Part 2: The Stages of Unity
January 20, 2021
The industry of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) have experienced a sort of awaking in corporations and organizations, especially in the past year. I have maintained for some time that DEI is more than a nice to do, more than a strategy, and more than an organizational overhaul. DEI is and has always been about unity. Many believe DEI is about representation, justice, and participation and that is part of it, but it is really about getting the best out of all your people. The only way to truly get the best from everyone is through unity.
In the first vignette, Part 1: Understanding Unity, I offered an elevated definition of unity that goes beyond holding hands, singing songs, and universal agreement. While Dr. King created an environment that included those elements, he knew that unity required different people, opinions, and outcomes -but all in the spirit of collective growth.
In this second vignette, I look at the issue of levels/stages of unity with a keen focus on inter and intra connections. I find there is more emphasis on inter versus intra making it difficult to achieve real unity. If we really think about it there is some intra work we all need to do to be truly able to embrace the doctrine of unity.
