Race and Management

Network for Social Work Management ConferenceImpacting Communities and Changing Lives

June 5, 2015- Howard University, WDC

Mit JoynerRuth McRoy

Anna McPhatterSandra Crewe

Mit JoynerIntroduction and Overview

Research shows that in the next ten years, federal agencies will lose over 575, 000 employees, with more than 100,000 coming from supervisory ranks.

State and City agencies will lose thousands more. Nonprofit sector will need a minimum of 330,00 senior

managers to fill new and vacated leadership openings (1)

1. National Urban Fellows & the MWN Consulting Group, LLC (may 2012) Diversity Counts: Race and Ethnic Diversity among Public Service Leadership

The Workforce

Racially diverse and ethnic minorities make up 34% of the total US population.(1)

They represent only 16% of congress and 7% of local administrative officers throughout the country.(2)

Growing Need for Diversity in Government

1.U.S. Census figures for 2000@http://factfinder.cenus.gov2.CRS Report R40086, “Membership of the 111th Congress: A Profile,”by Mildred Amer and Jennifer E. Manning, Congressional Research Services, December 31, 2008

Non profit organizations play an extremely important role in our society, helping government and the private sector to address many of our nation's important social issue. American non-profits are projected to need nearly 80,000 leaders annually. Today, only 18% of nonprofit executives are people of color.(1)

1. .CRS Report R40086, “Membership of the 111th Congress: A Profile,” by Mildred Amer and Jennifer E. Manning, Congressional Research Services, December 31, 2008

Role of Non- Profit

Racially diverse and ethnic minority groups will constitute a majority of the US population. While progress has been made over the past four decades, there is still much work to be done.

Too often communities that are disproportionately, and often adversely, affected by polices and systems have little representation among the professionals responsible for putting those polices and systems in place.

By the year 2040

We need more promising young people of color in public sector leadership roles. The research has grown to tell us that Diversity brings strength in decision making and strategy development.

My generation has failed on many fronts to finish the work of the Civil Rights Era regarding Equity and Justice.

Race and Management is discussed but programs ignore the problems of people of color who enter the workforce.

But how?

• People of Color in High Level Positions

• Isolation• Being the Only One• Represent the Entire Race• Ideas often are not seriously vetted

• People of Color in Middle Management• Isolation• Competition • Perception of promotions because of

race• Must work extremely hard in order to

get that one chance for advancement

• Other issues• Pressure of race and being told what is

correct.• Race is something that can not always

be discussed in the workplace• Have to be ideal and satisfy everyone• Must dress like the mainstream

• People of Color in Lower Management Positions

• Isolation• Competition• Must assimilate and socialize

with other outside of race.

Race Management

ThreatsPressures

Some of the Issues for People of Color in Management Positions

White and people of color executives do not progress up the corporate ladder in the same way. Early in their careers, high potential whites enter a fast track, arriving in middle management well before their peers. Promising professionals of color break through much later.

Thomas research studies found that people of color who advance the furthest share one characteristic: a strong network of mentors and corporate sponsors.

He also found that people of color who plateaued in middle management received mentoring that was basically instructional, it helped them develop skills.

Mentors must support broader initiatives at their organizations to create and enhance conditions that foster the upward mobility of processionals of color.

Separate and Unequal

Race and Management Ruth McRoy, PhD

Boston College School of Social Work

Addressing Discrimination in Workplace Dynamics Recent Data on Discrimination in the Workplace Implications for Management, Social Work Practice

and Education

Overview

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Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was enacted to combat discrimination and overt racism and segregation .

It is an unlawful employment practice to “fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual or otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex or national origin” or to limit, segregate, or classify employees in any way which would deprive or then to deprive any individual of employment opportunities because of the individual’s race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

Addressing Discrimination in Workplace Dynamics

Now, 41 years later, “ discrimination often operates in the workplace today less as a blanket policy or discrete, identifiable decision to exclude them, but it takes place in a process of social interaction, perception, evaluation, and disbursement of opportunity.” (Green, 2003)

Discrimination in Workplace Dynamics

Stereotypes can influence:◦ How incoming information is interpreted◦ The causes to which events are attributed◦ How events are encoded into, retained in, and retrieved from

memoryStereotypes can cause discrimination by biasing how we process information about other people as well as by informing our beliefs about social roles (Green, 2003)

Stereotypes

Although over 40 years has passed since Title VII of the Civil Rights Act was passed to combat discrimination in employment, stereotypes can “influence how incoming information is interpreted, the causes to which events are attributed and how events are encoded into, retained in, and retrieved from memory” (Meissner & Brigham, 2001).

Workplace Dynamics

According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the following suits were filed in 2013:

35% or 33,068 charges involved racial discrimination 29.5% or 27,687 charges involved sexual discrimination 4% or 3,721 charges involved national origin

discrimination 3.4% charges of religious discrimination and 3.4 % color discrimination charges Source: Shilling, 2015-The Complete Guide to Human

Resources and the Law.

