Beyond Symbolic Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Creating a Culture of Enduring Organizational Social Impact

This book extends strategic diversity work beyond internal organization efforts toward social engagement and accountability and supports organizations to ground social impact across both business and employee interests, the first of which is ethics, covered in the initial chapter. Organizations around the world are committed to increasing the racial diversity of their employees. Simultaneously, there is also greater interest in creating more welcoming and psychologically safe environments for people of color within organizations.

As the workforce demographics shift because of these initiatives, the interests and needs of the employee population have also shifted. This shift presents a challenge for organizations to move beyond symbolic diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) work, of which increasing racial representation is chief, to helping organizations understand how to determine which issues to support of concern, value, and importance to their employees and society.

Essentially, this book, a venture into the field called transorganization development, also moves beyond the traditional view of corporate social responsibility to take the position that businesses have a responsibility to make the world a better place by taking proactive stances on the many challenges facing the world today, including DE&I and accessibility. Many employees today expect their employers to take positions that will lead to making the world a better place.

William J. Rothwell, Ph.D., DBA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, RODC, CPTD Fellow is President of Rothwell & Associates, Inc. and Rothwell & Associates, LLC (see www.rothwellandassociates.com). He is also a Distinguished Professor in the Workforce Education and Development program, Department of Learning and Performance Systems, at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park campus.

He has authored, co-authored, edited, or co-edited three hundred books, book chapters, and articles―including 154 books. Before arriving at Penn State in 1993, he had 20 years of work experience as a Training Director and HR professional in government and business. He has also worked as a consultant for over 50 multinational corporations--including Motorola China, General Motors, Ford, and others. In 2012 he earned ASTD’s prestigious Distinguished Contribution to Workplace Learning and Performance Award; in 2013 ASTD honored him by naming him as a Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) Fellow; in 2022 he was honored by Penn State University with the Global Lifetime Achievement Award (the University’s highest award for doing international work) and was honored by the Organization Development Network by receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Among Dr. Rothwell’s most recent books are (Routledge, 2022), High-performance Coaching for Managers (Routledge, 2022), Rethinking Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: A Step-by-Step Guide to Facilitating Change (Routledge, 2022), Organization Development Interventions: Executing Effective Organizational Change(Routledge, 2021), Virtual Coaching to Improve Group Relationships: Process Consultation Reimagined (Routledge, 2021), Innovation Leadership (Routledge, 2018), Improving Human Performance, 3rd ed. (Routledge, 2018), Evaluating Organization Development: How to Ensure and Sustain the Successful Transformation (CRC Press, 2017), Marketing Organization Development Consulting: A How-To Guide for OD Consultants (CRC Press, 2017), and Assessment and Diagnosis for Organization Development: Powerful Tools and Perspectives for the OD Practitioner (CRC Press, 2017),

Phillip L. Ealy, M.P.S. is a retired United States Army Officer who advocated for women going into restricted combat arms roles. Phillip also developed US and foreign militaries, building international coalitions. He works as the coaching coordinator for the Children, Youth, and Families at Risk (CYFAR) grant program. In this role, Phillip trains and develops coaches who work with land-grant universities on implementing government-funded programs for local communities. Phillip holds a Master of Professional Studies in Organization Development and Change and is completing a Ph.D. in Workforce Education and Development with an emphasis in Human Resource Development and Organization Development from Pennsylvania State University. He holds an undergraduate degree in Communications from West Virginia State University.

Jamie Campbell, Ph.D., M.Ed. serves as the Assistant Dean for Diversity Enhancement Programs in the Smeal College of Business at The Pennsylvania State University. He has served as a panelist on topics ranging from social justice to student issues and has been a keynote speaker for various leadership programs. Jamie also serves as an advisor to student organizations within the Smeal College of Business and mentors graduates of the college working in Fortune 500 companies. He was an inaugural Fellow with the CEO for Racial Equity Fellowship which supports programs for underrepresented persons across the United States. Jamie is a 1995 graduate of Morehouse College where he obtained his B.A. in Sociology. He completed an M.Ed. in Adult Education and Instruction Education from Central Michigan University in 2003. Jamie is a Ph.D. graduate of the Workforce Education Program with concentrations in Organization Design and Human Resource Development at The Pennsylvania State University. His research focuses on Succession Planning as a form of Crisis Management.