The Curb Cut Effect in the DEI Space

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There's a term for some of what you're talking about in the DEI space called the curb cut effect. It describes how if you design for the most marginalized, you create these cascading benefits that can benefit people who you might not have even thought about. The ADA wasn't passed out of consideration for parents, bikers, joggers, and delivery people. And we don't have to look far to find ways in which DEI efforts or equity efforts or unionizing efforts really benefit way more people than just a small population.

When you have an idea for a change that would make your workplace better for women, where do you begin? How can you push for a childcare stipend, a company-wide pay audit, a more comprehensive health care plan, or an ombuds office? If you instigate the change, do you have to be the face of it? What are the other roles you can play?

Two experts in systemic, organizational change explain the behind-the-scenes strategizing, relationship building, and risk management that should happen before approaching the people in charge, who will then need to support, fund, and build out the proposal. And because sustaining a grassroots initiative requires motivating a bunch of volunteers, they also share tried-and-true ways to keep everyone invested in the cause, aligned, and on track.

Guests:

Lily Zheng is a diversity, equity, and inclusion strategist and executive coach. Their latest book is DEI Deconstructed: Your No-Nonsense Guide to Doing the Work and Doing It Right.

Ashley Lewis is the assistant director of the UAW’s women’s department and a national vice president for the Coalition of Labor Union Women.

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