How Workplaces Can Invite Dialogue on Race
Article

How Workplaces Can Invite Dialogue on Race

Katie Mehnert and Paula Glover
MIT Sloan Management Review, 2020
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Racial justice may seem dicey to promote in professional circles, much like politics and religion. However, Paula Glover and Katie Mehnert argue workplaces are among the best places to have sensitive discussions, as they offer more diversity than most people are exposed to in their daily lives. Executives and upper managers should prepare for a quick yet constructive lesson from prominent leaders in the energy industry.

Summary

Workplaces should embrace their unique power to facilitate organic discussions on race.

Workplaces are among the best places to have conversations about racial justice. At work, people intermingle across social divides every day. Otherwise, most tend to live, learn and socialize with those who share their skin color, religion and so on. For this reason, the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies notes companies have a “particularly strong potential for integration.”

Diversity workshops that don’t merely...

About the Authors

Paula Glover is the president and CEO of the American Association of Blacks in Energy. Katie Mehnert is the founder and CEO of Pink Petro, a social media platform for women professionals in the energy industry.

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