Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion DEI

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EDI Conference, London - July 10-11

  • 1.  EDI Conference, London - July 10-11

    Posted 02-26-2023 15:27

    Please consider attending the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Conference in London July 10-11. Check out the full conference page and all streams on https://www.edi-conference.org/index.php , though I´d be delighted to review submissions in the stream I´m chairing:

    Attracting and Retaining Employees with Marginalized Identities

    This stream is focused on organizational efforts to increase diversity. In particular, we are interested in employer practices aimed at attracting and retaining employees from marginalized groups. Submissions to the stream can be in the form of long abstracts (up to 1500 words), developmental papers (3000-5000 words, including references) or full papers (no length restrictions) by the deadline of March 15, 2023. Please process your registration and paper submission online via the EDI registration page.

    Individuals that belong to marginalized groups often experience higher unemployment rates than individuals from favored groups. While organizations spend a great deal of money on efforts aimed at increasing their image as an employer of choice among various groups (e.g., Autism Speaks; Black Lives Matter; Pride Month; Women's History Month), such endeavors are often seen as merely performative by the audiences they intend to attract. Avery and McKay's (2006) extensive review of the literature on attracting diverse applicants suggests that individuals from historically disadvantaged groups are, indeed attracted to organizations that signal that they value diversity; however, the signaling value lies in the eye of the beholder. In this stream, we are interested in theoretical and empirical papers that seek to examine organizational recruitment activities that are designed to attract individuals from minoritized backgrounds.

    For those individuals from marginalized identities who do get hired, the prospects for advancement are often seen as unfavorable, resulting in higher turnover rates among individuals with marginalized identities than among those with favored identities. what many have referred to as the "leaky pipeline" (Pell, 1996; Sabat, Goldberg, King, Watson, & Zhang, 2020). This may be due to their own mistreatment – being passed over for promotion, experiencing microaggressions, etc. – or due to their observations of how others who belong to their group have been treated. Thus, this stream seeks papers that emphasize ways in which organizations can increase opportunities for employees from historically disadvantaged groups.

    Example topics include:
    -How might organizations best utilize limited recruitment budgets to appeal to candidates from marginalized backgrounds?
    -Can a history of mistreatment of people from a particular marginalized identity be overcome? If so, do organizations with a history of discrimination need to engage in efforts above and beyond those of their competitors?
    -What sorts of recruitment efforts are most effective/ineffective at prompting people from historically disadvantaged groups to perceive the organization as genuinely interested in valuing diversity and hence, inducing them to apply?
    -Does an emphasis on attracting one group come at the expense of repelling members of other groups?
    -How can organizations improve their responses to allegations of mistreatment?
    -How do leadership development and assessment tools disfavor individuals from marginalized groups?
    -What are some best practices for increasing the representation of individuals from historically disadvantaged groups?



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    Caren Goldberg
    Fellow
    Universidad De Sevilla
    VA
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