Scene Three: Thursday, May 10, 2007:
Including and Engaging people of all socio-economic levels
Working with the unmentionable difference - Class

Take Away Thoughts about Class - Participant Generated

Participants from this session each wrote down a take away value or two that they learned about class. The following list is representative of their comments.

What have you learned today that was a take away value?
Concepts and definitions
Business Case

Things I took away from the yellow group: Stay focused on the objective or compelling business case for a training on "class," and use metrics (i.e. turnover stats, information on mobility, etc.) to build your case and to set up actionable plans.

The class issue must fit under the business case for the total diversity initiative or it will not make it to the table. There must be room for it, or room will be made for it if and only if it's value to the company to supercede that of other more costly (money, opportunity cost, negative publicity, etc.) issues. A critical component for training about class is to develop with group compelling reasons including data and future strategic advantage.

The importance of creating a compelling business case in Diversity and Inclusion classes that include metrics for "bottom line" as well as metrics for improvement in awareness/structure.

When delving with a topic as touchy as class, clarity in the reason for discussing is paramount. How to present a business case for needing to tackle the problem of class in the workplace (along with the stats). Important to tie in the importance of class and what it means or how does it impact my organization I learned that I should look at what we measure and then evaluate how it relates to class.

As an organization we can still tackle the class issue in a bottom-line type of issue. The two are carefully intertwined and affect each other in very dramatic ways.

Must present compelling reason/business case to introduce class inclusion training in an organization. Must be solutions-oriented. This means, focus the conversation on results and the bottom line - i.e., "We as an organization could eliminate parking privileges in order to better blur the class lines. Tangibles were/are useful.

Important to create a compelling case to bring this type of training to the organization - if using the pictures exercise, bring managers and non-managers together, and create separate pictures to start the conversation around differences in class.

Visuals

One thing I learned was that pictures are worth more than a thousand words; you can show the same pictures to several people and have several different interpretations from that picture. Drawing depicting organizational class divisions - very usable idea.

Training and learning

Although I attended representing a corporation/organization, I would have liked skills on engaging people of different classes in a group activity. How do you invite all classes to join in and point to those with class privileges that there is a benefit and a need to reach out to all?

You might include measurement of impact and evaluation in the training classes. Break through facilitator "class" bias by using a multi-class design and facilitation team. I have a new list of potential solutions to a training issue.

A comprehensive list of challenges associated with challenges to training on class (however no answers really emerged to these critical questions).

Language

Language differences between classes

Awareness and knowledge

Classes and life skills seem to be a journey. Today reinforced some of the things I've been learning. Awareness to class differences that I was not aware of before. Will be more conscious of my attitudes, perceptions, etc.

Even though class impacts all of us, there are so many in denial about its impact.

I learned a framework to discuss class in my organization

There are so many different levels of awareness. One of my colleagues was clueless when trying to describe the positive attributes of women. How do we change that?

Inclusion

Class or any other potentially dividing factor needs to be met with respect to be able to have an optimal function in any organization.

People recognize class differences. Because people recognize them and feel them in the organization people may not be able to bring all of themselves to the organization.

Class differentiation isn't a bad thing; everyone brings positive learnings and traits to the table. What we could do as a nation to level the playing fields. Because today school systems teach our young at different levels. There should be a system in place to ensure all students are taught at a higher learning and bring in diversity training.

I am privileged, and I don't really have a clue about how to help others overcome lack of privilege. But it's good to know there are many people who show concern for issues of class. It makes me more optimistic - and determined to find a way to do something that matters.

How people of all classes are equally important and provide valuable information Inclusion matters

It is important to be able to vary your communication style to obtain inclusion of all classes - and that pay differences can in fact stifle the success of teams.

Will focusing on class really change the organization and will leadership really give up their seat for you? The bottom line is people just want to be valued, appreciated and paid well for the work that they do.

Context

The discomfort people feel at talking about class - whether they are safe, how others will see them and react - Even the acceptability of the discussion in the first place, and with the right facts and data and proof of business case, the topic can start to be addressed.

Class understanding fills in a lot of blank spaces for problems we face as change agents - the more I learn the more it all fits together.

It won't be easy creating and facilitating this topic - it needs very careful development and implementation.

Recognition of class issues is dependent on the organizational structure. Companies with less hierarchy have fewer issues around class. This is isolationist and prevents those organizations from helping overall social issues around class.

Hard to talk about class because not well defined. Had to talk about gender and compare to class.

It's not so much about equality - all the same - as it is about opportunity and appreciation.

There seems to be more subtly to the topic. The mixing of class within work, the assumption of management as an upper class, and how the structure of business rewards, (earning more requires moving to positions which mandate particular behaviors) interact with general socio-economic class is open for me.

Styles and skills

How to celebrate the particularistic class communication style

Different styles of communication - universalistic vs. particularistic People with the skill to communicate across class are very valuable to a company. Do we look for it - recruiting? Do we value it - pay? Do we recognize it - promotion or responsibility?

Interesting to see how people who have been in both classes (or multiple classes) i.e. enlisted vs. officer seem to be able to better maneuver through an organization because they speak "multiple" languages.

Communication - how to get your message across; how the other person receives, understands, or even hears that message.

I've never thought about dividing up workers/managers into particularistic/universalistic groups of discussion. I can personally deal with both but know many who can't...in both leaders and workers. One thing I have learned from this class is the ways of communication depending on what their background is, depending on education. This will help me better my communication skills with other associates in order to implement a better, more effective program.

More in depth information about class and types of class differences in communication of classes Understanding how to communicate in a particularistic way and when it could be effective to be universalistic.

Different communication styles and workplace frustrations could stem from class differences - hard to tell because class is not something known or talked about in the workplace.

Thinking about class as an asset - class as a means of defining if you think big or in the details.

Journey

Awareness of the classes within my organization

Behaviors

How to understand what people may communicate on a same topic; both are addressing one topic, but are explaining from their experience (i.e. leader vs. worker, the service women from enlisted vs. officer background)

Implementation

There seems to be a desire and a fear to discuss/implement diversity issues at work. The fear may be that the problem is "too big," like world peace. But if we work in our own groups, that could have a permeating effect on those groups around us.

Scene Three was the third session of the 2007 NW Diversity Learning Series, Life Theater - Inclusion and Engagement: Challenging and Expanding My Diversity Competency: Moving Beyond My Comfort Zone. The Series, held in Seattle, WA, is organized by The GilDeane Group, publishers of DiversityCentral.com.