Becky Evan - How White DEI Professionals Can Decenter Whiteness

HR Data Labs podcast

Summary:

Becky Evan is an Associate Professor at Metro State University’s College of Business and Management. Prior to her career in academia, she was a training and operations executive at Fortune 500 companies. She also a published researcher of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in organizations.

In this episode, Becky talks about her research on white DEI professionals' perception of their contribution to advancing workplace DEI.

Chapters:

[0:00 - 6:46] Introduction

• Welcome, Becky!
• Today’s Topic: How White DEI Professionals Can Decenter Whiteness

[6:47 - 14:53] What led to Becky’s research on white DEI professionals?

• On the demographics of DEI leaders and teams
• Defining, leveraging, and decentering whiteness

[14:54 - 21:02] What is the value in researching whiteness?

• How to research an emotional topic, like whiteness, ethically and objectively
• How workplace identities and external perceptions affect DEI

[21:03 - 33:47] How can we measure DEI?

• Pulling qualitative information from quantitative data
• How Becky’s research might help HR leaders

[33:48 - 34:52] Closing

• Thanks for listening!

Quotes:

“I felt like there was a desire and a need to understand the role of dominant culture . . . within an organization”

“Many times when we’re looking at [HR] data, dominant culture becomes the comparison point.”
Resources:
Becky's Full Research Paper
Contact:
Becky's LinkedIn
David's LinkedIn
Dwight's LinkedIn
Podcast Manger: Karissa Harris
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