This is the final lesson in the spotlight, one privilege. To refresh your memory, privilege refers to an invisible advantage based on being a member of a particular group. Let's explore how leaders can focus on privileged to foster inclusion in the workplace and promote the power of diversity. Dr Jonathan Higgins, a Social Justice Educator said, recognizing that the word privilege can often take on different meaning in regards to leadership. It's vital to examine the concept if we're looking to make our workplaces equitable and inclusive. Whether we are aware of it or not, each of us brings ways we have been socialized about privilege to the workplace. As we interact, we are subject to societal biases, dominant belief systems, and expectations about social identities. Many of those biases, beliefs, and expectations are based on various types of systemic oppression. Examples include racism, sexism, ableism, Islamophobia and heterosexism. Those oppressive belief systems are embedded in policies and practices that tend to favor members of dominant groups more than members of non dominant groups. The concept of privilege is especially relevant to the signature trade of inclusive leadership cognizance of bias. Here's how inclusive leaders can address privilege as they cultivate inclusion. One, acknowledge that privilege matters. Two, learn about privilege and how it effects individuals within and outside of the workplace. Three, try to be self-aware and honest about privileging ones own life. Notice how, when, personally experiences privilege, draw upon that knowledge to be more inclusive. As leaders gain knowledge, they will realize that privilege is not about individuals, including themselves being bad people. Rather, privileges about systems that have developed overtime in favor of dominant groups. Such as right-handed people, men, white people, able-bodied people, people from dominant religions, an heterosexuals. This can result in cumulative advantages for members of non-dominant groups. Such as left-handed people, people of color, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ individuals, and persons who are not from the dominant religion. Perhaps you recall by story about a lesbian colleague who shared her experiences with me. After she described challenges in our workplace based on her sexuality, I became aware of my heterosexual privilege. I realized that I benefit daily from being straight and ways I had not even considered. I could talk openly at work about my romantic relationships without concern about coworkers. And whether students would accept my sexual identity. I did not have to fear implicit or explicit discrimination due to my sexual identity. I was eligible for a variety of employee benefits for heterosexual married couples. Inclusive leaders realize that they benefit from privilege, whether they want to or not. I don't want to live in a world where some aspects of my life based on being heterosexual tend to be easier than they are for persons who are not. But the reality is, I do live in that world. After gaining insight about their personal privilege, leaders can focus on learning more about privilege and applying lessons learned. Here are some ways to do that. Number one, acknowledge and learn about the systemic nature of privilege through professional development. Provide such training for others in the organization. Two, identify ways that privilege operates within ones own workplace. Three, strive to make changes in order to be more inclusive and to promote equity. When I became aware of my heterosexual privilege, I sought information about it. I participated in training about sexual orientation on my campus, then I decided to act. To make systemic changes, I focused on my academic department and the discipline of communication studies. Among other actions, I added readings about sexuality to an introductory course on organizational communication. As the director of the graduate students who taught that course, I told them what I was doing and why. In addition, I co-facilitated a panel on social identity in a national communication convention. One of the panelists was my lesbian colleague. She described her experience as a lesbian in higher education. I lead a project to publish papers from that session in a national journal. The article about my colleagues experiences as a lesbian in higher education was widely disseminated within communication studies. The Racial Equity Tools website lists several ways for leaders to address white privilege. These recommendations are relevant to other types of privilege. They include ideas for taking systemic approach. For example, leaders can analyze organizational culture within their spheres of influence. Share that understanding with others and make individual and collective changes that reflect equitable structural change. They also can review decision making process to identify and change assumptions within them about dominant and non-dominant groups. And, they can guide others to uncover and revise, accumulated advantages and disadvantages embedded in laws, policies, regulations, and other systems. Well, that concludes our spotlight on privilege. I hope you better understand what privileges and how it matters to inclusive leadership. I refer to privilege throughout the course as I share ways to cultivate inclusion in the workplace. For now, I close with a quote by Sheree Atcheson, Diversity and Inclusion Leader at Deloitte, UK. She said, understanding privilege is not a comfortable journey. It is eye-opening, potentially painful and uncomfortable, but incredibly worthwhile to become a better leader. And most importantly, a more compassionate human being. I totally agree with her. Until next time.
