Diversity, equity, and inclusion are becoming buzzwords in the business industry. What do they mean? Are they really that important? And most importantly, what can you do?
Erik Rueter, a senior project manager at the American Marketing Association’s global support center, visited UNT AMA to tell us all about it and set us on the right track to creating a safe space for all in our chapter. He provides diversity, equity, and inclusion education to organizations ranging from medical device manufacturer Medtronic to basketball team the San Antonio Spurs. He also spoke at AMA’s International Collegiate Conference last March.
Why DEI Matters
No one wants to feel left out. It’s been pounded into our heads since elementary school, and yet we still do it. Marginalized groups are left out of important spaces and conversations every day. These groups experience discrimination because of their identities, or even their perceived identities.
This marginalization has severe effects on physical and mental health. Not only that, but it’s extremely damaging to productivity at work, at school, and in organizations like ours.
What’s the Difference?
Diversity, equity, and inclusion can be confusing. Aren’t they the same thing? As Erik tells us, no. Diversity is as simple as having different kinds of people in the same space. All you have to do is let people in. Inclusion, on the other hand, involves actually improving opportunities for disadvantaged groups.
Equity is sometimes the most difficult term to understand because it is mistaken for equality. In equality, everyone is treated the same. That means getting the same resources and having the same opportunities to use them. Equity, on the other hand, works to address the issues at hand. One group may need different resources to address additional obstacles and that’s okay.
Design Thinking
Erik believes in using Design Thinking to solve DEI problems. This method of product and service creation puts customers at the center of innovation. While it was traditionally used for technical creations such as engineering, it has evolved to provide solutions for complex situations like corporate cultures or the ideal layout of a retail store.
Design Thinking consists of five steps: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test.
Because it puts people first, this is the perfect tool for DEI. We begin by understanding the groups we want to reach. Once we have an empathetic understanding of the end user, we work with them to co-create a product, service, or result that will provide them the most benefits. Most importantly, we test our idea and get feedback from real people to improve the concept and its execution.
Empathizing: The Hardest Step
We’ve all heard about empathy, but why is it so important? And why is it so hard?
Before you can help someone, you have to understand what they’re going through. A part of that process is knowing that you don’t have the lived experiences of the marginalized groups you want to help. This means you’ll have to acknowledge your privileges.
Privilege is unearned access to some benefit that other groups don’t have. It’s flexible, meaning that you can be privileged in one area while being disadvantaged in another. Empathizing with marginalized groups means seeing your privilege and how much easier life is with it.
Once you understand some of the ways members of a marginalized group are affected, you can begin to look for ways to alleviate these challenges in the spaces you create.
Language Matters
The way we talk about certain topics and the words we use to refer to people and the struggles they face make a difference. Words like “crazy” and “insane”, for example, are biased language that perpetuate stigmas against people with mental health issues.
Biases like this show deeply embedded prejudice in our society. They include the words we use, the systems we function in, and the ideas we believe. They perpetuate stigmas, which Erik describes as “the mark of disgrace that comes with being a member of a marginalized group.”
Biases and stigmas are the reason for aggressions, like segregation and bans on gay marriage, as well as micro-aggressions. Micro-aggressions are much more subtle. They can even be unintentional, but that doesn’t make them any less harmful.
As marketers, it’s important to be aware of the language we use in our work. The audience we want to reach won’t be fully or equally privileged and we don’t want to leave anyone out. We also have to account for regional and cultural differences, as what’s preferred in one area may be harmful in another. Don’t be afraid to ask about the appropriate language for a particular audience.
Why Here? Why Now?
Every day, we’re surrounded by people facing struggles that we can’t see. These invisible burdens are carried into our classrooms, our workplaces, our friend groups, and our AMA meetings. Too many people are afraid to bring their whole selves into these spaces.
These individual burdens can drag down entire teams. People who are weighed down and distracted by micro-aggressions can’t bring their full skillset to the table. These stressors also lead to long-term mental and physical health struggles.
For everyone to reach their full potential, we need to create spaces where they can be their authentic selves. Erik left us with one final challenge:
How might we create a team environment that makes marginalized groups feel safe and comfortable?
Carry this question with you everywhere you go. Approach conversations with empathy. Bring those conversations into your relationships, student orgs, workspaces, and more. You never know how far the ripple effect could go.
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