Fiscal Year 2013

1997: 29,199 2001: 28,912 2005: 25,740 2007: 30,510 2011: 35, 395 2013: 33,068

Race-Based Charges

Ten former McDonald’s workers filed a civil rights lawsuit against the fast food giant—alleging racism and sexual harassment. Suit was filed in the U.S. district Court for the District of Virginia. Nine African American workers and one Hispanic worker claimed they experienced “rampant racial and sexual harassment” by supervisors at three restaurants run by McDonalds.

One supervisor allegedly called black workers “ghetto” and “bitch” . Another supervisor allegedly called an Hispanic worker a “dirty Mexican” and “hot Mexican” .

McDonald’s workers sue over racial discrimination (Jan. 22, 2015)

When an employee or supervisor makes racist comments in the workplace, a small business can face costly legal consequences.

Recent News: The NBA today made a decisive move: suspending Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life after an investigation found that he'd made racist comments -- one of which targeted Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, Reuters reports

Racist Comments in the Workplace

Disparate Treatment: An employee claims that the employer treated him/her differently than other employees who were in a similar situation

Disparate Impact: Occurs when employment practices (hiring, firing, promotion, pay or other employment decisions) have a statistically greater impact on one group than on another

Other Concerns:

Employers need to review policies and practices to ensure they are relevant and fair for all employees

Ensure that hiring, promotion, pay, termination, and other employment processes/systems rely only on job-related information and are defensible if scrutinized and

Consider adopting available alternative methods or practices that have less disparate impact on minorities, while still serving legitimate business needs (Shimizu, 2009).

Implications for Management:

The Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Diversity and Social and Economic

Justice is committed to initiating and supporting efforts to expand the presence of historically oppressed and under-represented populations among students, faculty, and staff in social work education programs.

Implications for Social Work Education

NASW (2007) in its publication “Institutional Racism & the Social Work Profession: A Call to Action” stated:◦ Social workers can assume responsibility for taking action to

reverse the effect of racism on services to people and communities of color.

◦ Social workers can take action to engage their own organizations to become antiracist organizations.

◦ Social workers can partake in actions large and small to challenge the institutional or structural racism in their communities and the nation at large.

Implications for Social Workers

Diversity: Challenges and Opportunities

Sandra Edmonds Crewe, Ph.D., ACSWDean, Howard University School of Social Work

Diversity

A Deeper Understanding of Diversity Diversity not only

involves how people perceive themselves, but how they perceive others. Those perceptions affect their interactions.

What about diversity within racial groups?

Age Politics Culture Urban vs Rural Education And more….

When organizations actively assess their handling of workplace diversity issues, develop and implement diversity plans, multiple benefits are reported such as:

Increased adaptability Broader service range Variety of viewpoints More effective execution

http://www.multiculturaladvantage.com/recruit/diversity/diversity-in-the-workplace-benefits-challenges-solutions.asp

Benefits of Workplace Diversity

Exploring Challenges-What do you think?

Taking full advantage of the benefits of diversity in the workplace is not without its challenges. Some of those challenges are: Communication - Perceptual, cultural and language barriers

need to be overcome for diversity programs to succeed. Ineffective communication of key objectives results in confusion, lack of teamwork, and low morale.

Resistance to change - There are always employees who will refuse to accept the fact that the social and cultural makeup of their workplace is changing. The “we’ve always done it this way” mentality silences new ideas and inhibits progress.

Challenges of Diversity in the Workplace

Implementation of diversity in the workplace policies - This can be the overriding challenge to all diversity advocates. Armed with the results of employee assessments and research data, they must build and implement a customized strategy to maximize the effects of diversity in the workplace for their particular organization.

Successful Management of Diversity in the Workplace - Diversity training alone is not sufficient for your organization’s diversity management plan. A strategy must be created and implemented to create a culture of diversity that permeates every department and function of the organization.

Challenges of Diversity in the Workplace

Ward off change resistance with inclusion. - Involve every employee possible in formulating and executing diversity initiatives in your workplace.

Foster an attitude of openness in your organization. - Encourage employees to express their ideas and opinions and attribute a sense of equal value to all.

Promote diversity in leadership positions. - This practice provides visibility and realizes the benefits of diversity in the workplace.

Utilize diversity training. - Use it as a tool to shape your diversity policy. Launch a customizable employee satisfaction survey that provides

comprehensive reporting. - Use the results to build and implement successful diversity in the workplace policies.

Recommended diversity in the workplace solutions include

True or False?

