7 Lessons • 47m • Kenji Yoshino

Re-envisioning Inclusion

The decades-old movement to diversify workplaces has yielded mixed results, as NYU Law professor Kenji Yoshino suggests that companies often impose restrictive definitions of diversity, and advocates for fostering connections with those who feel pressured to suppress their identities for acceptance.

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Two hands are raised below four floating shapes—a yellow circle, green triangle, blue square, and pink star—on a green grid background.

Support Human Flourishing in the Workplace

As workplaces evolve into total institutions that demand more of individuals, leaders must prioritize authenticity and support human flourishing, as 61% of employees report covering, which significantly harms their sense of self.

Understand the Concept of Covering

Sociologist Erving Goffman introduced "covering" in 1963 to describe efforts by individuals with stigmatized identities to downplay their stigma, a concept later expanded by Kenji Yoshino, who found that everyone, including straight white men, engages in covering, fostering solidarity through shared experiences.

Explore Covering In-depth

Covering, the tendency to downplay stigmatized aspects of identity, affects individuals across various groups, particularly minorities, and understanding its four axes—appearance, affiliation, advocacy, and association—can enhance inclusivity and bridge-building in the workplace.

Accept the Symbolic Role of Leadership

Kenji Yoshino's research highlights that covering demands from leaders significantly diminish employee commitment and engagement, emphasizing the need for leaders to actively support diversity initiatives to fully harness their workforce's talents.

Unify Employee Affinity Groups

Kenji Yoshino discusses Robert Putnam's bonding and bridging capital, emphasizing that while bonding capital unites individuals within groups, bridging capital fosters connections across diverse groups, advocating for combined bonding and bridging activities to prevent isolation in organizations.

Narrow the Gap Between Stated Values and Lived Values

Kenji Yoshino's research highlights the gap between organizations' stated and lived inclusion values, urging leaders to engage in meaningful dialogue with employees to align practices with core values and address any discrepancies.

Develop an Action Plan

Kenji Yoshino's research highlights the inadequacy of many diversity initiatives since the 1960s, proposing a three-step framework—diagnose, analyze, and act—to effectively address identity covering in workplaces and foster genuine inclusion.

The movement to diversify workplaces is decades old, and the results have been mixed. According to NYU Law professor Kenji Yoshino, one problem is that many companies’ definitions of diversity come with strings attached. He argues we can improve diversity and inclusion by building bridges to people who feel the urge to repress or modulate their identities for mainstream acceptance.

Learning Objectives

Recognize “covering” and its various forms.
Explore how your leadership style affects DEIB outcomes.
Invest in “bonding and bridging capital” to strengthen company culture.
Live up to your stated values.
Revisit your DEIB plan from a new perspective.

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