Abstract
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging work has been an important element of organizational change in the last several years. However, there is much to critique as organizations struggle to see collective growth away from performative action and towards authentic internal change that is fully embodied from the top down. This chapter describes the importance and process of growth in educational leaders seeking to invest in the work of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. The purpose of this chapter is to provide guidance to educational leaders and consultants who are seeking authentic ways to promote DEIB work and adult learning that fosters real results in DEIB. The chapter describes practices and ways of being, or a posture of authenticity that educational leaders should adopt if they want to see true organizational change within their professional community.
TopIntroduction
Do you already know that your existence—who and how you are–is in and of itself a contribution to the people and place around you? Not after or because you do some particular thing, but simply the miracle of your life. And that the people around you, and the place(s), have contributions as well? Do you understand that your quality of life and your survival are tied to how authentic and generous the connections are between you and the people and place you live with and in? Are you actively practicing generosity and vulnerability in order to make the connections between you and others clear, open, available, durable? Generosity here means giving of what you have without strings or expectations attached. Vulnerability means showing your needs.
― Adrienne Maree Brown, Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds
In K-12 educational leadership development, it is common to hear about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) but it is difficult to cultivate authentic leadership that demonstrates buy-in, and truly embodies DEIB. It is even more difficult for educational leaders to follow up with honesty and transparency about their shortcomings in DEIB. With these challenges in mind, there is no wonder that listening to and honoring the challenges that stakeholders face is a lingering 21st century concern. What many educational leaders fail to realize about seeing organizational change and addressing DEIB, is that the very changes they hope to see externally must be addressed within themselves for the betterment of the learning and professional communities they serve. There is a fractal nature to all things in organizational change, and without addressing that delicate balance, leaders will continue to come up short (A. M. Brown, 2017; B. Brown, 2018). DEIB work can be difficult, and it is often slow. Two areas that are seemingly antithetical to the fast-paced, compartmentalized and standards driven cultures prevalent in educational communities.
This chapter names the difficulty in making sustainable and transformative gains in organizational change and defines the importance of moving through critical stages of developmental growth in the work of Diversity, Equity, Including, and Belonging (DEIB) as an organizational change strategy. The goal and focus of this chapter are to help organizational change leaders ask the right questions about what it takes to move from practices that are good and correct, but may be performative, to more authentic postures that exemplify a transformation in habits of mind and ways of being (Affolter, 2017; Costino, 2018; Harro, 2013, p. 2002). This chapter describes how change starts from within, and that change agents and initiators need to rethink what it takes to get authentic outward results from organizations in an ever-changing global economy.
Next, this chapter presents professional, anecdotal, and empirical narrative examples as well as a framework that calls the reader toward facilitating introspection and cultivating a culture of deep inner work that benefits individuals, systems, and entire communities. The chapter also includes a review of the literature and theoretical frameworks that inform the content, including adult learning theories and intersectionality as a critical social theory (Christie et al., 2015; Henschke, 2011; Hill-Collins, 2019; Merriam & Bierema, 2014).
Through the lens of the theoretical framework and empirical data from educational consultancy work in the field, the sections of this chapter describe practices that lead to sustainable organizational change in the face of ever-changing circumstances and needs (A. M. Brown, 2017; Ernst Kossek et al., 2010; Gibson, 2021). The first section provides background for the processes described, section two covers the theoretical framework and the literature that supports its use, section three describes what it means to be inwardly inquisitive as a core principle of DEIB work. The fourth section describes what it takes to be outwardly vulnerable in light of initial inward reflection. Sections five through eight cover practical steps, a learning scenario, and program evaluation. This chapter closes with a to guide the reader through a DEIB program that focuses on a method for developing critical consciousness.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Intersectional Learning Community: A school community comprised of learners, teachers, and administration that centers on the community awareness of multicultural identities and allows for cultural relevance to drive collaborative achievements.
Transformative Learning Theory: A process of learning whereby a learner is confronted with new understandings and undergoes major changes in perceptions and cognition.
Professional Learning Community: A school community comprised of learners, teachers, and administration that centers on educators working together to promote student achievement and growth using various standardized educational strategies.
Intersectionality: The interconnectedness of social categories such as race, class, gender, and sexuality as they apply to a given individual or group. These categories create overlapping systems of privilege, power, discrimination, and oppression.