Sick & Tired of Diversity?

Posted on June 08, 2014 by Kazique Prince, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.

Since the aftermath of the Great Recession, people have been recovering from economic upheaval. Too many people are unemployed, underemployed, and unhappy with their work. Despite steady gains in employment, layoffs and discouraged workers are still prevalent as companies merge, and industries seek to streamline operations and cut costs.

For young people with aspirations of attending college, paying for tuition, expensive books, housing, and food, while finding time for a job, studying, and some semblance of a social life burdens their hearts and minds. Anyone not college bound is taxed with finding a job that will help pay for food and clothes, and keep the lights on and a roof over their heads. Either way, more and more adult children remain or return home due to financial difficulties. Sometimes parents come to live with their kids for the same reasons.

In the jobs we do have, the pressure to do less with more, work smarter and harder, and cope with job insecurity, uncertainty, and no hope of jump in pay, contributes to feelings of emotional, spiritual, and physical exhaustion. Of these people, many are angry, deeply disappointed, frustrated and saddened by what they lost or experience dwindling hope that good things will return. They may also feel hard work, dedication, generosity, and integrity does not translate into positive outcomes. In sum, the unfortunate situation does not lend itself easily to finding solutions or improving their circumstance.

If you feel like you need to take a shower or afternoon stroll through a tranquil park to shake off the shadow of discontent created from the scenario described, please take a break and return at your leisure. I would prefer that you continue reading with a right mind, body, and spirit when you return. However, before you leave, be mindful that this experience is in many ways similar to what people describe as diversity fatigue or burnout.

What is Diversity Fatigue?
Now that you are back, let’s take a jab at this topic: diversity fatigue, “a form of mental exhaustion brought on by the constant attention required to create or increase diversity in work settings.” Arguably, the term became part of the lexicon beginning in the 1990s.

Moshe Tatar and Gabriel Horenczyk, both at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, conducted a study on diversity-related burnout,(similar to diversity fatigue) among school teachers. They hypothesized that burnout is a chronic response to accumulative, long-term stress resulting in feeling emotionally overextended by contact with others and a lack of achievement in work. This often leads to callous responses to other people’s suffering. Additionally, it represents the feeling that efforts to help others are ineffective, tasks are endless, and personal payoffs are not forthcoming.

In their findings, Tatar and Horencyzk found that diversity burnout is associated with, but distinguishable from traditional burnout. Further, results revealed that diversity burnout is predicted by teachers’ level of experience, the cultural heterogeneity of the school, and the organizational culture. The highest level of diversity burnout was found among teachers who are more assimilationist in their orientation. An assimilationist approach reflects a willingness to abandon their cultural heritage and to encourage others to do the same by adopting and resembling the dominate group’s culture.

This research points to the lack of coping skills that professionals use to mitigate the effects of diversity fatigue. From an assimilationist approach, teachers may become fatigued as a response to their unsuccessful attempts, and instead implement an easier, efficient way to deal with cultural diversity. It may also reflect a particular mindset that is not effective in navigating a cultural diverse environment.

Diversity fatigue can be misperceived as people simply being resistant to change. Although there may be struggles with the change that diversity and inclusion work brings to an organizational culture, diversity fatigue is oftentimes exacerbated by, or can develop into resistance. Generally, diversity fatigue comes after an extended effort over a period of time, whereas resistance to change can ensue from the early stages of change.

Another dynamic may be people’s reactions to the diversity and inclusion events that were held in the past in their secondary and postsecondary educational environments, or in their community and professional development workshops. So, before a diversity and inclusion initiative begins, people may be carrying baggage from their prior brushes with cultural diversity workshops.

Depending on the quality of service provided, a person may already have a set of negative expectations preparing for a self-fulfilling prophesy. From the start, a person’s outlook is rightly doubtful or suspicious, because they were made to feel ashamed, embarrassed, guilty, or angry in the past. The opportunity to resolve and sort through these negative feelings is not provided, and often not sought out by the people involved.

Whereas greater emphasis today is placed on inclusion, creating opportunities of innovation, and attracting the best talent, past training focused more on affirmative action, doing the right thing, and avoiding litigation. Consequently, people may passively engage in or sabotage whatever flavor-of-the-month diversity training comes blowing in. Diversity fatigue sets in way before anything starts.

Trevor Wilson, a global human equity strategist, highlights several aspects of diversity fatigue in the workplace. He focuses on several work dynamics that include sustaining the momentum, selling and reenergizing the business case for diversity, maintaining gains, and promoting collaboration among those solely focused on their particular dimension of diversity.

