JFF: Solutions Leadership Team Discovery Meeting by Akailah Jenkins McIntyre

akailah1 — 2024-11-14 23:26:26 UTC

For easy reference, these are the learning outcomes.

By the end of this capacity-building initiative, JFF staff should be able to…

Understand the historical context and significance of racial equity within the broader social justice movement, JFF's North Star, and its impact on current organizational practices.
Recognize and address implicit bias and its manifestations in the workplace, using strategies to prevent and interrupt biases in interactions and decision-making.
Develop and apply strategies for creating an inclusive culture that addresses racial inequities, promoting practices that support equity and inclusiveness within teams and across the organization.
Apply an intersectional lens to DEIBW practices, understanding how different aspects of identity (e.g., race, gender, sexuality) intersect and impact employee experiences.
Demonstrate effective allyship, particularly white allyship in addressing racial issues, and differentiate between intent and impact while taking accountability for actions.
Identify and mitigate various forms of microaggressions, employing techniques to address and reduce their effects in the workplace.

2024-11-18 19:56:04 UTC

We have 8/20 (40%) Cluster Directors (CDs) that are POC. Compared to 46% org wide (FY23)—I would say we have a diverse CD group with still some room for improvements. (Anna)

2024-11-19 16:24:50 UTC

One area of racial diversity we lack in FIT is male persons of color. My guess is that we have fewer males in general in FIT, which is one factor. More representation for men of color in people management roles would be a positive step forward for representation and internal advancement opportunities. (Jerre)

2024-11-19 18:04:42 UTC

There is a notable strength amongst the FIT people managers that could be an opportunity to explore diversifying our CDs even more. Turns out most CDs are also considered really strong Project Rs. Makes sense that those that can do things like foster collaborative and supportive project team cultures are also strong people managers. How can we ensure FIT cluster members have the resources, tools, availability, etc to lean into Project R roles and excel? Some things are already brewing in respects to that... (Anna)

2024-11-20 13:50:49 UTC

(Anna) We will need to:

Use these objectives to refresh the competencies that fall under the Embody Inclusivity, Diversity, and Equity leadership expectation. And the Performance Manager Framework (it's been awhile since anyone has referenced that great doc).
Provide concrete examples and trainings for how Project Rs (typically D1 and above) can execute these objectives in building project team culture and hold project leads accountable to them.
Unpack the nuances of how racial inequality can show up in the workplace. The examples that were unpacked for us during the managers training about implicit bias for the performance review cycle was a really a concrete and specific way to help us understand.

2024-11-20 14:48:54 UTC

We have a clear commitment to DEI and our org-wide values and culture create space for addressing issues of racism and bias (evidenced by people speaking up in public settings, feedback through pulse check surveys, Language Matters, etc.). I don't mention this to act as if we have arrived - but to center that we've created space for people to name and address when individuals or the org are falling short(Jerre)

2024-11-20 14:50:30 UTC

Our commitments are explicit in several of our networks and Centers (i.e. CREA, CJEA, DEIA Hub). Our "Language Matters" work provides guidance for how we talk about racial diversity/people/marginalized groups and is regularly updated. (Jerre)

2024-11-20 14:53:33 UTC

As an organization, we are still in need of strong systems to hold people accountable for strong performance and adherence to our internal norms related to project leadership, culture, and feedback. When people do not get helpful, real-time feedback - whether they are a leader or contributor - we can create situations where racial stereotypes or racist power dynamics are reinforced. (Jerre)

2024-11-20 14:56:04 UTC

I believe it is. And the fact that we are continuing to use external experts is one example of how we are authentically wrestling with our challenges. I think people's willingness to name practices or impacts that feel racist is a sign of real opportunity to address it. (Other organizations I have worked for have never gotten past a performative level of talking about racism and equity.) (Jerre)

2024-11-20 15:20:31 UTC

I believe it is. In this political atmosphere we're all living in, and in a time where it feels like we can't control the narrative and actions that are shaping around us, taking action toward racial equity in our own workplace will feel immediately impactful. (Anna)

2024-11-20 15:26:21 UTC

Given our structure, some staff may feel quite isolated (e.g., a manager who is a contributor across two projects may only interact day-to-day with a handful of JFFers). There is also named inconsistencies in project culture (e.g., a staff person finds one project team highly functional and supportive, and on another project that feels quite toxic). We are still not near a consistent adherence to our internal norms. (Anna)

2024-11-20 15:39:43 UTC

Challenge: annual surveys continue to show that our Asian colleagues are collectively reporting less satisfaction at JFF.

Strength: Yes to all that Jerre noted and to elevate that JFF doesn't approach DEI as a "one and done" topic. I've been in workplaces where DEI became a compliance activity (e.g., watch this video every three years) and JFF approaches it as an embedded way of working that will always be a part of our learning agenda. (Anna)

2024-11-20 18:23:15 UTC

In my department, there is strong diversity. Our work overindexes on BIPOC populations because they are overrepresented in the population impacted.