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Creating Social Justice in
Organizations:
Dismantling Institutional
Classism and Racism
Rev. Jamie Washington, Ph.D.
Social Justice Training Institute
Kathy Obear, Ed. D.
Social Justice Training Institute
Session Outcomes

Assess (begin to) your department, overall
organization….

Review a model to achieve social justice and social
diversity (Jackson & Hardiman; Jackson & Holvino)

Share best practices and lessons learned

Consider your next steps
Building our Learning Community
1.
Go greet 5 people, and sit down
with someone you don’t know well.
2.
AND introduce yourself AND
3.
What’s a source of your PASSION,
COMMITMENT to create inclusive,
socially justice communities?
A Multicultural Organization (Inclusive Organization)
Jackson, Hardiman, and Holvino
1. Clear commitment to creating an inclusive organization
2. Seeks, develops, and values the contributions and talents of all
members
3. Includes all members as active participants in decisions that
shape the organization
4. Employees reflect diverse social and cultural groups throughout
all levels of the organization; and demonstrate the multicultural
competencies to serve the increasingly diverse student populations
5. Acts on its commitment to eliminate all forms of
exclusion/discrimination within the organization, including racism,
sexism, heterosexism, ageism, classism, ableism, religious
oppression, etc.
6. Follows through on broader social and environmental
responsibilities
Building our Learning Community
4.
Describe the CURRENT STATE of
your organization with respect to
creating an inclusive, socially just
environment for all:
*Scale of 0-10

What’s your evidence?
Creating Inclusive, Socially Just
Organizations
Develop and Support Privileged Group Members
Individual Awareness
and Skill Building:
Staff, Managers, Leaders
Recruitment and Access
Retention
Success
Reputation
Systemic Assessment
and Organizational Change:
Policies, Procedures, Programs,
Norms, Unwritten Rules…
Develop and
Support
Marginalized
Group Members
Multicultural Organizational
Development
Theory and Practice
Dr. Bailey Jackson
Dr. Rita Hardiman
Dr. Evangelina Holvino
MCOD Goals*

Both recognize, value and maximize
the benefits of social diversity AND

Eliminate social injustices

MCOD = Social Diversity + Social
Justice
* Jackson & Hardiman (1994)
MCOD Development Stage Model
Stage 1: The Exclusionary Organization
 Stage 2: The Club
 Stage 3: The Compliance Organization
 Stage 4: The Affirming Organization
 Stage 5: The Redefining Organization
 Stage 6: The Multicultural (Inclusive)
Organization

Jackson/Hardiman MCOD Continuum*
Monocultural
Exclusionary
Club
Blatant exclusion
or token presence
of marginalized
group members
Non-Discrimination
Compliance
Affirming
Marginalized group
members encouraged,
but expected to fit in.
Status quo culture
Multicultural
Redefining
Multicultural/
Inclusive
Culture, climate &
system experience
fundamental,
sustainable change
*Jackson 2005

Stage 1: The Exclusionary Organization


No way!
Stage 2: The Club
 Our

way or the highway!
Stage 3: The Compliance Organization
 The
letter of the law!

Stage 4: The Affirming Organization
 We

welcome “diverse candidates.”
Stage 5: The Redefining Organization
 Inclusion
is central to our success and daily
practices!

Stage 6: The Multicultural (Inclusive)
Organization
 We
live inclusion values and practices every
moment!
Stage 1: The Exclusionary Organization ~ NO WAY!






Openly maintains the privileged group’s power
and privilege
Deliberately restricts membership
Intentionally designed to maintain dominance of
one group over others
Overt discriminatory, exclusionary, and
harassing actions go unaddressed
Unsafe and dangerous environment for
marginalized group members
Monocultural organization
WHAT YOU WOULD SEE HAPPENING?
1. Demographics and degree of multicultural competence of
leaders, managers, and employees
2. Overall culture of the organization: morale, conflict/tension,
written and unwritten rules, etc.
3. Common patterns of behaviors, attitudes, and feelings of
members of dominant and subordinated groups?
4. Common practices/results/impact: decision-making,
communication, recruitment, retention, professional
development, supervision, programs, services, etc.
MCOD Development Stage Model
a.
b.



Identify 3+ examples of your assigned
Stage
How is this Stage different from the one
before, and the one following?
Stage 2: The Club
Stage 3: The Compliance Organization
Stage 4: The Affirming Organization
Stage 2: “The Club” ~ Our way or the highway!





Maintains privilege of those who have
traditionally held power and influence
Monocultural norms, policies, and procedures of
dominant culture viewed as the only "right" way:
"business as usual"
Dominant culture institutionalized in policies,
procedures, services, etc.
Limited number of "token" members from other
social identity groups allowed in IF they have the
“right” credentials, attitudes, behaviors, etc.
Engages issues of diversity and social justice
only on club member’s terms and within their
comfort zone
Stage 3: The Compliance Organization ~
The letter of the law!






