Thomas J. Neuville Ph.D., Author, Advocate, Speaker And Coach

Dr. Thomas J. Neuville PhD., MBA
Author, Executive Coach and Speaker

Articles By Dr. Thomas J. Neuville

Changing the Character Of Corporate America:
Diversity Lessons From the Disability Movement

Thomas J. Neuville

From the book: Unfinished Business: The Diversity Promise
Perspectives on Moving Beyond
Diversity Awareness Training

People working in corporations will learn much by considering the lessons from the last 30 years of the disability movement. The main lesson is: diversity is not just a legal or affirmative action issue, it is a systems survival issue. If we make diversity only a legal issue, we degrade its contributions to building sustainable organizations.

In the disability movement we are focusing on self-determination and whole systems management. For persons with disabilities, it is a natural next step after the empowerment and coaching "waves" of employment. The similarities to corporate environment are obvious. Whole systems planning is an approach that draws upon the science of our times. It moves us from viewing our organizations as well-oiled machines to viewing them as living and dynamic systems with innate abilities and capabilities. Today, whole systems planning and employee authority are all the rage.

It is my prediction and my fear that whole systems management and employee control will be very popular with corporate management and consultants. Corporate authorities will abandon old planning systems, herald the need to unify and begin to use the capacities of the whole community, and give cause to reduce financial and moral support to diversity-related initiatives targeting people with special needs.

As we speak of having employees that are self-determining and using methods of whole system management we must be careful to understand where we are going. The clear intent of making employees self-determining and adopting whole systems management philosophies, is to unify-to make organizations whole by bringing all the parts (individuals in the organizations, as well as customers) together. The goal then is to cause enculturation (the process of learning cultures through relationships), which, in turn, changes groups (society, communities, and workplaces) and individuals.

This simple distinction gets to the heart of many of the diversity problems encountered in the corporate environment. Organizations demand that work groups unite. Individuals must change and enculturation, or processes must be created to transform the groups so that they become united.

The difference between the disability movement and corporate America is in how we view diversity. We, in the disability movement, view diversity as the only way to survive. Corporations view diversity more as good social action. Each person who enters a group should be understood for his/her talents, and the group-whether it's society, a community, or a workplace-needs to change and make room for the contribution of these talents.

A manufacturer of sausages in the Midwest made the shift from being a supplier of quality sausages to being a community of sausage producers. The focus shifts then from a hierarchical corporate model to the person, the community, and the lifestyles chosen by the employees.

Building on David Schwartz's Crossing The River: Creating a Conceptual Revolution in Community and Disability, there are three visions of corporate structure that underlie various options for strategic action on behalf of employees with disabilities or from diverse cultures. The first is therapeutic vision. The therapeutic vision says that the well being of individual employees grows from being in an environment composed of professionals and their services. Corporate services resulting from this vision may be in-house counseling, expanded Employee Assistance Programs, special classes, etc. The second is the advocacy vision. This vision conceives of the individual in a world guarded by legal advocates, support people, self-help groups, job coaches, and career planners. The advocacy vision sees the need for a "alien" work community. The third approach is the community vision. Unlike the others, it aims for the "recommunializations" of the "exiled and labeled individuals." It "understands the community as the basic context for enabling people to contribute their gifts." (Schwartz, 1992).

As I examine my own life for what works, it is clear that being physically present "in the work community" gives me opportunities and teaches me the options of career life ( as the therapeutic vision tells us), but that alone is a hollow promise. Having lives most my adult life in the advocacy vision, it is distressing to discover the good I envisioned for people did not come through specialized support, regulations, or just being corporate mainstream.

When I was underemployed and struggling with self-esteem and basic survival needs, presence in the work community and living with protective regulations was not what kept me going. It was Betsy, Rick, Patricia, Kevin, Sue, Jon, Nancy, R.B., Dianne, Don, and it was my dentist, mechanic, and the post woman. I could go all day with no food but not without connecting to some of those people.

There were people I relied on at work who caused me harm: there were people who I chose to avoid who also caused me harm. But I was united through strong relationships, I lived in the "community vision" for myself, and all together, my experiences in on the plus side.

Being self-determining and part of the whole does not come from being in a physical place but being in the embrace of relationships. It does not come from regulations, but from life sharing. It does not come from specialized employee programs and models, but from individual considerations of global connectedness. It does not come from evaluating deficiencies, but from focusing on contributions. It does not come from viewing a person as having problems to be dealt with, but from understanding that all people have something to offer you and from feeling deprived if you do not discover what that is and take advantage of the offering.

When I ask people who work as managers and executives to tell me a time they made a corporate difference, the stories I get always involve a special relationship they had with a person in the corporate community. They tell me of how they shared their life, and how the person became part of the family.

When I ask them to tell me about their job, they speak of regulations, lack of control, and how they are so busy doing paper work for the corporate bureaucracies that they cannot possibly carry out the strategic purpose of the jobs.

I do not advocate for a solution to the very real problems of working within the system. I only point out that if a whole system unity is what the goal is, systems, regulations, and bureaucratic control appear to have acted against that goal. Forming relationships, making commitments, and viewing the total corporate society-as opposed to segments-seems to move people toward more desirable futures and communities toward more self-determined and healthy futures.

