CDR Workplace Culture & Belonging Flashcards

What is 'tokenism' in the workplace?

Answer: The practice of making superficial efforts to include underrepresented individuals to give the appearance of inclusivity

Tokenism occurs when an organization includes a small number of people from underrepresented groups to appear diverse without making substantive changes to systems, policies, or culture.

Which management approach focuses on leveraging individual employees' unique talents, experiences, and perspectives to achieve business goals?

Answer: Diversity management

Diversity management is a proactive strategy that recognizes and leverages the unique contributions of employees with different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences to drive organizational success.

What is 'intersectionality' and why is it important for diversity recruiters?

Answer: The concept that individuals hold multiple overlapping social identities that interact to shape unique experiences of privilege or disadvantage

Intersectionality, coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, recognizes that people hold multiple identities (e.g., race + gender + disability) that interact and create unique, compounded experiences of discrimination or privilege.

Which practice involves assigning experienced mentors to underrepresented employees specifically to help them navigate organizational culture and advance their careers?

Answer: Sponsorship

Sponsorship is a proactive form of advocacy where a senior leader actively champions an underrepresented employee by opening doors, making introductions, and advocating for their advancement.

What is an 'inclusion index' used for in organizational settings?

Answer: Measuring employees' sense of inclusion, belonging, and fairness within the organization

An inclusion index is a survey-based tool that measures how included employees feel — capturing dimensions like fairness, authenticity, belonging, and voice — to guide culture improvement efforts.

What does 'culture add' mean as a hiring philosophy, and how does it differ from 'culture fit'?

Answer: Culture add seeks candidates who bring new perspectives that strengthen the team; culture fit seeks candidates who mirror the existing culture and can perpetuate homogeneity

Culture add hiring seeks candidates who bring diverse perspectives and new dimensions to the team, while culture fit can unintentionally favor candidates who resemble the existing workforce, reinforcing homogeneity.