Org Culture Beyond Diversity

Catalog description

While the concept of diversity and inclusion has been idealized as the way to achieve equity in organizations, the reality is that public and private corporations have fallen woefully short of achieving that goal. Whereas changing “hearts and minds” may have been how we previously framed how we thought to achieve equality, today's efforts require a committed approach to assessing organizational structure, policies, and practices that drive concrete and sustainable actions. Students will have the opportunity to consider individual implicit bias and unconscious prejudice, and then move their assessment from personal ideology to organizational policies and practices that serve to reinforce structural oppression and disparate treatment of non-white, cis-gendered employees. Students will reflect on the current state of diversity, equity, and belonging in public and private organizational settings. Through self-reflection, dialogue, and an organizational assessment project, students will develop a critical analysis of their own leadership practices and roles in their workplace.