Very few of us are hired by our employers as “individual performers.” Most of us are part of a team – a “collective.” With this in mind, when I have hired people in the past, I think about their individual merit and what they will contribute to the collective. Last semester, I provided students in one of my classes with the following scenario and questions: The Board … [Read more...] about “Collective Merit”
diversity
Traffic Stops & White Privilege
This is a true story. A few years back I was driving home one evening after teaching a graduate class at the University of Maryland. It was a November evening at about 10:15 p.m. and I was less than a mile from home when a police car appeared in my rearview mirror with its lights flashing. ME: I was confident I had done nothing wrong. I thought “Hmmm, maybe my … [Read more...] about Traffic Stops & White Privilege
Inclusion, Diversity, & Merit
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts are not fully understood by many people. This, along with the politicization of the topic, has led to significant pushback in recent years. One misunderstanding is that Diversity efforts are intended to hire women and people of color into jobs regardless of their qualifications. This is incorrect. While fears of “reverse … [Read more...] about Inclusion, Diversity, & Merit
The Inadvertent Racist
I have been an Inadvertent Racist. Maybe you too? A few years ago, the Governor of Virginia got in trouble for having appeared in a college activity that included people in blackface. I commented to some African American friends that I did not understand the problem. They kindly suggested that I do some research. Wow. You can read more here, but blackface was used by … [Read more...] about The Inadvertent Racist
Stand Firm on Your DEI Efforts
Political opportunists (Capital P on purpose) are attempting to create momentum from a Supreme Court ruling on college admissions to say that all DEI efforts should be eliminated. We cannot let this happen. Diversity: we live in a diverse country and our organizations need to reflect that - it is a good thing and the right thing to do. Do your staff recruitment efforts … [Read more...] about Stand Firm on Your DEI Efforts