Diversity and inclusion of understudied populations: A call to practitioners and researchers.

Abstract

This special issue calls for an examination of the progress of diversity and inclusion initiatives. The current article identifies some gaps and needed research in this continuously emerging field. In particular, we recommend supporting long-lasting diversity and inclusion efforts in organizations by ensuring that 7 understudied stigmatized groups are given more practical considerations in the workplace and research attention in the lab and field. These groups-each of which we consider in the article-consist of: employees who (1) are religious minorities or "nones," (2) are transgender and gender nonconforming, (3) have differing political ideologies, (4) are undocumented immigrants, (5) have lower socioeconomic status, (6) have intersectional identities, and (7) are 65 years or older. We describe why each group deserves more attention, consider practitioners' perspectives, recommend strategies for increasing inclusiveness, and offer suggestions for future research. What's It Mean? Implications for Consulting PsychologyThis article identifies current gaps in research and practice in the field of diversity and inclusion. In particular, we recommend supporting long-lasting diversity and inclusion efforts in organizations related to employees who (1) are religious minorities or "nones," (2) are transgender and gender nonconforming, (3) have differing political ideologies, (4) are undocumented immigrants, (5) have lower socioeconomic status, (6) have intersectional identities, and (7) are 65 years or older.

The state of progress in diversity and inclusion initiatives: Perspectives for consulting psychology.

“…Finally, Abby Corrington, Mikki Hebl, Dillon Stewart, Juan Madera, Linnea Ng, and Jordyn Williams (2020)—a team of management and psychology scholars specializing in D&I—provide a compelling call for practitioners and researchers to pay specific attention to several populations that typically have been ignored or understudied by consulting psychologists and scholars studying D&I. Specific attention by consulting psychologists to these populations—including people who are transgender and gender nonconforming, undocumented immigrants, people who are poor or have low socioeconomic status, seniors, and those with multiple marginalized identities—would certainly go a long way in preparing the field to better address diversity and perhaps inclusion.…”

Supporting women leaders: Research-based directions for gender inclusion in organizations.

“…Intersectionality, the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, may create patterns of discrimination or disadvantage that organizations must recognize and address. The concerns related to Black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) as well as the issues related to gender fluidity/nonbinary experiences of individuals must also be considered (Corrington et al, 2020). As people may have several identities simultaneously, more understanding and empathy for the unique issues around intersectionality is important for inclusion and the work we do in organizations as consulting psychologists.…”

A summary of state of progress in diversity and inclusion initiatives: Consulting Psychology special issue.

“…Finally, ideas such as “intersectionality,” “social location,” and “privilege,” which are commonly understood and used terms within social justice and other related fields, are not typically used in consulting psychology, though they are becoming more common. For example, Corrington and colleagues (2020) demonstrate the power of inclusive language, and Pennington’s (2020) essay emphasizes this perspective, acknowledging what we bring of our background, social identity, and social location of privilege and nonprivileged to the role of supporting and shaping diversity and inclusion initiatives. We believe that consulting psychologists who address the EDI needs of organizations will ultimately need to specialize by adding to their training ideas discussed in other fields such as social justice and sociology, similar to current important supplementary training in business, organizational development, and human resources.…”

“…These experiences help us continue to hone our commitment to developing an EDI process and community in publishing. Even then, as Corrington et al (2020) outline, more communities, such as the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/ questioning, and others that have variable levels of research, could be included for further study. Future articles in CPJ will likely reflect the growing chorus of voices from previously marginalized or unseen communities already in organizations whose contributions to organizational functioning may not have been previously readily assessed.…”

“…We then move into two more personal examples: one written by the recipient of services alongside her consultant coauthor, describing both personal and large-scale change in a global company (Beba & Church, 2020), and the other describing the potential benefits and downsides of promoting change as an external consultant with respect to diversity and inclusion initiatives (Gassam & Salter, 2020). The final two articles are: (a) a consideration of future trends and a call for action with understudied populations (Corrington et al, 2020) and (b) a personal reflection that offers guidance about how we understand our role and what we bring to this work as consulting psychologists (Pennington, 2020).…”