Committed to removing some of the discrimination
inherent in the Club organization
Provides some access to some members of previously
excluded groups
No change in organizational culture, mission, or structure
Focus: Do not make waves, or offend/challenge
dominant group members
Efforts to change profile of workforce (at bottom of
organization)
Token placements in staff positions: Must be “team
players” and “qualified”
* Must assimilate into organizational culture
* Must not challenge the system or "rock the boat"
* Must not raise issues of sexism, racism, classism,
ableism, heterosexism, religious oppression,
ageism...
Stage 4: The Affirming Organization ~
We welcome “diverse candidates”.





Committed to eliminating discriminatory practices
and inherent advantages
Actively recruits and promotes members of
groups that have been historically denied access
and opportunity
Provides support and career development
opportunities to increase success and mobility
Employees encouraged to be non-oppressive ~
awareness trainings
Employees must assimilate to organizational
culture
Stage 5: Redefining Organization
Inclusion is central to our success
and daily practices!
•
•
•
•
•
•
In transition
Working to create environment that “values and
capitalizes on diversity”
Working to ensure full inclusion of multicultural workforce
to enhance growth and success of organization
Begins to question limitations of organizational culture:
mission, policies, structures, operations, services,
management practices, climate, etc.
Actively works towards developing a multicultural
organization
Committed to redesigning and implementing policies and
practices to redistribute power, and ensure the inclusion,
participation, and empowerment of all members
Indicators of an Inclusive Organization
Individually, review and note on pgs. 5-10
(√) What is already in place in your department/unit?
(*) What Indicators would be easy to implement?
Review several:
A: Leadership or C: Supervision
B: Planning and Decision-making
D: Recruitment/Hiring
E-I ~ 1-2 more…
Jackson/Hardiman MCOD Continuum*
Monocultural
Exclusionary
Club
Blatant exclusion
or token presence
of marginalized
group members
Non-Discrimination
Compliance
Affirming
Marginalized group
members encouraged,
but expected to fit in.
Status quo culture
Multicultural
Redefining
Multicultural/
Inclusive
Culture, climate &
system experience
fundamental,
sustainable change
*Jackson 2005
Steps to Strategic Organizational Change, pg 11
1. Gain leadership commitment and support (Leadership ownership)
2. Form an Inclusion Change Team
3. Clarify the vision and end state of an inclusive, socially just
organization (System readiness)
4. Conduct a Comprehensive Cultural Audit to assess the current
dynamics and organizational readiness for systems change
* Develop a deep understanding of the dynamics of dominant
and
subordinated groups in the organization and in the
community
* “Map out” and assess the current dynamics, climate, and
structures
5. Identify the “Promising Practices” used by other organizations
(Benchmarking)
6. Top leaders and Inclusion Change Team analyze data from
Cultural Audit and develop Strategic Plan
7. Implement strategic activities
8. Evaluate progress and revise Strategic Plan and activities as
needed
Identifying Possible Next Steps, pgs. 12-18
Directions: Start at the MCOD Stage you have chosen that
best reflects the current state of your organization. Review
the Strategic Actions and use the following symbols:



Already in place (check-off √)
In the planning stages (star *)
Next steps (dash -) s
*Then review the Stages before and after using the same
symbols.
ACTION PLANNING:
Moving Beyond the Illusion of Inclusion

Identify 3-5 next steps for your
organization

Which might you implement:
1. this summer
2. next fall
3. longer term projects
Multicultural Competencies
1.
Individually review pgs. 19-23

Check-off which competencies are an explicit part of
your organization’s hiring, training/development, and
accountability processes.

Star (*) any additional competencies you believe are
necessary for staff in your unit to possess/demonstrate.
Diverse Community Foundations
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Communities are built through building relationships
of trust and commitment.
We all are doing the best we can (most of the time).
We don’t know all there is to know.
Just because you are, doesn’t mean you understand.
Oppression is pervasive and impacts us all.
Not our faults, but we must accept responsibility.
Conflict and discomfort are often part of growth.
Seek first, understand, then to be understood.
Practice some forgiveness and letting go.
Self-work, healing and self love are necessary for acceptance
of others.
Acknowledge, appreciate, and celebrate progress.
There are no quick fixes.
Individuals and communities do grow and change.
There is HOPE!
We’re better together; connected soul to soul
Never Doubt
that a small group of thoughtful,
committed people can change the
world.
Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.
-Margaret Mead
“We are the leaders we
have been waiting for.”
June Jordan
For a copy of the handouts or Power Point:
kobear@earthlink.net