Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI)

ISMRM is committed to nurturing our community and culture that supports equity, diversity and inclusion by creating environments in which a person or group of persons can feel welcomed, respected, supported and valued. It starts with being open to the idea that all of us regardless of culture, gender, age, race, color, religion, sexual orientation, physical abilities, political beliefs, are valued. ISMRM wants to ensure everyone has equal opportunity and isn’t discriminated against or treated differently, taking into consideration differences between people and placing a positive value on the differences while also being inclusive.

EDI Alliance

We are creating an environment where everyone is encouraged and invited to become an EDI community member.  Join the EDI Alliance by posting your picture with an encouraging message or story about challenges you’ve overcome or great advice to others.  It’s start with one to encourage others.

Why You Need Diversity in the Workplace

  • True Equal Opportunity
  • Great Recruitment Tool
  • Open Communication
  • Different Perspective
  • Encourages Engagement
  • Accelerates Company Growth
  • Sparks Positive Ideas
  • Happy Employees
  • Keeps the Checks and Balances

Here are some great resources to share:

Scientific medical conferences can be easily modified to improve female inclusion: A prospective study (The Lancet)

“We investigated female participation at the UK Society for Endocrinology’s (SfE) annual national conference, the SfE BES. We quantitively (number and duration) and qualitatively (language and style) analysed 444 questions and comments from 43 sessions at the 2017 SfE BES and 419 questions from 32 sessions at the 2018 SfE BES, using transcribed audio recordings of the audience participation at the conferences. For the 2018 conference, we carried out an intervention intended to improve female inclusion.” [read the full article]

How Diversity Can Drive Innovation (Harvard Business Review)

Employees of firms with 2-D diversity are 45% likelier to report a growth in market share over the previous year and 70% likelier to report that the firm captured a new market.

How Diversity Makes Us Smarter (Scientific American)

Decades of research by organizational scientists, psychologists, sociologists, economists and demographers show that socially diverse groups (that is, those with a diversity of race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation) are more innovative than homogeneous groups.

Where’s the evidence? A little science about bias and gender equality (curt-rice.com)

Policy making should be informed by research. Whether it’s the writing of new laws, making policies for career advancement, or deciding how to make your conference more inclusive, there is research that is relevant.

Beyond Diversity: A Roadmap to Building an Inclusive Organization (Green 2.0)

In the environmental sector, organizations are turning attention to diversifying management and leadership to better reflect the constituencies they serve. In order to do this effectively, mainstream environmental organizations must institute readiness, recruitment, and retention (3Rs) practices that integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into their mission and work.

Managing Unconscious Bias (ParadigmIQ) (pdf)

Strategies to Manage Bias & Build More Diverse, Inclusive Organizations

Take an implicit bias test (Harvard.edu)
(no need to register or log in; sign in as guest)

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work: Eight Questions for Building Readiness and Steering Clear of Pitfalls (Laurin Mayeno Consulting)

Diversity, equity, and inclusion work can transform organizations and help them do their work more effectively. This work can be most successful when people are fully invested and have a good idea what is involved. Without this, organizations sometimes set themselves up for failure and bring consultants in with unrealistic expectations.

A Google presentation for employees on how to spot unconscious bias at work (Business Insider)

Google is trying to establish itself as a leader in this space.  A key initiative is having its roughly 60,000 employees across the world undergo unconscious bias training. Unconscious bias refers to the stereotypes, both negative and positive, that exist in our subconscious and affect our behavior.

Five Ways to Build and Maintain Staff Diversity (The Bridgespan Group) (pdf)

Audubon CEO David Yarnold has made building a diverse, inclusive workforce a priority. He has defined diversity in the workforce to include race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, national or ethnic origin, politics, and veteran status. What’s more, Audubon’s 2012-2015 strategic plan clearly states the diversity imperative: “[Our] strategic plan recognizes that reaching a broader and more diverse audience is critical to building a more effective, transformational Audubon.”

10 Ways Employees can Support Diversity and Inclusion (Diversity Journal)

In most organizations, diversity and inclusion is best approached with a top-down, bottom-up strategy. While it’s imperative that D&I efforts are supported by the CEO and actively engages leaders, one cannot discount the impact of employee involvement. Engaging employees at all levels is the most effective way to reach critical mass and communicate the import of diversity and inclusion.