As we focus on the individual employees as they relate to the total corporate community, family, friends, associational connections, and suppliers, we make progress toward whole systems sustainability. As we focus on the employee deficiencies and low-level requirements, we build our won business security by making the proclaimed needs of employees our commodities. The commodifications of need has served us well. Le us now balance the power and work for people not with needs.

Corporations are systems, and like all systems, we sometimes lose focus. A person who has relied on the human service systems has much to teach us as we design sustainable corporate systems. As an individual who relies on the services, Raymond Kilroy says much about the Human Service industry. We would do well to embrace this vision as we direct our organizations.

In 1987, Kilroy testified before as U.S. Senate committee stating: "We are moving away from emphasizing my needs [and] toward building upon my capacities. We are moving away from providing services to me in some facility [and] toward building bridges with me to communities and neighborhood associations. We are moving away from programming me and other people with disabilities toward empowering us and our families to acquire the support we want. We are moving away from focusing on my deficits to focusing on my competence. We are moving away from specialized disability organizations so that we can develop and sustain relationships with people who will depend upon people like me and upon who people like me can depend" (Schwartz, 1992).

I believe , and it has been shown in the science of chaos, that little changes create big events. We will move toward self-determining work environments by changing relational circumstances on person at a time. If we focus on systems change , we are destined to spend our lives in frustration. "One at a time" will multiply to affect millions of people. Focusing on people, their relationships, and mutual understanding will cause systems to change. Another way to view this is to understand that throughout democratic history, systems have not changed people as much as people have changed the systems.

Along with the understanding that little changes create big events, is the knowledge that we live in a world where all fields, sciences, technologies, and thought are interdependent and interrelated. If we embrace one method or one people for achieving whole systems unity as "the answer," we can guarantee that there will be events that work against the goal of creating corporations with sustainable processes and profitable bottom lines.

By Dr. Thomas J. Neuville

Working Together Toward Quality And The Five Fundamental Social Laws

The Gift Of Death

Being In A Fog

Changing the Character Of Corporate America: Diversity Lessons From the Disability Movement

About Dr. Thomas J. Neuville

East Penn School Workshop Tackles Community Violence

Real Jobs Are Rare When Bolt Sorting Is The Norm

MU/Country Day Host Learners Forum

Speaker: Nonviolence Begins At Home Emmaus Workshop Focuses On Ways To Make Schools, Communities Safer Parents And Educators Attend

