The Journey to Inclusion
The Role of Diversity Committees in Schools of Social Work … A Cautionary Tale
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2429360 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Linda Anderson Smith, Theresa L Roberts |
| Year | 2007 |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 121-134 |
| Publication date | 2007-07-09 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1091-1359 • E-ISSN: 1540-3556 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1300/j137v15n01_06 |
| OpenAlex | W1492628874 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 8 |
This article examines the effectiveness of a standing committee on diversity in addressing issues of diversity in a predominately white school of social work in the Midwest. The work of this committee is viewed through the lens of a transformational model of diversity. A transformational model of diversity refers to moving organizations from an ethnocentric paradigm to the infusion of diversity at every level of the organization. This moves beyond an affirmative action approach, in which success is measured by representation alone, to one of full incorporation, in which the roots of the organization are grounded in liberatory worldviews. This is the second study in a series on “The Illusion of Inclusion”(Roberts & Smith, 2002). This qualitative study is based, in part, on a survey of faculty and staff perceptions of the mission, vision, and actions of the committee on diversity over its 30-year history. It was discovered that while diversity committee did have a role to play in the journey toward inclusion, its work and to some extent, its leadership were marginalized. Participation in the committee was alternately a source of fulfillment and great stress for its members. Themes associated with membership and leadership, ownership, operationalizing the mission, and the demise of the committee are highlighted. The authors offer suggestions for moving academic organizations beyond illusion toward infusion and full incorporation from African-centered, alternative, and liberatory paradigms
Diversity (politics · Epistemology · Inclusion (mineral · Operationalization · Political science · Public relations · Sociology · Transformational leadership · Social Work Education and Practice · Gender Studies
Microaggressions in Social Work Education
Increasing the recruitment and retention of REM students within school psychology
The Significance of Family and Spirituality vis-à-vis Southeast Asian Clients
Pedagogy and Diversity
Spinning in circles. Following the practices of non-performativity of a diversity committee
Media Stereotypes and "Coconut" Colorism
Preaching to the Choir
The Research Act
Organizational Theory From an Afrocentric Perspective
Race in the Academy
The Implementation of Diversity in Predominantly White Colleges and Universities
Visible and Invisible Barriers to the Incorporation of Faculty of Color in Predominantly White Law Schools
The Illusion of Inclusion
Toward a Theory of Afrocentric Organizations
| Citations per year | 0.58 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2014 - 2025 (12) |
| Highly cited | No |