| 
  • If you are citizen of an European Union member nation, you may not use this service unless you are at least 16 years old.

  • You already know Dokkio is an AI-powered assistant to organize & manage your digital files & messages. Very soon, Dokkio will support Outlook as well as One Drive. Check it out today!

View
 

EDHE6710_20090304

Page history last edited by Starr Hoffman 15 years ago

EDHE 6710

03.04.2009

 

  • doubling-up on Case Studies next week
  • need to check on the reading, as well

 

Race in Organizations

Theory & Research

  • theory becomes very clear in this section of the ASHE Reader
  • sometimes our approach to research influences how we evaluate research
  • many times research is formed by reading the literature and looking for gaps; still based on someone else's research
  • research is usually based on other research/ideas, unless you're forming a completely new theory

 

Race

  • need to "re-vision" the study of race: changing your conception
  • are organizations race-neutral?
    • they may try or believe that they appear to be so, but usually unsuccessful
    • what is "neutral?" common denominator for all humans--regardless of race or gender
    • but race/gender are critical to some interactions, and it's false to strive for "neutral"
  • how is race as a variable used in organizational research studies?  usually an aside, or extra paragraph--"other"
  • ethnicity (based in Darwinism) and assimilation (immigrants assimilating into standard culture)

 

Alternative Frameworks

  • power-conflict (race as a labor need)
    • also deals with the "not everyone wants to/should go to college" question
  • racial formation theory (sociohistorical concept)
    • Census bureau categories, based on anthropological, historical, biological studies/theories
    • based most on point-of-origin; has to do with DNA tracing back to human origins, period
    • but race itself is a theory, not a fact
    • perhaps "race" should be considered instead as "culture" studies
  • everyday racism--looking at "institutional racism," usually unconscious but deals with the way things are done
  • black studies--focus and perspective shifted

 

Questions to consider...

  • how can we break the silence about race in organizations?
    • change hiring practices
    • projecting onto candidates--"overqualified," "won't be happy here," etc.
    • not race neutral, but race not being a factor in getting daily work done
    • affirmitave action politicizes the issue; often seen as negative
  • how can organizations address diversity?
    • start at the top, structure process to include everyone
    • include all aspects of the org. into that mix, into consideration; part of your mission
    • try to reduce feelings of "threat" by those currently in power (white males, etc.) to increase institutional buy-in
    • address all levels--administration, faculty, students
    • controversy over required classes for all those groups
    • purposefully mixing living circumstances between cultures
    • mix committee makeup in a similar way
    • diversity focus groups discussing controversial, variety of perspective articles/films/etc. ("safe" environment of honesty)
    • org. often aren't creative enough--come up with boring, mandatory workshops
  • how does racial identity affect organizational experiences?
    • discussion about being a lone member versus being in the majority, how this affects your identity, behavior, thought process, etc. (think about the female majority at the library)
  • web includes race, gender and class...
    • tend to all influence each other, perspectives

 

Institutional Racism

  • org. factors that promote institutional facism; elements of higher education that exist and can be used to change
    • mission
    • culture--even architecture, art, holidays celebrated, etc.
    • power
    • structure
    • resources

 

Comments (0)

You don't have permission to comment on this page.