Developing Diversity and Inclusion in Mining

The diversity workshop has become a tradition at the SME Arizona conference since the Lowell Institute for Mineral Resources initiated it in 2017.

After a 2020 hiatus, nearly 80 attendees came together this December for the 2021 workshop, “Intentional Inclusivity and Allyship”. The group was in itself diverse: male and female, older and younger, students and mining professionals hailing from various countries. The Arizona Chapter of Women in Mining (WIM Arizona) has organized the workshop since 2019, and they sponsored six of the students in attendance.

Julia Potter, WIM Arizona President and Geological Engineer with Call & Nicholas, was inspired to become involved in the organization after attending the first workshop in 2017.

“Sharing experiences with others familiar with being an only (female, person of color, LGBTQ+, etc.) and hearing from allies and advocates in a conference setting was incredibly meaningful," Potter said. “When WIM was asked to take over organizing the workshop from the Lowell Institute in 2019, I was honored to be a part of something that I knew could have an incredible impact on attendees.”

Lindsey Ferrara and Amy Winsor, both from Deloitte, led the interactive workshop. They started off with some statistics highlighting the power of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts: Organizations that foster diverse environments and inclusive cultures are twice as likely to reach their financial goals, 30% better at identifying risks, and six times more likely to be innovative and agile (more on that in this Deloitte publication).

Combining diversity initiatives (e.g., targeted scholarships) with a work environment where all employees feel that they can bring their authentic selves to the office, allows companies to enjoy larger applicant pools and increased employee engagement. In contrast, organizations that ignore DEI altogether or target diversity without inclusion may suffer from a lower productivity and a less committed workforce.

For Elizabeth Glenn, a sophomore Mining Engineering student, the workshop “provided a unique insight into how people cope with parts of themselves they often do not feel fit into their workplace or environment.”

Intersectionality

A concept central to the workshop was intersectionality. Intersectionality was outlined by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989 as a framework for understanding the way in which different aspects of one’s social identity (race, gender, sexuality, class, marital status, and age) overlap and intersect. The complexities of social identity, and the discrimination or privilege that comes with them, has often been ignored in “classic” diversity and inclusion efforts, which tend to focus on a single aspect.

Employees who do not feel the various aspects of their identities are accepted by their organization often waste time and energy on “covering” or altering their behavior to blend in with company culture (e.g., a man with a male spouse might avoid extra-curricular events where spouses are expected). Deloitte's research found that 83% of those identifying as gay or bisexual, 79% of Black individuals, and 66% of women report covering.

Workshop attendees were encouraged to discuss the various parts of their own identities and which aspects they are more likely to “cover”. Greatness Ojum, first-year Engineering student, appreciated the opportunity to identify all the different social identities people hold. “In every work environment, the awareness of intersectionality between employees and employers will improve the atmosphere of the environment, the performance of the people and the company they work for,” Ojum said. “The activity I enjoyed the most during the workshop was seeking out the intersectionality within the people I sat with. The few minutes of the activity brought us together and changed the conversations we had posterior, for the better."

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Inclusive Leadership

Formal authority is not a prerequisite to leadership. Anyone able to inspire confidence or influence others has the potential to lead. Inclusive leadership, or leading from the center, is characterized by the ability to adapt personal behaviors, systems, processes and practices to embrace individual differences and ensure their team members feel respected, valued and connected. It requires deliberate effort and a strong understanding of yourself and your colleagues, but those who lead inclusively are uniquely equipped to harness the benefits of diverse teams. Deloitte’s framework for inclusive leaders identified six signature traits of inclusive leadership. Most workshop participants felt they were strong in collaboration, but organizations often lacked commitment.

Glenn agrees: “The largest takeaway I had was to be more inclusive and outwardly accepting of all facets of someone's being in all settings and work toward having less personal bias.”

Real-life advice from professionals

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A panel discussion with six industry leaders rounded off the afternoon with experience from seasoned professionals and some very actionable tips: “If you want to start advocacy, even if you think what you can do is not a big enough step, do it anyway!”

Skylie Estep, Human Resources Business Partner with South32, sums up her takeaways from the panel discussion:

“Inclusive leadership doesn't have to be tied to a title. Everyone can and should demonstrate inclusive leadership.

Typically, initiatives of any type fall flat at the middle management level. It is essential to ensure this cohort has the tools they need to deliver on I, D, & E initiatives and goals set by the company. We often get overwhelmed with all of the opportunities to improve, making it challenging to get started. It is important to remember that even small steps can make an impact. Changes like diversifying your meeting participants, including others on projects, etc., do not add strain on the business but create significant opportunities for both individuals and the organization. If you are in a leadership role, you should be working with your team members to create individual development plans and working with your team to help them develop mentor/mentee relationships internal to the organization. In addition, connect them with individuals outside of the business to create professional sponsorship relationships.

My biggest takeaway is that we tend to overcomplicate the small things by turning them into grandiose initiatives, which causes implementation paralysis. Make small yet impactful changes in your day-to-day. Additionally, get comfortable having difficult conversations and make minor adjustments to your terminology, such as "call-in" rather than call out. This statement was probably the most impactful to me. It isn't about belittling someone because of a misstep they made; it's about reaching out to them and discussing how their comment, actions, etc. might make others feel and coaching them for improvement. As the saying goes, there is no future without forgiveness.”

More Info

Kimberlé Crenshaw’s TED talk on intersectionality

Intersectionality and leadership

Deloitte’s framework for inclusive leadership

Bloomberg opinion: Middle Managers Will Make or Break the Diversity Drive