FOSTERING A DIVERSE FACULTY: BRIDGING THE DIVIDE

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Fostering a Diverse Faculty Bridging the Divide
Ricardo Azziz, MD, MPH, MBA President, Medical
College of Georgia CEO, MCG Health System, Inc.
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Disclaimer

• The talk today
• Offers a personal view, as a minority and as an
  administrator
• Is not meant to be politically correct
• Hence, MCG and the MCG Health System are not
  responsible for my comments
• I am an optimist problem solver by nature.

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Diversity n. 1. The fact or quality of being
diverse difference. 2. Variety or multiformity

• Overtly visible
• Gender
• Race/ethnicity
• Age/generation
• Culture/foreign born status
• Less visible
• Sexual orientation
• Socioeconomic strata
• Religion
• Culture/foreign born status

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Georgia Tech and Diversity

• A pioneer
• Desegregated peacefully and without a court order
  in 1961
• And a melting pot
• Over 40 percent of student body is minority
• Nearly 20 percent is international

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Why Should We Foster Diversity?

• Increases the richness of ideas available
• Improves focus on the needs of our diverse
  communities
• Increases access to and trust by the diverse
  populations served
• Maximizes the potential for translational
  research discovery
• Enhances the value of strategic/scenario planning

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Diversity through Other Lenses

• In nature
• biodiversity is the basis for long-term survival
  of all the species
• In investing
• a diverse portfolio is the pathway to financial
  stability
• But in the workplace and academia
• Diversity is a harder sell

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Interdisciplinary cultural competency course at
MCG
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The Case for Diversity and Culturally Competent
Providers

• General
• Retention
• Litigation savings
• Greater market share- relative profits
• Individual performance indices

• Health-Related
• Lowers Hgb a1c
• Lessens ED visits
• Improves medication compliance
• Reduces disparities
• Fosters research relative to societal needs
• Enriches pool of managers and policy makers

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Diversity at MCG Health
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Approaches to building a diverse faculty
student body

• Equal opportunity vs. affirmative action?
• Setting the bar of excellence for UR vs. majority
  faculty?
• Formal vs. informal systems?
• UR vs. Young faculty?

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Bridging the Divide

• The institution and faculty must both make a
  strong effort to reach out to each other, and to
  overcome each others shortcomings
• However, faculty should fully expect that their
  effort will be greater, as it is their career
  that is in the balance

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Retaining and Maximizing the Success and
Satisfaction of a Diverse Faculty

• Accomplished by providing
• Opportunity
• Training insight
• Acculturation
• Mentoring, role modeling guidance
• Institutional education sensitization
• Support a forum for conflict resolution,
  focusing on the perception rather than the act of
  bias and prejudice

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Providing Opportunity - Recruiting Diverse
Candidates

• Using the Search Committee as a tool
• Widespread advertising of positions, including in
  those publications focused on UR audiences
• Looking to alternative tracks in academic
  staffing
• The value of opportunity chance
• Caveat Maintain fairness in recruiting
• Value the faculty and not the label

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Retaining and Maximizing the Success and
Satisfaction of a Diverse Faculty

• Providing training Insight
• Regarding promotion and tenure processes
• Recognize the additional efforts of UR in
  mentoring institutional service
• Regarding expectations
• Of immediate supervisor(s), peers, students
  trainees, of the institution, of the community
• Provide leadership development

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The Fourth Leg of Academics

• Academic faculty are the keepers the stewards
  of our future
• Management and leadership
• The Fourth Leg of Academics
• Leadership is an aptitude, but leading requires
  training and education

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A Moment of Perspective
97.35 of tax returns report income less than
200,000
Most professionals earn more than 90 of all
Americans. And more than 97.5 of all humans on
the planet!
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• The one quality that can develop by studious
  reflection and practice is the leadership of men.

Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969)
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Retaining and Maximizing the Success and
Satisfaction of a Diverse Faculty

• Acculturation
• n. 1. The modification of the culture of a group
  or an individual as a result of contact with a
  different culture. 2. The process by which the
  culture of a particular society is instilled in a
  human being from infancy onward
• Training in institutional and social culture
• Should we train faculty towards a uniform
  academic culture?
• or
• Should we change the underlying academic
  culture to accept diversity?
• Critical for leadership advancement
• A matter of comfort, predictability, and fit

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Acculturation

• Differences in perceptions of
• Respect When to take offense? Is lack of
  perceived respect ones personal failing or the
  offenders failing? Age vs. hierarchy? Gender?
  How do we resolve conflicts?
• Communication 10 is what we say, 20 how we say
  it, and 70 is body language
• Negotiation Haggling vs. negotiating back room
  politics vs. establishing agreements before
  meetings personal gain vs. greater good
• Language What does having an accent imply? What
  does the use of colloquialisms, local
  vernaculars, ebonics imply? What are the
  differences between the written and spoken word
  (on the one hand and on the other seeing vs.
  observing showing vs. demonstrating)?

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Acculturation

• Differences in perceptions of
• Politics What is political capital? Who is
  really in charge? How powerful (or not) are
  superiors?
• Civic duty When is the greater good prevail? How
  is an individuals needs modified by the greater
  good? What is Civic Duty and Greater Good?
• Socialization Familiarity vs. friendship? how
  much and when is social discourse effective in
  the work place?
• Dress and hygiene Whats appropriate, whats
  not? Whats socially acceptable? What image do
  you want to convey?

