1st Edition
Communication and Organizational Changemaking for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion A Case Studies Approach
This book explores the opportunities, challenges, and effective approaches to organizational change regarding diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
Featuring application-based case studies and practical guidelines for meaningful organizational change, this book problematizes some of the current DEI initiatives in today’s organizations. It examines multiple forms of diversity (e.g., race, age, and mental health) from a variety of perspectives (e.g., leadership and employee), with case studies that demonstrate how changemaking efforts can be reimagined and implemented in better, more nuanced, and more sustainable ways to produce meaningful organizational change. Through these case studies, readers learn from organizations’ successes and failures in their attempts to implement DEI practices. Each chapter concludes with explicit practical implications and/or actionable recommendations for organizational changemaking.
This text will make an impactful addition to courses in communication and diversity or organizational communication/change at the advanced undergraduate or graduate level, and will be an essential guide for professionals wishing to lead change in their organizations.
1. Introduction: Communication and Organizational Changemaking for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion.
Bobbi J. Van Gilder, Jasmine T. Austin, & Jacqueline S. Bruscella
Part 1. Envisioning More Equitable Structures, Policies, and Practices
2. Finding the Right Fit: Strategies for DEI Sourcing in AI-Driven Recruitment.
Ignacio F. Cruz
3. Age Discrimination in the Workplace: An Exploration of Age-Blind Hiring Practices.
Samantha Szczur & Alyssa Obradovich
4. Against Professionalism and “Good” Communication: Transforming Exclusionary Assumptions in Interviews and Beyond
Joshua H. Miller
5. Language-Discordance as a Barrier to Health Equity: Identifying Inclusive Practices in Health Organizations from Patients’ Perspectives
Sachiko Terui, Divya S, & Beauty Fosu Acheampong
6. Taking Action to Increase Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace: Integrity and Compliance-Based Training as a Foundation for Training in Organizations
Gabriela I. Morales, Anne P. Hubbell, & Greg G. Armfield
7. Reimagining FacultyßàInstitutional Engagement with Equitable and Inclusive Practices to Foster Meaningful Organizational Changemaking in Higher Education
Wilfredo Alvarez & Maria J. Genao-Homs
8. Beyond Performative Allyship: Moving from Intention to Action in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives
Erin E. Gilles & Saleema Mustafa Campbell
Part 2. Challenging Dominant Discourses and Fostering Dialogue
9. “Work-Life Balance? That’s Just for Managers”: Time Policies and Practices in Blue-Collar and White-Collar Work
Sunshine Webster & Dawna I. Ballard
10. Challenging Institutional Whiteness: The Lived Experiences of Structural Tensions in Diversity Work
Heewon Kim & Ashton Mouton
11. “#BeingBlackandMuslim”: Addressing Intersectional Invisibility in Muslim American Communities
Marwa Abdalla
12. Pedagogy and Mentorship as Organizational Changemaking: An Autoethnographic Vignette Approach
Stevie M. Munz, Leandra H. Hernández, & Elizabeht Hernandez
13. Compassion at the Margins: Increasing Compassion for Employees from Traditionally Marginalized Groups
Cris J. Tietsort & Rebecca B. Leach
14. Action-Oriented Dialogues for Systemic Change: A Trauma-Informed Approach
Srividya Ramasubramanian & Anna Wolfe
15. Facilitating Structures and Processes for Ethical Dialogue Across Difference: A Case Study of an Interorganizational Collaboration for Social Change
Laura Irwin & Kirsten Foot
16. It’s the Hope That Kills You: Belonging and Organizational Change in Ted Lasso
Raymond Blanton
Part 3: Promoting Meaningful and Impactful Organizational Leadership
17. “It’s a safe space, right?”: The Complexities of Communicating LGBTQ+ Inclusion Via Artifacts
Sidney Murray, Elizabeth Yanas, Jasmine T. Austin, & Elizabeth K. Eger
18. Meandering, Mistakes, and Movement: Stages of Organizational Culture Change for DEI
Richard D. Waters, Zifei Fay Chen, & Lorena Gomez-Barris
19. Collaborative and Inclusive Leadership: Co-Cultural Calls for Dominant Group Action
Robert J. Razzante & Al Waqqas Al Balushi
20. Black Women Religious Leaders Diversifying Mental Health Training
Tianna L. Cobb
21. Equity-centered Leadership and Sustainable Change-making: An Organizational Imperative for Post-Pandemic Leadership and Advancement
Diane Forbes Berthoud
22. Whitewashing the Walls: Leading Organizational Change from Cultures of Mistrust to Celebrating Sisterhood
Angela N. Gist-Mackey, Savaughn E. Williams, & Anna Jewell
23. Organizing for Transgender Inclusion: How Control and Resistance Theorizing Serve as Intervention Tools
Alaina C. Zanin & Lore/tta LeMaster
Biography
Bobbi J. Van Gilder is an Assistant Professor of Global and Cultural Communication at Suffolk University, USA.
Jasmine T. Austin is an Assistant Professor of Race and Organizational Communication at Texas State University, USA.
Jacqueline S. Bruscella is an Associate Professor of Organizational Communication at the State University of New York at Oneonta, USA.
“This compelling collection of application-based case studies covers a rich range of contemporary DEI concepts and contexts. Contributors from wonderfully diverse academic and practitioner backgrounds share concise, concrete recommendations for anyone interested in cultivating DEI to effect meaningful organizational change.”
Brenda J. Allen, Communication Professor Emerita and former Chief Diversity Officer
“Communication and Organizational Changemaking for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is a remarkable must-read volume of essays that not only covers some of the most contested political and social issues today but also offers actionable recommendations. Well-established and emerging scholars handle controversial issues—ageism, disability, trans athletes, race and ethnicity, health care access, AI in hiring, and much more—deftly and with attention to how individuals and organizations can engage in structural change strategies. Presentational styles make topics accessible using concrete examples, case studies, media analyses, and autoethnographic vignettes. Communication and Organizational Changemaking for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is a go-to resource for DEI training and scholarship.”
Patrice M. Buzzanell, Distinguished University Professor, University of South Florida, USA.
“This excellent resource offers practical wisdom that demystifies diversity, equity, and inclusion principles and practices. Anchored in contemporary literature and authored by communication scholars, this well-written and accessible book offers a wealth of ideas and strategies that make DEI applications to organizational development and leadership clear, useful, and invaluable.”
Steven A. Beebe, Regents’ and University Distinguished Professor, Texas State University, USA; Past President, National Communication Association.
“This book provides a comprehensive and updated overview of diversity, equity, and inclusion as it relates to the communicative practices in organizations, with chapters that enhance the study, teaching, and implementation of DEI. In addition to the scholarly contributions, the real value of this book is the way in which chapter authors document the creation of positive, safe, and more equal workplace environments. This book will be useful to organizational management at all levels, organizational trainers, consultants, and students aspiring to these roles.”
Joann Keyton, Distinguished Professor Emerita, North Carolina State University, USA; Principal, Joann Keyton Consulting, Inc
