1. Equity, Equality and Privilege: Words into Actions
Dr. Wendy Cukier, MA,MBA, PhD, DU (hon) LLD (hon) M.S.C.
Founder & Director, TRSM Diversity Institute
Professor, Entrepreneurship & Strategy, Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University
May 9, 2019

2. AGENDA Discussion Context Understanding Privilege Ecological Approach
Implementing Good Practice

3. Breakout 1: UNDERSTANDING PRIVILEGE
Answer the questions on the checklist
Start with 35 points. Add the pluses and subtract the minuses and report your final score.
What are the implications?

4. Breakout 1: UNDERSTANDING PRIVILEGE
Answer the questions on the checklist
Start with 35 points. Add the pluses and subtract the minuses and report your final score.
What are the implications?

5. CONTEXT: Equality vs. Equity vs. Inclusion
Equality = Sameness
Giving everybody the same thing
Only works if everyone starts from the same place
the quality of being fair and impartial
Fairness or justice in the way people are treated
Equity = Fairness
Access to the same opportunities
We must ensure equity before we can enjoy equality
State of being equal, especially in status, rights and opportunities
Likeness or sameness in quality, power, status or degree
“Equity is the means, equality is the outcome”
INCLUSION

6. The Equity Continuum
Level 1: “Compliance” These organizations are motivated by compliance. Their aim is to meet their legal or other obligations, to avoid the negative consequences of non-compliance. These organizations focus on equality.
Level 2: “Moving Beyond Compliance” These organizations recognize the value in going beyond simple compliance. Equity in these organizations means being seen to “do the right thing for disadvantaged groups”.
Level 3: “The Business Case” These organizations understand that certain diversity initiatives can improve organizational efficiency, recruitment, employee retention, team effectiveness or market related opportunities. Representation numbers at this stage are a means to an end rather than the focus of the diversity strategy.
Level 4: “Integrated Equity” These organizations have evolved beyond diversity to inclusion. They focus on creating a work environment where each person (vs. each group) is recognized and developed, and their talents are routinely tapped in to. They actively practice talent differentiation strategies. They value people because of not in spite of their differences and have moved towards an environment that is equitable for all.
Level 5: “Inclusive and Equitable” These organizations have achieved the vision of treating people based solely on the content of their character. They focus on rigorous talent differentiation to create a job/talent fit that allows each employee to utilize their unique strengths, passion, attitude, personality, life experiences and virtue. They have achieved a work environment that is equitable and inclusive for all. These organizations recognize that human equity contributes to a strong economy, which benefits all participants including the organization.

7. Underrepresentation in GTA Leadership
2,375 senior leadership positions in GTA
(Women population in GTA: 51.5%; VM : 49.5% VM Women 25.6%)
VM Women (25.6%) of GTA pop., but 4.2% of senior leaders in Non-VM women: 26.2%
White women outnumber VM women 6:1, despite nearly equal representation in the population. 17:1 in corporate
Diversity Leads, 2017)

8. % Somewhat/Strongly Agree Visible Minority Respondents
Bias in the Workplace
Survey Items
White/Caucasian
Respondents
% Somewhat/Strongly Agree
Visible Minority Respondents
Men
Women
I believe “who you know” (or who knows you”) is more important than “what you know” when deciding who gets development opportunities in my organizations.
54%
60%
67%
72%
I feel like I am held to a higher performance standard than peers in my organization.
33%
35%
46%
47%
In my organization, people tend to recommend people of their own ethnicity for high-visibility assignments. 9%
11%
30%
Old research but important findings:
Visible minority respondents more likely to:
Think who you know is important for advancement;
Feel as though they’re held to a higher standard
Feel same-group recommendations are likely
there is also a gendered dimension
These are particularly problematic stats as leadership is already firmly skewed towards non-visible minority persons
DI & Catalyst (2007)

9. Ethno-cultural Groups
Levels of Discrimination Vary
Respondent experiences of discrimination in the last five years as reported by immigrants
Responses
Ethno-cultural Groups
Chinese
South Asian
Black
Filipino
Often
4.7%
13.2%
19.2%
6.9%
Sometimes
32.9%
33.8%
21.8%
27.6%
Rarely
62.4%
53.0%
59.0%
65.5%
1,425 individuals surveyed—immigrants and Canadian-born individuals who had searched for a job/worked in Canada in the past 10 years
Peel Employment Study, 2009

10. ECOLOGICAL MODEL OF CHANGE
Individual
Organizational
Societal
Barriers/Drivers and Interventions at each level and between levels

11. Societal Level Policies (e.g. C-25) and their implementation
Hold media accountable – leverage procurement power of organizations as well as consumer action
Stakeholder commitments: accreditation, reward structures, procurement policies can accelerate change
Gender+ (or DAT) based analysis of policies, programs and budgets for an inclusive ecosystem
Promote positive images of diverse leaders across sectors, particularly in business and entrepreneurship
Understand the impact of world events on employees and customers
No more “manels”
Remember: Culture eats strategy

14. Organizational Level 1. Governance and Leadership:
Communicate buy-in from senior administration, staff, and leadership
“Tone from the top”: Rationale for new approaches to diversity & inclusion
Cascading goals and accountability frameworks
Story telling
Collectively, factors create ecosystem to support inclusive social innovation

