Reconceptualizing Social Movement Learning in HRD: An Evolutionary Perspective

Abstract

The Problem We are living in a socially polarized landscape where dualistic mind-sets govern the way we engage with social justice issues and thus failing to adequately serve all human beings. The Solution By bringing in Frederic Laloux’s conception of evolutionary organization, we propose that organizations can serve as catalysts for co-creative social transformation, closing the distance between organizations and society and ultimately enhancing the well-being of the whole. The Stakeholders This article will provide organizational leaders and human resource development (HRD) professionals with a conceptual understanding of what a new paradigm of social movement learning would look like in an emerging society where polarities are not fought against but engaged as a whole.

Resisting ableism in deliberately developmental organizations: A discursive analysis of the identity work of employees with disabilities

“…(Kegan & Lahey, 2016; Laloux, 2014; Scharmer & Kaufer, 2013; Torbert, 2004). As we evolve and enter into the more complex future that requires a greater level of inquiry, collaboration, and generativity, there is a need to rethink what management should be and what diversity and inclusion might look like in contexts such as a DDO (Kwon & Nicolaides, 2017, 2019).…”

“…Thus, in a DDO, the uniquely empowering organizational discourse of wholeness and mutuality exists, in contrast to the persistently disempowering societal discourse on ableism. It is the point of departure of this study to recognize that the DDO culture with this developmental discourse would be particularly engaging for and inclusive of employees with disabilities, who often remain voiceless and marginalized in organizations (Kwon & Nicolaides, 2017, 2018, 2019. Importantly, this assumption is further supported by Chanland and Murphy's (2018) claim that the cultivation of a developmental network in organizations is especially more beneficial for individuals from underrepresented groups compared to white male counterparts since it allows their authentic sharing of extra struggles and challenges faced at work in safe relationships.…”

Conceptualizing the Marginalization Experiences of People with Disabilities in Organizations Using an Ableism Lens

“…The purpose of this conceptual article was to examine the persisting influence of ableism on the marginalization experiences of people with disabilities in organizations. The review of literature and the critical analysis of the everyday work experiences of people with disabilities in ableist organizations as offered in this article call for more research concerning the advocacy of this valuable but often overlooked population in HRD, to successfully accomplish HRD’s evolving mission to serve all people in any social system (Kwon & Nicolaides, 2019). Particularly, the present article contributes to literature by correcting the potential misrepresentation of people with disabilities in organizations and extending scholarly conversations on how they may be distinctively supported through whole system transformation – which is beyond traditional HRD roles (Kwon & Nicolaides, 2017; Torraco & Lundgren, 2020).…”

Supporting WFN Collective Social Entrepreneurship Through Social Movement Learning and Critical Participatory Action Research

“…This "whole" approach engages stakeholders in the cocreation of society based on existing divides within broken social systems rather than striving for an oversimplification or reductive approach to problem-solving (Barad, 2007;Kwon & Nicolaides, 2019). These stakeholders are needed to form a diverse and inclusive research team with members who bring varied perspectives, skills, and experiences.…”

“…Researchers and practitioners in AE/HRD increasingly engage in scholarship and practice supporting the human rights of adults engaging in organizational work (Kwon & Nicolaides, 2019; Sisco et al, 2019). This extends into Women, Femme, and Nonbinary (WFN) collective social entrepreneurial efforts that occur once people leave traditional forms of employment in pursuit of self-employment (Ray, 2021).…”