Kecia Thomas | UAB - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Kecia Thomas
Oxford University Press eBooks, Oct 1, 2013
The benefits of career development may accrue throughout one’s work life, from early career and v... more The benefits of career development may accrue throughout one’s work life, from early career and vocational choice through to retirement. Yet are those benefits, and even career development itself, equally available to workers across various dimensions of demographic diversity—especially as we consider the informal and insidious nature of many career development options? This chapter explores the intersection of career development and workplace diversity. Specifically, we look at this intersection by asking (1) How can career development be an opportunity to promote diversity in organizations? and (2) How do career development disparities have a negative impact on the careers of marginalized workers and subsequently their employers? Special attention is paid to the subtle biases, ambient cues, and distancing behavior that may derail career development strategies, such as mentoring and networks for marginalized groups. We examine science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers as an important and timely career path and case study in which to consider these issues.
Diversity Ideologies in Organizations, Jan 10, 2014
Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2018
This article offers insight from psychological science into whether models of diversity (e.g., co... more This article offers insight from psychological science into whether models of diversity (e.g., color blindness and multiculturalism) remedy or foster discrimination and racism. First, we focus on implications of a color-blind model. Here, the literature suggests that while color blindness appeals to some individuals, it can decrease individuals’ sensitivity to racism and discrimination. Furthermore, the literature suggests that, with some exceptions, color blindness has negative implications for interracial interactions, minorities’ perceptions and outcomes, and the pursuit of diversity and inclusion in organizational contexts. Second, we examine circumstances under which a multicultural approach yields positive or negative implications for interracial interactions, organizational diversity efforts, and discrimination. The research reviewed coalesces to suggest that while multiculturalism generally has more positive implications for people of color, both models have the potential to...
ABSTRACT Since the increased attention toward diversity in the workplace, the concepts of &am... more ABSTRACT Since the increased attention toward diversity in the workplace, the concepts of "diversity initiatives" and "diversity management" have become a common place in many conversations among academics and practitioners alike. The diversity movement in the workplace originated from the increased avocation for equal treatment of minority groups due to the dynamic composition of the modern workforce. Many organizations were forced to face these changes and the dilemma of how to respond to group differences to maintain and/or increase organization effectiveness and productivity. This volume will present new research on the colorblindness versus multiculturalism debate, assist in broadening the diversity ideology conversation, share this conversation across social science domains including industrial/organizational psychology, social psychology, and law and public policy, and highlight how the nature of diversity ideology may be fluid and therefore be different depending on the diversity dimension discussed.
PsycEXTRA Dataset
Page 1. Barriers and Bridges to Inclusion: The Graduate Student Perspective Kecia M. Thomas Unive... more Page 1. Barriers and Bridges to Inclusion: The Graduate Student Perspective Kecia M. Thomas University of Georgia Cyrillene C. Clark Hay Group During the April 2003 meeting of SIOP, we met with ethnic minority graduate ...
Eye on Psi Chi Magazine, 2017
online), is published quarterly by Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology. All co... more online), is published quarterly by Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology. All contents ©2018 by Psi Chi. The pub li ca tion schedule fol lows the ac a dem ic year: fall, win ter, spring, and summer. All opinions ex pressed in signed ar ti cles are those of the author(s) and do not nec es sar i ly reflect those of the editors and/or Psi Chi.
Organization Development Journal, 2002
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 2020
PurposeThe aim of the study is to revisit the importance of Black Lives Matter (BLM) and to encou... more PurposeThe aim of the study is to revisit the importance of Black Lives Matter (BLM) and to encourage more attention to White supremacy in the academy, especially with regards to the development and mentoring of graduate students.Design/methodology/approachThe study reflects on the urgency of the BLM movement given the death of George Floyd and others.FindingsThe article highlights the ways in which the training and development of graduate students can reinforce systems of exclusion and marginalization while reinforcing existing systems of privilege and the status quo. The essay concludes with recommendations for creating greater systems of inclusion for programs, departments and higher education institutions.Practical implicationsRecommendations are given to initiate culture change.Originality/valueThis is a follow-up to the 2017 special issue.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 2017
Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 2019
People of color and women remain woefully underrepresented in top leadership positions across ind... more People of color and women remain woefully underrepresented in top leadership positions across industries. Yet the doors to power and authority in organizations are slowly opening in large part due to the more aggressive promotion of the “value-added” nature of diversity to organizational effectiveness. Inclusive organizations benefit from the diversity of perspectives and backgrounds that women and people of color offer to organizational decision making, innovation, and growth. However, not much is understood about their unique experiences. This commentary focuses on the Outsider Within experiences of underrepresented leaders, workers who find themselves as both the “Other” and as a leader in their workplace.
This document is in semi-outline form and served as the basis of a conference presentation on how... more This document is in semi-outline form and served as the basis of a conference presentation on how the discipline of industrial/organizational psychology addresses issues of fairness and justice. The paper begins with a comparison of personnel and organizational psychology (their application to job analysis, job selection systems, and performance appraisals) and introduces the concept of workplace diversity psychology. Workplace diversity psychology deals with workplaces that are fair and just regardless of race, gender, sexuality, age, or physical ability. Workplace diversity is described in terms of how each of these factors can be experienced by some workers as an entrenched privilege and is invisible to others. Workplace diversity psychologists study the work consequences of justice perceptions for those people for whom privilege is invisible as well as those for whom it is a daily issue. The bibliography lists four references. In addition, there is a list of 18 suggested readings about organizational justice, privilege, human resources and development, and legal issues. (AJ) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the on final document.
