{"637092":{"#nid":"637092","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Holding Space for Culture Transformation","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAchieving racial equity in the workplace will be one of the most important issues institutions must tackle.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Office of \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/diversity.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EInstitute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion\u003C\/a\u003E continues to sponsor learning-driven experiences through a variety of channels to lead the Georgia Tech campus toward a more diverse and inclusive culture.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe culture of our richly diverse campus cannot be defined by whiteness or white cultural norms, where people of color have to try to fit in to feel comfortable. Instead, today\u0026rsquo;s racial equity and inclusion strategies must focus on transforming our culture to fit \u003Cem\u003Eall\u003C\/em\u003E. To move toward racial equity and full inclusion for the marginalized, such as Black employees, our organizational culture must prioritize our common humanity. Workers deserve the dignity of having their histories and lived experiences acknowledged. Fairness, diversity, and inclusion must be the values that guide who we are and how we do business. Faculty and staff must be able to bring their whole and authentic selves to any role at Tech and thrive. To this end, greater participation in learning is crucial. And there are many ways to learn.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/sdie.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EStaff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement\u003C\/a\u003E (SDIE) team has introduced a series of learning events that started in June and will continue through September to engage the campus in collectively processing historical events in the context of race relations and social change. Our methods are based on inquiry and self-reflection in this moment of upheaval and change.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERace Dialogues \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIntergroup dialogue is an educational and community building method that brings people from diverse backgrounds and varied cultural identities together to engage in processing issues or learning together. It involves perspective sharing, listening, and exploring issues that affect all of us, albeit differently. This serves the work of shifting the culture by promoting improved collective understanding and experiences.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe dialogues are designed to provide safe, supportive spaces to respectfully reflect on issues through the lens of participants. Through sharing, listening, and facilitated inquiry, participants process whatever emerges in the space. It is mindful, empathic communication with room for both shared and divergent experiences and ideas. We gain insights through our participation. In so doing, we strengthen our collective and individual capacity as agents of social change.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIndividual Coaching\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDecision-making can be stressful. Ruminating over decisions invariably takes up valuable psychic energy. Stress, anxiety, and fear can cloud our ability to make rational decisions. One of the top reasons executives and other leaders seek coaching is to create the space to speak vulnerably and vocally about decisions they need to make. Coaching tools help clients identify blind spots, move around mental blocks, or other inhibitions that may be getting in the way of them making their best choice. In coaching sessions, clients have the opportunity to gain clarity about who they are, who they want to be, and how they will make their moves based on the insights generated in the coaching sessions.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIndividual coaching is an intensely personal experience driven by the clients\u0026rsquo; agenda for learning and growth. It is unstructured, informal conversation that depends on the coach skillfully asking questions and the client answering questions honestly and allowing themselves to be vulnerable. True coaching isn\u0026rsquo;t mentoring or giving advice.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGroup Coaching\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EClients of group coaching benefit from peer learning with one another, often referred to as the collective wisdom of the group. It provides exploration in a safe, facilitated space, highlighting practices that best serve an institution\u0026rsquo;s values and goals. Group coaching provides a space for centering, affirmation, or pivoting. It can be an ongoing transformative conversation that supports change over time with a team.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn these sessions, certified coaches lead from their core coaching skills, around topics of central importance to meeting organizational goals such as race relations, bias and bias resilience, or inclusive leadership. Participants are coached on behavioral norms and goal setting related to the topic, and actions to take for deepening self-awareness around key issues. Often, the coaching is behavior-based practice focusing on internal commitments or transitions that align with external goals.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETraining\/Workshops\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETraining is about the transfer of knowledge. It is typically done in a structured, formal setting and depends on telling more than asking. It has targeted learning objectives about a specific topic or skill.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe goal of training is for learners to remember knowledge so they can apply it. The challenge is that most don\u0026rsquo;t remember very well.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESince training is not enough, coaching is one way to address the reality that even the smartest employees will sometimes simply not absorb valuable information.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETraining isn\u0026rsquo;t a panacea for the work ahead. And coaching, applied without a foundation of basic prior knowledge, won\u0026rsquo;t be successful either. As an intellectual community, we know that effective information retention and practice requires many options. With the combination of intergroup dialogue and coaching, we are likely to see a much greater return.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESDIE will continue to offer community dialogues, storytelling, and listening events for faculty and staff. These interactive learning opportunities are designed to support self-reflection, self-generated insights, and a pathway to mutual understanding. Our ability to learn together will ultimately lead us to our best thinking \u0026mdash; together \u0026mdash; as we reimagine our culture.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERegardless of the method, education without accountability simply does not work. As we move forward in reimaging Georgia Tech and all that it can be for the world, learning must be linked to performance outcomes. Failure will only hold us back at a time when we can\u0026rsquo;t afford to delay.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat\u0026#39;s Next?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESDIE has a number of upcoming community dialogues and coaching opportunities for faculty and staff:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EGroup and Individual\u0026nbsp;Coaching Sessions:\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sdie.gatech.edu\/culture-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-and-leadership-coaching\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/sdie.gatech.edu\/culture-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-and-leadership-coaching\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\t\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EInclusive Leaders Academy Community Dialogue, July 29:\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sdie.gatech.edu\/inclusive-leaders-academy-community-dialogue-july-29-2020\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/sdie.gatech.edu\/inclusive-leaders-academy-community-dialogue-july-29-2020\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\t\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cem\u003EWhite Fragility: When a Spoon Full of Sugar Isn\u0026rsquo;t Quite Enough\u003C\/em\u003E, July 31:\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sdie.gatech.edu\/white-fragility-when-spoon-full-sugar-isnt-quite-enough\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/sdie.gatech.edu\/white-fragility-when-spoon-full-sugar-isnt-quite-enough\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Moving Toward Racial Equity Through Learning"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EInstitute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion\u0026#39;s Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement team has introduced a series of learning events to engage the campus in collectively processing historical events in the context of race relations and social change.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion\u0027s Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement team has introduced a series of learning events to engage the campus in collectively processing historical events in the context of race relations and social change."}],"uid":"34932","created_gmt":"2020-07-20 01:55:19","changed_gmt":"2020-08-03 14:30:17","author":"Courtney Hill","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-07-20T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-07-20T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"637125":{"id":"637125","type":"image","title":"Pearl Alexander","body":null,"created":"1595298218","gmt_created":"2020-07-21 02:23:38","changed":"1595298218","gmt_changed":"2020-07-21 02:23:38","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242366","name":"pearl_story.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/pearl_story.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/pearl_story.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":63493,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/pearl_story.jpg?itok=-3YqPdJI"}}},"media_ids":["637125"],"groups":[{"id":"1313","name":"Institute Diversity"},{"id":"535141","name":"Staff Diversity"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"736","name":"diversity"},{"id":"3852","name":"coaching"},{"id":"181412","name":"inclusive"},{"id":"167018","name":"staff"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPearl Alexander\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nExecutive Director of Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\npearl.alexander@gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["pearl.alexander@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}