Business & Life Skills
DEI: What Works and What Doesn’t Work?
C.J. Liu talks to Adia Harvey Wingfield, a professor at Washington University of St. Louis, about her book “Flatlining: Race, Work, and Healthcare in the New Economy.” Adia shares her first impressions on the implications of COVID on people of color. Adia shares her research on healthcare workers in the US that are under-represented by black professionals (5% of Doctors, 10% Nurses).
While there is a need and many resources spent on solving gender and racial under representation in the workforce, there are unfortunately few glowing examples of how it’s done right. Common problems include:
- Backlash from non people of color communities for preferential treatment,
- Diversity training that is more about compliance then intentional, and
- Replacing geographical diversity as a supplant for racial diversity.
Even though there is a more diverse workforce at lower levels within an organization, there are often few managers or C-Suite representation. Adia suggests that there a few programs companies can try. These include mentoring, sponsorship, and skills training to ensure a pipeline of middle managers that can move up in the ranks. At Washington University, Adia’s group was very intentional with creating a diverse culture of inclusivity.
DEI: What Works and What Doesn’t Work?: YouTube Video
More on Adia Harvey Wingfield
Adia Harvey Wingfield is the Mary Tileston Hemenway Professor of Arts & Sciences and Associate Dean for Faculty Development at Washington University in St. Louis. Her research examines how and why racial and gender inequality persists in professional occupations. Dr. Wingfield has lectured internationally on her research in this area, and her work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals including Social Problems, Gender & Society, and American Sociological Review.
She is a former President of Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS) and the current President of the Southern Sociological Society (SSS), the largest regional professional sociological association in the US. Professor Wingfield has written for mainstream outlets including Slate, The Atlantic, Vox, and Harvard Business Review. She is the recipient of the 2018 Public Understanding of Sociology Award from the American Sociological Association. Her most recent book, Flatlining: Race, Work, and Health Care in the New Economy, won the 2019 C. Wright Mills Award.
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