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Inclusion and DEI

How a Culture of Conformity Can Stymie Even the Best of DEI Intentions

Sarah Townsend, University of Southern CaliforniaSeptember 12, 2022October 31, 2022
conformity
Sections
  • Business
Topics
  • business management
  • Company Culture
  • Diversity and Inclusion
  • Gender Equality
  • Racial Equity

When it comes to DEI, we’ve focused a lot on diversity and equity. Now we need to tackle inclusion.

Many organizations are making diversity, equity, and inclusion a priority, as they increasingly recognize the value of representing people from a wide range of backgrounds. Research shows that diverse teams are more innovative, better at weighing information to make stronger decisions, and produce greater financial returns.

So far, most organizations have focused on getting people from underrepresented groups in the door (diversity) and ensuring they are compensated and supported fairly (equity). Unfortunately, many overlook the third prong of DEI, inclusion. They expect all employees to conform to the same dominant norms, creating organizational cultures that can feel narrow and unwelcoming to individuals with different backgrounds and life experiences.

Read the full article at Fast Company.

This article was produced by Footnote in partnership with University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.

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Contributed by

Sarah Townsend

Sarah Townsend

Interim Assistant Vice Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Associate Professor of Management and Organization, Marshall School of Business
University of Southern California

Sarah Townsend studies the psychological foundations of inequality. Her research reveals the dysfunctional behaviors and physiological costs that can result when individuals’ cultural norms collide with the dominant cultural norms of organizations. She examines how these “cultural divides” are often a hidden source of inequality, but how they can be used to lessen opportunity gaps and fuel greater cross-group understanding. The director of the Culture, Diversity, and Psychophysiology lab (CPD Lab) at USC, Dr. Townsend has received recognition including, being named a “Rising Star” by the Association for Psychological Science and “Professor of the Week” by Poets & Quants.

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