As for outside of work, in 2006, Time magazine artfully illustrated America’s weariness with political correctness and walking on eggshells in order to avoid offending someone with different values, beliefs, and lifestyle. People feel the need to reclaim their lives from the exhausting tangle of diversity expectations.

Make Yourself a Priority
On a personal level, it is critical to recognize that diversity fatigue may be a natural extension of integrating the diversity and inclusion process into our lives. The stress associated with diversity related activities can be emotionally taxing and intellectually draining. Some lose sight of themselves in the process, whether in objection to or support of diversity and inclusion. It is important to have a tool kit to manage the challenges and roadblocks that come along the way.

Attending professional conferences can be enriching, and connect us to networks of friends and colleagues who appreciate the rewards and difficulties of diversity work. If employers and community stakeholders do not appreciate your efforts, it is essential to have what my grandmother called an “Amen Corner.” Contrary to popular belief, the Amen Corner consists of people who know how to balance coaching, challenging, and celebrating you, so that you feel better prepared to tackle the next opportunity.

In some cases, it is important to do nothing – step, if not run, away from it all. Whether work, family, friends, community, or society-at-large, breaking away from the weight of responsibility can make a person feel light and carefree or, momentarily, take the edge off. The escape, if only temporary, rejuvenates worn out batteries, taps into reserves that were thought lost and forgotten, and allows time for creative thought, critical reflection, and mindful contemplation.

When experiencing diversity fatigue or burnout, you are in danger of falling back to rigid thinking and ways of being, because they provide short-term gains and a clear pathway. People tend to fall back on old habits and black and white understandings of the world because they feel safe and provide a sense of relief from stress.

Despite immediate gains, the research is clear that self-preservation over the long-term is achieved when we are able to adapt and develop skills to navigate cultural diversity. Self-preservation is a beguiling strategy requiring the ability to know when to step away, heal, and rejuvenate then return to build relationships, mix it up by calling out problems, and negotiate with others to seek out solutions.

Part of adapting also requires managing feelings of burnout and fatigue. It may require retooling and rebooting again in your organization, or re-evaluating your current social network to make room for those who promote the kind of change you would like to see. You may find yourself having to re-negotiate relationships with friends and colleagues alike. These are all attempts to achieve the goal of ensuring your values of fairness, equity, integrity, respect, and honor are congruent with your actions and words.

The Cure
Kari Heistad posits that management can contribute to diversity fatigue when there is a lack of, or only passive support from senior leaders for diversity and inclusion initiatives. Oftentimes, management can sabotage diversity work when they do not give it a high priority. Another way to disrupt the process would be to neglect developing a carefully crafted diversity plan. The lack of a diversity plan guarantees failure.

In addition to a well-tooled diversity plan, determining that a diversity and inclusion initiative requires longevity over an extended period of time is also key. Expectations about the duration of a diversity and inclusion program must be realistic and envisioned as a process that takes time, and not something to be checked off annually.

Other contributors to diversity fatigue include developing activities and programs that are not aligned with their goals that determine success such as improved productivity, customer satisfaction, creativity, and problem solving, and increased revenue. Integrating diversity and inclusion into all organizational functions will avoid compartmentalizing it away from the everyday activities of an organization. The activities and time allocated to diversity and inclusion should also be consistent and periodic in order to maintain momentum.

Poor communication promotes diversity fatigue as well. People want to be engaged through regular, personal communication. They tend to prefer understanding how diversity and inclusion supports their values and beliefs, benefits them, and helps them to do their jobs. People also tend to respond better when they are allowed to make adjustments over a period of time. Additionally, accessing a mix of information pipelines helps by offering different perspectives and sources of information.

With proper communication comes accountability. Management should be held accountable as much as the staff are to fulfill responsibilities, communicate clear expectations, and actively engage in the diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Another recommendation from Arin N. Reeves focuses on rewarding the leadership teams who are responsible for implementing and managing diversity and inclusion enterprises. As mentioned before, practitioners are equally burdened with herding cats, and require the encouragement and support of management for their efforts. Prioritizing goals and resources can aid in avoiding diversity fatigue by directing energy, enthusiasm, and creativity toward a manageable list of measureable and achievable goals.

Lastly, Dr. Reeves recommends mixing up the quality and variety of activities. Like working out in the gym, there is a point where a person’s muscles no longer respond as they once did in the beginning. To encourage ongoing development and to avoid a plateau, varied experiences are recommended to keep the body responsive. Similarly, individuals and teams need to receive an assortment of intensive activities, from serious and thought provoking to fun and engaging in order to receive the ongoing benefits of diversity and inclusion.