical treatment of LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) officials and the bar to gay men and women serving in SIS. In a video shared on his Twitter feed, Moore said the ban deprived SIS of 'some of the best talent Britain could offer' and was 'wrong, unjust and discriminatory'. 2 PinkNews also interviewed two LGBT SIS officers. 'I think the legacy of the ban has been . . . helping people understand that LGBT+ people aren't inherently untrustworthy', said 'Leia', a member of SIS's LGBT+ Affinity Group. 'It's drawn a line in the sand', she added. 3 The statements and media coverage mark just the latest in a series of announcements on the agency's commitment to diversity and change. In January 2021, tabloid newspapers reported on an SIS recruitment drive, specifically an advert, headlined 'Tell me a secret', calling for 'individuals with diverse skill sets and life experiences' to apply for part-time and consulting roles. 4 Responding, Moore tweeted his service's commitment to 'flexible working' and 'diversity'. '#ForgetJamesBond', he added, acknowledging that Bond often shaped perceptions of the ideal intelligence officer. 5 Sir Colin McColl, 'C' from 1989 to 1994, once described the fictional intelligence officer as, in his view, 'the best recruiting sergeant in the world', yet successive Chiefs, like Moore, have tried to distance themselves, seeing Bond's legacy as both a blessing and a curse. 6 In October 2016, Moore's predecessor, Alex Younger, admitted he was 'conflicted' about Bond, on the one hand creating a 'powerful brand', although one that seemed exclusively white and male. 'For too long -often because of the fictional stereotypes I have mentioned -people have felt that there is a single quality that defines an MI6 officer', Younger told journalists in ...

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Cognitive Diversity for Creativity and Inclusive Growth

Thuo,

Jeffries‐EL,

Holly

et al. 2024

Angewandte Chemie

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Cognitively diverse teams outperform high intelligence (IQ) teams in problem solving, while businesses with at least one woman in their board of directors financially outperform ones with all men boards. These well‐known facts are lost in most academic science enterprises. Herein, we make the case for looking at sources, approaches, and opportunities in expanding cognitive diversity of research teams for high productivity and efficiency.

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Women and black employees at the Central Intelligence Agency: from fair employment to diversity management

Cited by 8 publications

References 37 publications

Seedlings in the Corporate Forest: Communicating Benevolent Sexism in Dow Chemical’s First Internal Affirmative-Action Campaign

Seedlings in the Corporate Forest: Communicating Benevolent Sexism in Dow Chemical’s First Internal Affirmative-Action Campaign

#ForgetJamesBond: diversity, inclusion and the UK’s intelligence agencies

Cognitive Diversity for Creativity and Inclusive Growth

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