Week 32: "Equity" & Shortbread Cookies

Why this book? I have a really great book called "Equity: How to Design Organizations Where Everyone Thrives" by Minal Bopaiah & THESE SUPER DELICIOUS 3 INGREDIENT SHORTBREAD COOKIES!⁠

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I heard Minal speak at a virtual Belonging at Work Conference hosted by Rhodes Perry Consulting⁠

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This book was personal and practical which I really like in a book. Personal stories catch my attention which allow me to remember them easier. The practical every day tips allow me to incorporate them into my work. I sometimes struggle with academic research as it is harder to incorporate into equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). I have been trying to solve a problem lately around how do I show all the EDI progress that has been done in 2 years in an easy and succinct manner. This book gave me the inspiration I needed to and provided me with some ideas. In her book she provides diagrams to use right away like the Group identity wheel to show how you can be marginalized and privileged at the same time. ⁠

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Here are a couple of did you knows?⁠

1. Text messaging was invented for people who are hard of hearing and now is used by everyone⁠

2. When leaders value differences they are no longer threatened by employees who think differently or disagree with them.⁠

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My favourite chapter was Bridging the Gap which talked about how to define equitable outcomes and ways to bake behaviours into the systems. EDI cannot sit on the side and it cant be something we do separately on a Friday (said sarcastically). I need to find ways to incorporate EDI into everyone's work so that we create more inclusive workspaces. She gives various examples and discusses the famous orchestra example. If you don’t know about this take a read here: Orchestrating Impartiality: The Impact of “Blind” Auditions on Female Musicians | Gender Action Portal (harvard.edu)⁠

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This book was an easy read and I read it in one day. I will be referring back to this book again and again.⁠