Dr. Thomas J. Neuville Ph.D., MBA
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	Dr. Thomas J. Neuville PhD., MBA Author, Executive Coach and Speaker Articles By Dr. Thomas J. Neuville Changing the Character Of Corporate America: Diversity Lessons From the Disability Movement Thomas J. Neuville From the book: Unfinished Business: The Diversity Promise Perspectives on Moving Beyond Diversity Awareness Training People working in corporations will learn much by considering the lessons from the last 30 years of the disability movement. The main lesson is: diversity is not just a legal or affirmative action issue, it is a systems survival issue. If we make diversity only a legal issue, we degrade its contributions to building sustainable organizations. In the disability movement we are focusing on self-determination and whole systems management. For persons with disabilities, it is a natural next step after the empowerment and coaching "waves" of employment. The similarities to corporate environment are obvious. Whole systems planning is an approach that draws upon the science of our times. It moves us from viewing our organizations as well-oiled machines to viewing them as living and dynamic systems with innate abilities and capabilities. Today, whole systems planning and employee authority are all the rage. It is my prediction and my fear that whole systems management and employee control will be very popular with corporate management and consultants. Corporate authorities will abandon old planning systems, herald the need to unify and begin to use the capacities of the whole community, and give cause to reduce financial and moral support to diversity-related initiatives targeting people with special needs. As we speak of having employees that are self-determining and using methods of whole system management we must be careful to understand where we are going. The clear intent of making employees self-determining and adopting whole systems management philosophies, is to unify-to make organizations whole by bringing all the parts (individuals in the organizations, as well as customers) together. The goal then is to cause enculturation (the process of learning cultures through relationships), which, in turn, changes groups (society, communities, and workplaces) and individuals. This simple distinction gets to the heart of many of the diversity problems encountered in the corporate environment. Organizations demand that work groups unite. Individuals must change and enculturation, or processes must be created to transform the groups so that they become united. The difference between the disability movement and corporate America is in how we view diversity. We, in the disability movement, view diversity as the only way to survive. Corporations view diversity more as good social action. Each person who enters a group should be understood for his/her talents, and the group-whether it's society, a community, or a workplace-needs to change and make room for the contribution of these talents. A manufacturer of sausages in the Midwest made the shift from being a supplier of quality sausages to being a community of sausage producers. The focus shifts then from a hierarchical corporate model to the person, the community, and the lifestyles chosen by the employees. Building on David Schwartz's Crossing The River: Creating a Conceptual Revolution in Community and Disability, there are three visions of corporate structure that underlie various options for strategic action on behalf of employees with disabilities or from diverse cultures. The first is therapeutic vision. The therapeutic vision says that the well being of individual employees grows from being in an environment composed of professionals and their services. Corporate services resulting from this vision may be in-house counseling, expanded Employee Assistance Programs, special classes, etc. The second is the advocacy vision. This vision conceives of the individual in a world guarded by legal advocates, support people, self-help groups, job coaches, and career planners. The advocacy vision sees the need for a "alien" work community. The third approach is the community vision. Unlike the others, it aims for the "recommunializations" of the "exiled and labeled individuals." It "understands the community as the basic context for enabling people to contribute their gifts." (Schwartz, 1992). As I examine my own life for what works, it is clear that being physically present "in the work community" gives me opportunities and teaches me the options of career life ( as the therapeutic vision tells us), but that alone is a hollow promise. Having lives most my adult life in the advocacy vision, it is distressing to discover the good I envisioned for people did not come through specialized support, regulations, or just being corporate mainstream. When I was underemployed and struggling with self-esteem and basic survival needs, presence in the work community and living with protective regulations was not what kept me going. It was Betsy, Rick, Patricia, Kevin, Sue, Jon, Nancy, R.B., Dianne, Don, and it was my dentist, mechanic, and the post woman. I could go all day with no food but not without connecting to some of those people. There were people I relied on at work who caused me harm: there were people who I chose to avoid who also caused me harm. But I was united through strong relationships, I lived in the "community vision" for myself, and all together, my experiences in on the plus side. Being self-determining and part of the whole does not come from being in a physical place but being in the embrace of relationships. It does not come from regulations, but from life sharing. It does not come from specialized employee programs and models, but from individual considerations of global connectedness. It does not come from evaluating deficiencies, but from focusing on contributions. It does not come from viewing a person as having problems to be dealt with, but from understanding that all people have something to offer you and from feeling deprived if you do not discover what that is and take advantage of the offering. When I ask people who work as managers and executives to tell me a time they made a corporate difference, the stories I get always involve a special relationship they had with a person in the corporate community. They tell me of how they shared their life, and how the person became part of the family. When I ask them to tell me about their job, they speak of regulations, lack of control, and how they are so busy doing paper work for the corporate bureaucracies that they cannot possibly carry out the strategic purpose of the jobs. I do not advocate for a solution to the very real problems of working within the system. I only point out that if a whole system unity is what the goal is, systems, regulations, and bureaucratic control appear to have acted against that goal. Forming relationships, making commitments, and viewing the total corporate society-as opposed to segments-seems to move people toward more desirable futures and communities toward more self-determined and healthy futures. As we focus on the individual employees as they relate to the total corporate community, family, friends, associational connections, and suppliers, we make progress toward whole systems sustainability. As we focus on the employee deficiencies and low-level requirements, we build our won business security by making the proclaimed needs of employees our commodities. The commodifications of need has served us well. Le us now balance the power and work for people not with needs. Corporations are systems, and like all systems, we sometimes lose focus. A person who has relied on the human service systems has much to teach us as we design sustainable corporate systems. As an individual who relies on the services, Raymond Kilroy says much about the Human Service industry. We would do well to embrace this vision as we direct our organizations. In 1987, Kilroy testified before as U.S. Senate committee stating: "We are moving away from emphasizing my needs [and] toward building upon my capacities. We are moving away from providing services to me in some facility [and] toward building bridges with me to communities and neighborhood associations. We are moving away from programming me and other people with disabilities toward empowering us and our families to acquire the support we want. We are moving away from focusing on my deficits to focusing on my competence. We are moving away from specialized disability organizations so that we can develop and sustain relationships with people who will depend upon people like me and upon who people like me can depend" (Schwartz, 1992). I believe , and it has been shown in the science of chaos, that little changes create big events. We will move toward self-determining work environments by changing relational circumstances on person at a time. If we focus on systems change , we are destined to spend our lives in frustration. "One at a time" will multiply to affect millions of people. Focusing on people, their relationships, and mutual understanding will cause systems to change. Another way to view this is to understand that throughout democratic history, systems have not changed people as much as people have changed the systems. Along with the understanding that little changes create big events, is the knowledge that we live in a world where all fields, sciences, technologies, and thought are interdependent and interrelated. If we embrace one method or one people for achieving whole systems unity as "the answer," we can guarantee that there will be events that work against the goal of creating corporations with sustainable processes and profitable bottom lines. © Copyright 2002 Dr. Thomas J. Neuville Ph.D., MBA By Dr. Thomas J. Neuville Working Together Toward Quality And The Five Fundamental Social Laws The Gift Of Death Being In A Fog Changing the Character Of Corporate America: Diversity Lessons From the Disability Movement About Dr. Thomas J. Neuville East Penn School Workshop Tackles Community Violence Real Jobs Are Rare When Bolt Sorting Is The Norm MU/Country Day Host Learners Forum Speaker: Nonviolence Begins At Home Emmaus Workshop Focuses On Ways To Make Schools, Communities Safer Parents And Educators Attend Dr. Thomas J. Neuville Ph.D., MBA Press Kit Press Releases Resume Articles By And About Letters Of Reference Topics Specific And General Services Client Reference Keynotes And Other Conference Presentations

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