Oxford University Press eBooks, Oct 1, 2013
The benefits of career development may accrue throughout one’s work life, from early career and v... more The benefits of career development may accrue throughout one’s work life, from early career and vocational choice through to retirement. Yet are those benefits, and even career development itself, equally available to workers across various dimensions of demographic diversity—especially as we consider the informal and insidious nature of many career development options? This chapter explores the intersection of career development and workplace diversity. Specifically, we look at this intersection by asking (1) How can career development be an opportunity to promote diversity in organizations? and (2) How do career development disparities have a negative impact on the careers of marginalized workers and subsequently their employers? Special attention is paid to the subtle biases, ambient cues, and distancing behavior that may derail career development strategies, such as mentoring and networks for marginalized groups. We examine science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers as an important and timely career path and case study in which to consider these issues.
Diversity Ideologies in Organizations, Jan 10, 2014
Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2018
This article offers insight from psychological science into whether models of diversity (e.g., co... more This article offers insight from psychological science into whether models of diversity (e.g., color blindness and multiculturalism) remedy or foster discrimination and racism. First, we focus on implications of a color-blind model. Here, the literature suggests that while color blindness appeals to some individuals, it can decrease individuals’ sensitivity to racism and discrimination. Furthermore, the literature suggests that, with some exceptions, color blindness has negative implications for interracial interactions, minorities’ perceptions and outcomes, and the pursuit of diversity and inclusion in organizational contexts. Second, we examine circumstances under which a multicultural approach yields positive or negative implications for interracial interactions, organizational diversity efforts, and discrimination. The research reviewed coalesces to suggest that while multiculturalism generally has more positive implications for people of color, both models have the potential to...
ABSTRACT Since the increased attention toward diversity in the workplace, the concepts of &am... more ABSTRACT Since the increased attention toward diversity in the workplace, the concepts of "diversity initiatives" and "diversity management" have become a common place in many conversations among academics and practitioners alike. The diversity movement in the workplace originated from the increased avocation for equal treatment of minority groups due to the dynamic composition of the modern workforce. Many organizations were forced to face these changes and the dilemma of how to respond to group differences to maintain and/or increase organization effectiveness and productivity. This volume will present new research on the colorblindness versus multiculturalism debate, assist in broadening the diversity ideology conversation, share this conversation across social science domains including industrial/organizational psychology, social psychology, and law and public policy, and highlight how the nature of diversity ideology may be fluid and therefore be different depending on the diversity dimension discussed.
PsycEXTRA Dataset
Page 1. Barriers and Bridges to Inclusion: The Graduate Student Perspective Kecia M. Thomas Unive... more Page 1. Barriers and Bridges to Inclusion: The Graduate Student Perspective Kecia M. Thomas University of Georgia Cyrillene C. Clark Hay Group During the April 2003 meeting of SIOP, we met with ethnic minority graduate ...
Eye on Psi Chi Magazine, 2017
online), is published quarterly by Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology. All co... more online), is published quarterly by Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology. All contents ©2018 by Psi Chi. The pub li ca tion schedule fol lows the ac a dem ic year: fall, win ter, spring, and summer. All opinions ex pressed in signed ar ti cles are those of the author(s) and do not nec es sar i ly reflect those of the editors and/or Psi Chi.
Organization Development Journal, 2002
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 2020
PurposeThe aim of the study is to revisit the importance of Black Lives Matter (BLM) and to encou... more PurposeThe aim of the study is to revisit the importance of Black Lives Matter (BLM) and to encourage more attention to White supremacy in the academy, especially with regards to the development and mentoring of graduate students.Design/methodology/approachThe study reflects on the urgency of the BLM movement given the death of George Floyd and others.FindingsThe article highlights the ways in which the training and development of graduate students can reinforce systems of exclusion and marginalization while reinforcing existing systems of privilege and the status quo. The essay concludes with recommendations for creating greater systems of inclusion for programs, departments and higher education institutions.Practical implicationsRecommendations are given to initiate culture change.Originality/valueThis is a follow-up to the 2017 special issue.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 2017
Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 2019
People of color and women remain woefully underrepresented in top leadership positions across ind... more People of color and women remain woefully underrepresented in top leadership positions across industries. Yet the doors to power and authority in organizations are slowly opening in large part due to the more aggressive promotion of the “value-added” nature of diversity to organizational effectiveness. Inclusive organizations benefit from the diversity of perspectives and backgrounds that women and people of color offer to organizational decision making, innovation, and growth. However, not much is understood about their unique experiences. This commentary focuses on the Outsider Within experiences of underrepresented leaders, workers who find themselves as both the “Other” and as a leader in their workplace.
This document is in semi-outline form and served as the basis of a conference presentation on how... more This document is in semi-outline form and served as the basis of a conference presentation on how the discipline of industrial/organizational psychology addresses issues of fairness and justice. The paper begins with a comparison of personnel and organizational psychology (their application to job analysis, job selection systems, and performance appraisals) and introduces the concept of workplace diversity psychology. Workplace diversity psychology deals with workplaces that are fair and just regardless of race, gender, sexuality, age, or physical ability. Workplace diversity is described in terms of how each of these factors can be experienced by some workers as an entrenched privilege and is invisible to others. Workplace diversity psychologists study the work consequences of justice perceptions for those people for whom privilege is invisible as well as those for whom it is a daily issue. The bibliography lists four references. In addition, there is a list of 18 suggested readings about organizational justice, privilege, human resources and development, and legal issues. (AJ) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the on final document.