Operationalizing Justice Archives | The Inclusion Solution

Operationalizing Justice: A Checklist for Change

by Scott Ferry | Jul 8, 2021 | 0

Over the last five months, we’ve delved deep into what operationalizing justice actually looks like, answering the question we so often get as people struggle to turn thoughts and ideas into action: “This sounds good, but how do we do it?” We have put together a checklist of actions to consult as you work to center and operationalize justice across organizations. We have sequenced the areas as a recommended progression, but each person and organization is different, so feel free to find the starting place that makes sense for you.

Operationalizing Justice: ‘Algorithms of Oppression’

by Megan Ellinghausen | Jul 1, 2021 | 0

Algorithms are a form of artificial intelligence that are step-by-step instructions a computer follows to perform a task. The algorithm combs through data to make correlations and predictions, often more accurate than a human. It is how Netflix offers you suggestions on what to watch, and how you get ads on Facebook for that product you were just thinking about buying. These algorithms have a dark side. Called “algorithms of oppression” or “The New Jim Code,” these algorithms reinforce oppressive social relations and even install new modes of racism and discrimination.

Operationalizing Justice: Justice in Procurement

by Mareisha N. Reese | Jun 24, 2021 | 0

Operationalizing justice in the procurement process warrants attention. There are “rules” that create undue barriers for BIPOC companies. What does it mean to create justice-centered policies and processes that address past barriers for BIPOC companies? When is the last time you examined your procurement policies and practices to ensure that they work for everyone? When did you last ask, who are we harming by these requirements? Who do they benefit?

Operationalizing Justice: A Call to Reimagine

by Brittany J. Harris | Jun 17, 2021 | 0

Operationalizing justice absolutely requires pragmatism, practicality… AND it requires we reimagine. Operationalizing justice requires we re-evaluate what we deem “realistic” and practical. Operationalizing justice requires we push our mental model that focuses on “why things cannot happen” to an orientation that engages head, heart and hand to answer the question of “How could we make this be?” How can we be responsive to immediate needs while prioritizing strategic imperatives?

Operationalizing Justice: Break the Silence

by Naomi Olson | Jun 10, 2021 | 0

Have you ever been in a work meeting where someone said something regarding race, sexuality or cultural belonging that was so casually offensive that it shocked you and your colleagues into a wide-eyed silence? Have you taken time to reflect upon what, exactly, is behind this silence? Or to reflect upon what was behind the silence of your colleagues who often come to you with their disapproval of such microaggressions, but only in private, and after the fact?

Operationalizing Justice: Organizational Climates, Minority Tax, and Retention

by Melissa Faircloth | Jun 3, 2021 | 1

In addition to the stereotypes, microaggressions and sometimes blatant racism that marginalized professionals face, they also carry an additional burden: the minority tax. If we would not expect white men to work for free or take on additional labor without some trade-offs, why then do we expect this of people of color and women? At a minimum, we should be considering the following when it comes to the minority tax and advancing DEI within organizations…

Operationalizing Justice: “This is Not My Work”

by Leigh Morrison | May 27, 2021 | 0

As practitioners, we are working through how best to handle these challenges in real time, and we do not have all the answers. However, we must commit ourselves to thinking through them and seeking ways to minimize harm. This is precisely the “messiness” that has scared some organizations off from their initial commitments… and working through it is critical to progress. Here are a few practical considerations for minimizing harm and fatigue for your BIPOC employees as your organization continues on its antiracism journey:

Operationalizing Justice: Are we ready to center justice in DEI work? A Re-Imaginaction Lab Recap

by Mary-Frances Winters | May 20, 2021 | 0

As part of our focus on operationalizing justice, The Winters Group hosted our first of four Re-Imaginaction Virtual Learning Labs. With over 100 participants from China, France, Abu Dhabi and all regions of the U.S., we engaged in a conversation about re-imagining and acting with a justice-centered lens. Are we going to do justice work in earnest with fidelity and integrity? Are we going to acknowledge intergenerational harm? Our complicity? Are we going to take collective accountability? Are we going to step up and work through the resistance? It takes courage. It takes real leadership. It requires collective accountability.

Operationalizing Justice: Our Neutrality is Not Neutral

by Thamara Subramanian | May 13, 2021 | 0

Justice is not neutral. After decades of keeping politics, conflict and anything beyond the job description out of the workplace, we are recognizing the collective harm and inequities that often arise as a result of organizations’ commitment to being “impartial,” “neutral” or “apolitical.” It has harmed not only those in our workplaces, but also our broader community. On a cultural level, our interpretations of what is “neutral” are more often than not associated with a specific set of values — values that center European colonists’ (white Americans’) values, while deeming other cultural values as “less than,” and in the case of the workplace, unacceptable, or even penalized.

Operationalizing Justice: How to Make Reparations a Reality Now

by Leigh Morrison | Apr 29, 2021 | 0

Supporting reparations requires circumventing these “distancing” barriers by unlearning capitalist, individualist mindsets into which most of us in the U.S. have been deeply socialized. It is incumbent upon us to take action as individuals and organizations to prove that reparations are possible and to address harm in our communities where our representatives fail to do so. People continue to be harmed every day as a result of collective inaction on reparations, and we have the power to change this. Reparations is as real as you make it.

Operationalizing Justice: Moving Beyond ‘Listening Sessions’ Towards Strategic, Accountable Partnership

by Brittany J. Harris | Apr 22, 2021 | 0

The Winters Group is often called on to introduce justice-centered concepts that are new to the ‘corporate world’ in support of leadership’s espoused commitments to prioritize anti-racism and justice. This is important work… AND now is a timely opportunity to reimagine strategic, accountable partnership. I have read and heard from many Black and Brown people that they are experiencing “listening session fatigue” within their organizations. People want change. People want action. This is important work. How can we move beyond listening sessions to more strategic, accountability-driven partnership?

Operationalizing Justice: The Leadership Imperative

by Mary-Frances Winters | Apr 15, 2021 | 0

Anti-racism is new territory for many leaders. Some may not have fully understood what they were signing up for when they vowed to address anti-Black racism. Now that we are almost a year since George Floyd’s murder and the Black Lives Matter protests, leaders are needing to make good on the declarations they made, and they are running into resistance. While pushback was to be expected, I don’t think that leaders gave enough attention to how they were going to address it. The Winters Group has recently introduced 5 leadership commitments that we think are critical to creating anti-racist organizations.

Category: Operationalizing Justice

Operationalizing Justice: A Checklist for Change

Operationalizing Justice: Justice in Procurement

Operationalizing Justice: A Call to Reimagine

Operationalizing Justice: Break the Silence

Operationalizing Justice: Organizational Climates, Minority Tax, and Retention

Operationalizing Justice: “This is Not My Work”

Operationalizing Justice: Are we ready to center justice in DEI work? A Re-Imaginaction Lab Recap

Operationalizing Justice: Our Neutrality is Not Neutral

Operationalizing Justice: How to Make Reparations a Reality Now

Operationalizing Justice: Moving Beyond ‘Listening Sessions’ Towards Strategic, Accountable Partnership

Operationalizing Justice: The Leadership Imperative

Racial Justice at Work: Practical Solutions for Systemic Change

Black Fatigue: How Racism Erodes the Mind, Body, and Spirit

Inclusive Conversations: Fostering Equity, Empathy and Belonging Across Differences

We Can’t Talk About That At Work! (Second Edition)

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