Dr. Dawn Nicholson and Jeffrey Siminoff - EDI's Evolution and Persisting Hurdles Over the Decades

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Summary:

Dr. Dawn Nicholson is a lecturer in Business and Organizational Psychology at the University of Kent in the UK. Jeffrey Siminoff leads a workplace dignity program at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and has prior experience working as an employment lawyer at companies like Apple and Twitter. 

In this episode, Dr. Nicholson and Jeffrey talk about Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) and why, despite its dramatic evolution over the last few decades, some companies are still struggling to see its inherent benefits. 

Chapters:

[0:00 - 4:53] Introduction

• Welcome, Dr. Nicholson and Jeffrey!
• Today’s Topic: EDI’s evolution and persisting hurdles over the decades

[4:54 - 14:47] What is EDI?

• Is there a real difference in how businesses view EDI vs DEI?
• Some cynics are leveraging poor reasoning to act against EDI in the workplace

[14:48 - 29:41] What did EDI mean years ago, when we first started talking about it?

• EDI had a narrow scope in its early days, which as widened with time
• There still seems to be a “need” to explain EDI in some companies

[29:42 - 40:32] When did we start seeing actual change with regards to EDI in organizations?

• The rise of support groups and the hesitation that often surrounded them
• Leaders need to be prepared to talk about anti-EDI claims that enter the conversation

[40:33 - 41:18] Closing

• Thanks for listening!

Quotes:

“What we are seeing is that people who have been cynical or not in favor of DEI leverage the poorest reasoning to [act against it].”
“An analogy [for DEI] that I’ve heard is: diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance; and belonging is knowing all the songs.”

Resources:
RFK Human Rights Resources
Medium Magazine's interview with Jeffrey

Contact:
Dr. Dawn's LinkedIn
Jeffrey's LinkedIn
David's LinkedIn
Dwight's LinkedIn
Podcast Manger: Karissa Harris
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Production by Affogato Media