The last column set off to explore a new articulation of management through the lens of disability and the backdrop of crisis. In today’s piece, the goal is to build on this idea while taking a deeper dive into the significance of this innovation. Corporate entities must embrace the value of disability not only from an experiential vantage point but to see the role of disability as transformative to their business in a multitude of ways. This often continues to be a struggle because corporate culture is still in the nascent stage of formulating what may be considered the first two waves of disability strategy within the circadian rhythm of business life. The initial wave has been centered around employment which has been of paramount importance across the disability landscape. Since the numerous legislative actions passed around the globe beginning in the 1990s, the role of employment has been the centerpiece for the disability community as a means to express agency, independence, and in the eyes of business, be recognized for their value. This has been followed by more recent events that have shaped the second wave of disability strategy which can be found through forms of representation. Film, television, advertising, and the fashion industries have all been essential benchmarks in redefining the image of disability within the larger culture while offering a growing platform for various artists, filmmakers, and content creators to rethink the perception and narrative of disability in an ever-changing world.
While each of these waves is crucial in continuing to articulate the growing vernacular of disability, we must highlight the third wave of disability strategy that is not only essential for a new balance of power but solidifies disability as a crucial economic driver in the realm of business. This third wave should be defined as a codification of management style through the language of disability. By codifying disability through the lens of management it offers an organization a novel approach to meaning making which is an essential ingredient for corporate growth. By speaking to C-level executives and senior management in their native tongue we provide not only a greater sense of awareness but offer disability a heightened power within the organizational structure that has so often remained elusive.
So, what does this look like? The very nature of codification will take time however, many organizations already have the infrastructure to begin the first steps. Perhaps the low hanging fruit lies within Employee Resource Groups (ERG’s). Historically, ERG’s have usually been voluntary, employee-led groups whose purpose was to foster a diverse inclusive workplace aligned with the ethos of the organizations they served. They are led and participated by employees who share a characteristic, whether its gender, ethnicity, religious affiliation, disability, and more. Currently, ERG’s are found in 90% of all Fortune 500 companies and are continuing to grow across the corporate milieu giving it an optimal starting point to initiate this new classification. Companies need to expand their thinking of how they engage with an ERG. In the case of disability, codification as a management style begins here. It is the ERG that can provide the corporate culture with the foundational tools and behaviors that can be ascribed to building a competitive advantage. C-level executives can view the ERG as a laboratory of ideas that provide a blueprint for integrating what many may consider a string of disparate ideas into a harmonious tool for the advancement of business culture. It is a workshop where they can discover and extrapolate from key themes such as resilience, patience, and adaptation. By reframing these archetypal themes to fit into the nomenclature of management organizations can discover the core mechanisms that define competitive advantage.
As we continue to look at the codification of disability as a management style, it is important to investigate more thoroughly the meaning behind some of the central archetypical themes previously mentioned. Resilience, patience, and adaptation can be considered the triumvirate basis for shaping a new language of disability in the framework of management theory. Throughout the next several Mindset Matters columns we will uncover and build on the meaning behind these ideas that continue to amplify the value of disability within the realm of corporate culture.
