Brenda J. Allen

“Diversity”; and organizational communication

Abstract Although popular organizational literature abounds with discussions of workplace diversity, few studies of organizational communication address this topic. This essay entreats scholars to conduct research on race‐ethnicity—one of the most salient aspects of diversity—and its role in organizational communication processes. The author offers a rationale for her position, reviews related literature, and provides recommendations for future investigations.

Feminist standpoint theory: A black woman's (re)view of organizational socialization

Despite numerous appeals for organizational communication scholars to incorporate feminist theorizing into their work, few researchers have done so. In this essay, feminist standpoint theory is applied to an analysis of organizational socialization, an inherently communicative phenomenon. Speaking from her vantage point as an African‐American faculty member at a predominantly White, research university, the author recounts excerpts from her lived experiences to demonstrate the value of eliciting insight from an “outsider within.” She concludes with implications for practice and research.

Theorizing Communication and Race

The invitation to write this essay posed the following question: ‘‘When viewed from the standpoint of a particular culture, does mainstream communication theory seem to be culturally biased in important ways?’’ My response was immediate and emphatic: ‘‘Of course it does; of course it IS .’’ Mainstream communication theory is culturally biased because it neglects to delve into race in critical, substantive ways. I submit this claim from my standpoint(s) as a middle-aged black woman socialized all of my life to view race as a fundamental, consequential aspect of identity, and as a critical scholar ordained to illuminate inequities in society in order to ‘‘transform oppressive structures, institutions and relationships’’ (Collier, 2005, p. 254). From these vantage points, I have discerned and decried deficiencies in mainstream communication scholarship about race, particularly in organizational communication studies (see, e.g., Allen, 1995, 2000, 2004, 2005; Ashcraft & Allen, 2003; Orbe & Allen, 2006). Across the discipline, others have offered similar or related critiques (e.g., Collier, 2005; Flores & Moon, 2002; Hendrix, 2005; Hopson & Orbe, 2007; Jackson, 2000; McPhail, 1997; Shome, 1996; Shome & Hegde, 2002). Most of these critiques assert the bias of Eurocentrism, a propensity to interpret reality based on western (especially European or Anglo-American) values and experiences. Due to this tendency, the discipline draws from and disseminates white universalistic paradigms without problematizing or even acknowledging their Eurocentric limits, thereby perpetuating ‘‘a pattern of Eurocentric intellectual domination’’ (Shome, 1996, p. 49). This bias impedes our discipline from effecting social change related to race. Race merits theoretical and practical attention because it is an enduring, contested phenomenon with important implications for communication studies, and for transforming society. After all, race is ‘‘one of the most powerful ideological and institutional factors for deciding how identities are categorized and power, material privileges, and resources distributed’’ (Giroux, 2003, p. 200). Recurring news

“Race Matters” in the Journal of Applied Communication Research

Social issues have been a general stimulus for communication scholarship since the inception of the field. Over time, much of this research has evolved into what is known as applied communication research. Within this article, the authors report a critical analysis of research about a particularly significant social issue: race. In particular, they analyze articles published in The Journal of Applied Communication (JACR; 1973–2005) with specific attention to those that studied race matters. The heart of the essay describes a Race Scholarship Typology that informed their analysis. They refer to articles published in JACR to illustrate genres of race scholarship within that typology. They conclude by offering 6 guidelines that will enhance how “race matters” are reflected in research published in JACR and other publication outlets in the field of communication.

Diversity Matters in Academic Radiology: Acknowledging and Addressing Unconscious Bias

To meet challenges related to changing demographics, and to optimize the promise of diversity, radiologists must bridge the gap between numbers of women and historically underrepresented minorities in radiology and radiation oncology as contrasted with other medical specialties. Research reveals multiple ways that women and underrepresented minorities can benefit radiology education, research, and practice. To achieve those benefits, promising practices promote developing and implementing strategies that support diversity as an institutional priority and cultivate shared responsibility among all members to create inclusive learning and workplace environments. Strategies also include providing professional development to empower and equip members to accomplish diversity-related goals. Among topics for professional development about diversity, unconscious bias has shown positive results. Unconscious bias refers to ways humans unknowingly draw upon assumptions about individuals and groups to make decisions about them. Researchers have documented unconscious bias in a variety of contexts and professions, including health care, in which they have studied differential treatment, diagnosis, prescribed care, patient well-being and compliance, physician-patient interactions, clinical decision making, and medical school education. These studies demonstrate unfavorable impacts on members of underrepresented groups and women. Learning about and striving to counteract unconscious bias points to promising practices for increasing the numbers of women and underrepresented minorities in the radiology and radiation oncology workforce.

Vocabularies of motives in a crisis of academic leadership

This study applies a model about discourse of divorcing individuals to the disintegration of a relationship between a formal organization and one of its employees. The authors recount a set of events in which university administrators and faculty tried to force the institutions president out of her job, but she refused to leave. To interpret the narrative, the authors employ a sociologists application of Burkes symbolic notion of motives to studies of discursive practices of persons engaged in divorce. The authors argue that vocabularies of motives offered in marriage break‐ups parallel those provided by organizational actors involved in initiating and resisting termination.

Fostering Diversity and Inclusion: A Summary of the 2017 Intersociety Summer Conference

The 39th radiology Intersociety Committee reviewed the current state of diversity among trainees and in our workplaces and addressed future strategies for fostering diversity through inclusion. The assembled participants addressed the imperatives and drivers for diversity and developed a road map to foster diversity. Themes included the need to be proactive in increasing awareness of our own biases and their potential impact on workplace decisions, overcoming blind spots, and being culturally sensitive. The need to identify and eliminate barriers to diversity was discussed at both the organizational and practice level and included efforts to break down structural and clinical barriers, such as training in multicultural awareness. Additional strategies that were addressed included building inclusive work environments; facilitating debate, conversations, and community building; and pipelining medical students through mentoring pathways. The conference ended with a call to action to develop toolkits with effective resources to support the necessary diversity and inclusion initiatives we must all undertake.