Dec. 2, 2024
Courageous Conversations: Using science to reinforce the transformational power of EDI
Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) is a field of transdisciplinary knowledge and research, policies, processes and practices, and evidence-based decision-making in universities, the nonprofit and private sector. The social sciences and STEMM (science, technology, engineering, math and medicine) are all spaces where research, quantitative and qualitative data, stories of lived experience 鈥 evidence 鈥 inform critical thinking and the best decisions, policies, and actions. The commitment to evidence-based actions, alongside principled and meaningful engagement, and ethical practices, shape EDI education, training, policies, strategies, and approaches for organizations to develop and implement EDI initiatives to advance fair and equitable inclusion.
On Oct. 10, experts Dr. Mikki Hebl and Dr. Eden King joined Dr. Malinda Smith, a political scientist and the vice-provost and associate vice-president research (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) for a Courageous Conversations Speaker Series on . It was the second part in this fall鈥檚 Together Courageous Conversations triology developed by Dr. Smith and the OEDI, in collaboration with units across campus. Amid polarization and pushback against EDI initiatives, the event was designed to foster dialogue and build bridges to better enable healthy and inclusive learning, research and work environments. was a collaboration with Dr. Sandy Hershcovis and the Haskayne School of Business, and coincided with for scholars working on EDI research in organizational behaviour and human resources, psychology, and management.
鈥淔rom the outset, we aimed to achieve excellence in EDI by designing and implementing a principled and evidence-based approach at 草莓污视频导航. The idea of rigorous and evidence-based policies and practices that underlie the science of EDI unsettles and necessarily disrupts the idea that EDI is just mere opinion, that it is not grounded in law and human rights, and that there鈥檚 no sound evidence to support it,鈥 said Smith, who created the Courageous Conversation series and hosted the event.
鈥淭his Courageous Conversation dialogue with professors Mikki Hebl and Eden King was especially timely, as more and more leaders are acknowledging accountability to their campuses and the wider community to create a fair and equitably inclusive post-secondary sector, and about how to create evidence-based strategies that advance EDI, and that mitigate barriers and ameliorate inequities experienced by underrepresented and marginalized communities that make up their universities, colleges and CEGEPs,鈥 she said.
Hebl and King鈥檚 2024 co-authored book, Working Together: Practicing the Science of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, dives into the scientific basis for the importance of EDI in organizations.
鈥淓very day, we want to be able to contribute to this conversation and try to use the best evidence we have to bring science to practice, to translate what we know from the science to people鈥檚 lives,鈥 said King.
King is the Lynette S. Autrey Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Rice University. Hebl is the Martha and Henry Malcolm Lovett Professor of Psychological Sciences at the Jones Business School at Rice University.
鈥淥ne of the things we鈥檝e uncovered is a two-pronged reaction to some DEI initiatives,鈥 said Hebl.
鈥淭he first is affective, where people have fears, are afraid their jobs are going to be taken away by someone, afraid there鈥檚 not enough space for them, afraid of all the change going on with AI, afraid of immigrants, afraid of the rhetoric that comes to them. The second is cognitive鈥攖his belief in a zero-sum game that if you鈥檙e getting something, I鈥檓 not getting something,鈥 she said.
These reactions, combined with a recent sweep of misinformation, has reinforced misconstrued beliefs about DEI.
鈥淚 think those two things, affective and cognitive responses, play off each other and create behaviours where people won鈥檛 buy in,鈥 said Hebl.
Broadening the narrative about EDI
King said that one way forward is to reframe EDI more broadly.
鈥淲e鈥檝e started to talk about broader sets of initiatives that help everyone. When DEI is done well, it helps everyone to feel included, like they belong, like they have the resources they need to do their jobs effectively,鈥 said King.
One example Hebl used in her talk was "curb cuts." In Kalamazoo, Michigan in the 1940s, cutting angles into curbs was a pilot project to aid veterans with disabilities who were coming back from war requiring a wheelchair. However, once they were implemented, it became clear how useful these cuts were for many types of people: those with strollers, canes, crutches, or limited mobility.
鈥淲hen we think about DEI activities as curb cuts,鈥 we are able to work toward a more equitably inclusive approach. 鈥淗ow many people use glasses, or closed captions, or need more space, or have neurodiversity? How do we widen our definitions and do that at the societal level? When we make it about race or gender only, we do DEI a disservice,鈥 said Hebl.
The speakers discussed the concerning trend of organizations cutting their previous support for EDI initiatives, effectively walking back their public statements and commitment to making change. They discussed a few factors that contribute to the shift in organizational attention to EDI, including legislative and policy shifts, competitor鈥檚 actions and leaders鈥 actions.
鈥淒iversity initiative waxes and wanes. It鈥檚 really good when the funding is there, and really bad when the funding isn鈥檛 there,鈥 said Hedl.
What is the future of EDI?
While the political and social environment can seem bleak at times, Hebl, King and Smith discussed the future of EDI, acknowledging that while there is more work to be done, and growing pushback, there is also reason to be positive.
鈥淭he first thing we have to do is look inward and say let鈥檚 keep doing research,鈥 said Hebl. 鈥淲e need to figure out how to stop the death of DEI programs. It鈥檚 linked with misinformation, polarization, fears of immigration, and this is where we must do research to see how these issues fit in with the bigger context.鈥
King shared that she believes the work in EDI will get better.
鈥淚 have to believe it will get better, and we will continue to make incremental change over time. I have to believe that, partly because we were invited to be part of this conversation and you took time out of your day to have it, but also because I am a mom and I want a future for my children that鈥檚 beautiful,鈥 said King.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we deserve, and I think we can do it by working together.鈥
Courageous Conversations
The OEDI鈥檚 Courageous Conversation Speaker Series was launched in fall 2020, featuring discussions on racism, anti-racism, colonialism, and complaint. Inspired by Maya Angelou and Violet King, the series engages the campus community and beyond in difficult conversations about systemic inequities. The series features locally and internationally renowned teachers, researchers, practitioners, and community-engaged scholars and activists by exploring critical questions about what needs to be done to effect sustainable change and ensure accountability.
Identifying, naming, discussing, and tackling historical and contemporary injustices can be profoundly unsettling. That鈥檚 where courage comes in 鈥 the courage to speak truth to power, to say things that the comfortable might not want to hear. Courageous Conversations are vital to advancing EDI in a university. It ensures that we are discussing EDI and modelling our expressed commitment to human rights, human dignity and cultivating equitable pathways that enable human flourishing.
Together Series
One goal of our 鈥淭ogether鈥 series is to engage the campus community and beyond in conversations about the wicked social and cultural challenges of our time, with the aim of transforming polarisation and systemic inequities and advancing a just and plural society in which we learn, teach, research, engage and live well together.