15. Words into action: Has this board adopted a written diversity policy?
Retail and Trade companies are the least likely to have adopted a written diversity policy.
PhaseNyne Annual Report Card

16. 2. Strong and Transparent Human Resources Practices
Recruitment
Bias free selection processes
Retention
Advancement and promotion
Training and development
Policies and processes
Collectively, factors create ecosystem to support inclusive social innovation

17. E.g. New tools and approaches
Focus on evaluating, sharing, replicating and scaling what works. Lots of great innovative initiatives with promising outcomes, but competition for resources, fragmentation and duplication limit the effective means for sharing across institutions, jurisdictions, sectors, departments. Post secondary institutions may drive innovation in some respects but are laggard when it comes to the adoption of new processes, tools or technologies or in producing evidence of value for money. They are also laggards in terms of diversity and not subject even to basic reporting requirements of Employment Equity in spite of government funding. Assessments, adaptive learning and building networked social capital are critical.

18. 3. Quality of Life, Community and Culture
Policies
Practices
Visible signs and symbols
Collectively, factors create ecosystem to support inclusive social innovation

19. 4. Measurement and Accountability
Canada’s EE Designated Groups: gender, visible minorities, aboriginal people, people with disabilities
Language differs within and across jurisdictions
Intersectionality
e.g. gender/racialization/sexual orientation; especially immigration/racialization
‘Aggregates and categories mask difference:
E.g., “Black” or “Muslim” homogenizes different experiences based on ethnicity, generation, immigrant status, language
Link self identification and engagement surveys
Brief
Benefits explained to all employees
Clear plan to follow up with results
Anonymous

20. E.g.: Diversity Scorecard

21. 5. D & I Across the Value Chain

22. Opportunities Across the Value Chain
Diversity procurement targets (including media)
Operations
Location and design decisions
Product development
Services
Facilities
Marketing and Sales
After Care Services
Collectively, factors create ecosystem to support inclusive social innovation

23. 6. Develop the pipeline Outreach and community engagement
Reaching Youth
Partnerships
Corporate Social Responsibility
Government Relations and Advocacy

24. Individual Level: Be an inclusive changemaker
Personal SWOTs: Build awareness, skills
Understand and challenge privilege and biases
Use evidence, data and new tools
Provide support and build resilience– affinity groups
Networking, mentoring and sponsorship
Lift as you climb: Help build pathways for others
Span of control – whom can you influence?
Personal accountability – no bystanders

25. Self Assessment E.g. Unconscious Bias Test
E.g. Unpacking Privilege Exercises
E.g. Intercultural Competency Development

26. Breakout 1: UNDERSTANDING PRIVILEGE
Answer the questions on the checklist
Start with 35 points. Add the pluses and subtract the minuses and report your final score.
What are the implications?

27. CONCLUSION: Strategic “Doing”
Invest in research and you will get research. Invest in innovation and you will get innovation. Many of the large scale investments have not and will not produce the innovation outcomes or economic growth outcomes promised regardless of how well written the proposals are. For example, a deep dive will reveal that many of the “jobs” created are post docs rather than sustainable jobs in the community.
Partnerships and “clusters” are key - incumbents have little incentive to innovate – innovation generally occurs on the periphery – outsiders try harder and have less to lose. However the tendency is to engage the “usual suspects” who have vested interests in preserving the status quo.
Recognize differences in innovation cycles – developing a new app versus getting a drug to market – differences in costs in risks and in time. A cure for cancer is unlikely to be found in an incubator.
Be serious about evaluation. If it does not work. Stop.

28. Understand system and innovation process in your organization
Who does what? What works? Replicate and Scale
Tap into employee and customer ideas
Learn from successes and failures: Iterate
There has been lots of research: harnessing it to improve practice in order to drive change is the challenge
It’s a process not a destination

29. Analysis, Accountability and Action
“The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.” -Ida B. Wells

30. Discussion 2: IMPLEMENTING GOOD PRACTICES
1. How can commitment to gender diversity and inclusion be further integrated into your organization (e.g. skills matrix, explicit diversity targets, from top to bottom)? 2. How can your organization’s HR policies and practices be employed to enhance gender diversity and inclusion (e.g. clear policies, mandatory training)? 3. How can your organization better measure, track and report on supporting diverse women entrepreneurs (e.g., targets, accountabilities)? 4. How can your organization bolster diversity across the value chains (e.g., procurement, operations, R&D, products, services)? 5. How can your organization retain a gender diversity lens in the design and delivery of programs and services (e.g., curricula, women-only)? 6. How can your organization further develop the pipeline (e.g. help shape policies, address stereotypes)? 7. How can your organization improve outreach tailored to targeted groups of women entrepreneurs (e.g., Indigenous, racialized, newcomers, women in STEM)? 8. How can your organizations bolster collaboration among actors (e.g., mainstream, women-focused SME networks)?

31. Questions?

32. CONTACT Ted Rogers School of Management Ryerson University
Diversity Institute
Ted Rogers School of Management
Ryerson University
ext. 7268