From the course: Awareness to Action: Level Up as a DEI Change Agent in Your Organization

Identify organizational power imbalances

From the course: Awareness to Action: Level Up as a DEI Change Agent in Your Organization

Start my 1-month free trial Buy for my team

Identify organizational power imbalances

“

- I love the saying, "Power to the people." Regardless of your role, you hold so much power in your workplace and have opportunities to use that power to impact change. Every workplace has power dynamics. You can think of power as the ability to impact decisions in your workplace. It's important to understand that although there are differing levels of power people hold, every employee has some power. Power could manifest in different ways, including the ability to influence others to build community or to inspire. So how does power manifest in the workplace? In many workplaces, power increases as you rise within the pyramid. Although there are more people at the bottom, there are often only a few people who hold the most power. But that doesn't mean you don't hold any at all. There are two important questions to ask yourself to assess your level of power. One, are you directly involved in creating workplace policies, practices, procedures, and processes? And two, are you able to impact or change these workplace systems? Though you may not be involved, you can still impact change in your workplace. This can look like using your voice to influence decision makers, being in community with those who hold more power than you, and recognizing ways to come together with other employees to strategize. We'll dive into each later, but I want to share a story about one of my clients who used these strategies. In the aftermath of George Floyd's murder, my client introduced an employee resource group so that Black employees could come together and have a safe space to discuss how they were feeling. He used his voice and his position to influence decision makers who approved this group. He was able to be in community with fellow Black employees. They held events in meetings and brought in speakers as additional ways to come together. These actions brought power back to the employees. By recognizing the ways you can influence your organization's systems, you'll understand the power you hold to shift imbalances and create a more inclusive and equitable workplace.

Contents