Why Race Still Matters in Social Work Education

Anna McPhatter, Ph.D, LCSWDean and Professor

School of Social WorkMorgan State University

Baltimore, Maryland

Race Matters Race, Ethnicity, Gender both historically and currently

play a major role throughout society – including agencies, universities, individuals

Recent examples in policing in Baltimore, Ferguson, New York, Ohio, Minnesota, South Carolina

Race Matters Reflected in education and college attendance of

students of color Reflected specifically in institutions of higher education Reflected in socioeconomic conditions of people of

color

Assumptions We Make We live in a multicultural society Social Work education and practice should reflect the

diversity inherent in the client populations served Critical that students are educated and trained to

address racism and other “isms” Essential that social work educators have the ability,

commitment and passion to address oppression in all its forms

Challenges in Social Work Education Academia a unique institution Highly traditional, bureaucratic White male pecking order Male dominated in HBCU’s Academic Freedom Tenure Process Subjective Disparities in Faculty and Administrators of Color

Demographic Characteristics of Faculty in Social Work Programs 68.3% White 15.9% African American 1.2% Chicano/Mexican American 1.3% Puerto Rican 3.1% Other Latino/Hispanic 1.1% American Indian/Native American 6.4% Asian American/Other Asian .2% Pacific Islander 1.0% Multiple race/ethnicity

Challenges for Faculty of Color Model Minority vs Token Minority Micro Aggression Differing Expectations (Research, Teaching, Community

Service Representative for all people of color Non-inclusiveness in informal networking Isolation due to under-representation of people of

color

Challenges for Faculty of Color Support system for minority students Assertiveness in addressing “isms” viewed as overly

aggressive or “Angry Black Woman” Being a team player requires “making the team

comfortable” regarding issues of race Social Work Educators despite the profession’s values,

ethics, purpose still have difficulty with race, ethnicity

Opportunities in Social Work Education

Educate self on the issues and concerns of people of color

Become knowledgeable and skilled in addressing oppression in all its forms

Be the first to take a stand when you witness or are aware of racism

Do not participate in maintaining structural racism Challenge the status quo when others are left out

Opportunities When minorities are alone or in small numbers, reach

out to network and support Mentor new faculty of color and provide support in

navigating the tenure process Collaborate with faculty of color on research and

community service projects Commit to developing leadership of faculty of color,

specifically women of color Commit to cultural humility and competence

MentoringMit Joyner

W.E.B. DuBois 1903 words are prophetic, as he proclaims the importance of an issue with which we are still grappling in the twenty-first century-race.

Race is socially embedded phenomenon that affects just about every aspect of our lives, and as such, provides a critical lens with which to examine mentoring literature ( Thomas & Alderfer, 1989)

Foreman(2000:30) describes race as “America major piece of unfinished business because of the plethora of conflicting emotions that are unleashed as we approach the taboo.

The Impact of Race on Understanding Mentoring Relationships

Some feel that mentors with a similar racial and ethnic background are better equipped to understand the social and psychological conflicts and share deeps levels of trust and cooperation with their protégés. People of color are reluctant to select the same race in a company but they prefer a mentor of the same racial and ethnic group.The sense of guilt and defensiveness that white mentors may experience as they confront racial oppression could hinder their capacity to address issues of central importance to people of color.People of color may feel sensitive to being judged by white mentors according to stereotypes and that fear may discourage making the effort and taking risk that could potentially bolster self esteem

Mentorship- The debate. Same race

Pairing white mentors with people of color may undermine the sense of cultural identity or convey a message that appropriate role models are not to be found in their own group.

Racial and ethnic communities often member their own members and fosters a sense of solidarity and mentoring as an important vehicle for forging lasting ties.

continued

The reality is that the waiting list for same race matches are long.

Public/Private Ventures researching Morrow and Style found that effective relationships were just as likely to form in cross-race pairs as in same-race pairs. Although challenges arose due to the cultural differences, they were generally resolved through adequate support and understanding

Some researches felt socioeconomic status were more of a concern than race

Cross Race

Herrera and colleagues also of P/PV found that cross- race matches were as close and supportive as same race matches and that other factors such as activities, shared interests, and mentor training was more predictive of relationship quality.Some claim that cross race matching rather than being a disadvantage, can actually bridge social distances and challenge negative stereotypes.

continued

Mentoring programs require a coordinatorUsing mentors from outside the protégé’s department is very effective.Multiple mentors may be of value to faculty, providing different aspects of career development.Less than 25% of faculty find mentors on their own-those who do are most often white males.Formal mentoring is, overall, more effective than informal mentoring.Peer mentoring and informal mentoring may be of special importance to women, minority, and more senior faculty.

Race and Mentoring

Challenges: Protégé must determine if the match is Same Race or Cross Race.

Mentoring Training is a must! Establish trust Communicate Openly and Often See each other as individuals Take the Initiative Publicly support protégé and help them expand professional

networks Manage Power Differentials and Appropriate Boundaries Embrace New Opportunities for Personal and Professional

Growth

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