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What is Cultural Competency?

• Culture ? refers to integrated patterns of human
  behavior that include the language, thoughts,
  actions, customs, beliefs, and institutions of
  racial, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation,
  religions or social groups
•  
• Competence ? implies being able to function
  effectively within the context of the cultural
  beliefs, practices, and needs presented by
  patients, families and their communities
• Cultural Competency ? the attitudes, knowledge,
  and skills that come together to integrate and
  apply knowledge of various cultures into
  healthcare

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Whose Culture is it Anyway?

• Majority vs. Institutional (corporate) culture
• What is the majority culture in the US?

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Retaining and Maximizing the Success and
Satisfaction of a Diverse Faculty

• Mentoring role modeling
• Critical for the success of all faculty,
  especially new and UR faculty
• Mentors vs. role models
• Same group mentors vs. different group mentors
• The paucity of same-group role models
• Added burden to UR faculty
• Developing a structured/formal program
• Participating in the mentoring process
• However, many UR faculty themselves are poorly
  trained to mentor and/or have limited time
  available for mentoring

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U.S. Percentage of Faculty by Rank and
Race/Ethnicity, Fall 2007
The Chronicle of Higher Education Almanac 2010-11
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Retaining and Maximizing the Success and
Satisfaction of a Diverse Faculty

• Established senior leadership should
• Embrace, support and understand diversity scope,
  values and goals
• Communicate the importance of the diversity plan
  to each unit and University goals
• Encourage faculty, student and staff involvement
  in and support of unit-level diversity
  programs/initiatives
• Raise institutional awareness concerning the
  value of diversity
• Using objective (more or less) data
• Using and comparing personal stories of
  development

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Retaining and Maximizing the Success and
Satisfaction of a Diverse Faculty

• However, established academic leadership may not
• Be willing to accept their own bias
• Be aware of their own perceptions or prejudices
• Be comfortable with fostering diversity or
  working in a diverse environment
• Be trained to lead
• Be empowered

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Professional Development of Faculty in Cultural
Competency at MCG

• Part of the MCG Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)
  for reaffirmation by the SACS Commission on
  Colleges (SACSCOC)
• Part of the requirements for Joint Commission
  accreditation of medical centers
• The right thing to do for faculty, staff,
  students and patients

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Attitudes

• Recognize the importance of understanding self
  and personal biases, assumptions, and their own
  cultural backgrounds and practices
• Appreciate the differences that exist within and
  across cultural groups and the need to avoid
  overgeneralization and negative stereotyping

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Knowledge

• Demonstrate knowledge about varying cultural
  beliefs about health, disease, and treatment that
  influence health care practice
• Explain changing demographics in the US and the
  presence of health disparities in health care and
  strategies to reduce disparities and improve
  quality of health care
• Identify and discuss relevant data sources and
  best practices in providing culturally competent
  care

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Skills

• Demonstrate verbal and non-verbal communication
  in culturally competent practice that includes
  sensitivity to dimensions of diversity such as
  age, disability, gender, sexual orientation,
  socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity/nationality,
  and religion
• Collaborate with healthcare providers, patients
  and families to achieve a mutually acceptable,
  culturally responsive plan for individual patients

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Dealing With the Perception of Discrimination

• Anger and conflict
• Understanding and strategy

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Serenity Prayer

• God, give us grace to accept with serenity the
  things that cannot be changed, courage to change
  the things that should be changed, and the wisdom
  to distinguish the one from the other.
• Reinhold Niebuhr
• The Serenity Prayer (1943)

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Dealing With the Perception of Discrimination

• A forum where the perception of discrimination
  can be discussed frankly, privately, and in a
  non-threatening manner, is critical
• The goals of this forum should be to
• Provide for discussion and reflection regarding
  the events/perceptions
• Identify faculty/processes that may need
  addressing in order to minimize the perception of
  discrimination
• Improving the present and future institutional
  environment

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Dealing With the Perception of Discrimination

• Moving forward in an institutional climate that
  does not value diversity
• May not be perceived that it is needed (e.g.,
  already inherent in its structure)
• May be perceived to be counter to the goal of
  getting the best faculty
• Are you fitting in?

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Why Change Institutions?

• Not fitting in
• May not fit in scientifically, politically, or
  personally into the structure or priorities of
  Division Director/Chair/Institution
• Hard as it may be, do not take personally, as you
  gain nothing.
• Understand that transitions do occur
• When considering changing or moving institutions,
  note
• Degree of current support and productivity
• The short tenure of most Chairs/Deans
• Not fitting in - Is it real or perceived?

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Remember.
Positions of authority wax wane No matter how
bad it seems, it will eventually get better!
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Last Thoughts

• Fostering faculty diversity
• Should be carried out in a systematic, strategic,
  organized, and measurable manner
• Should involve formal and informal systems
• Should focus on eliminating the perception of
  discrimination
• Perception is reality
• Should address the subtlety and nuances of
  communication

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Last Thoughts

• Fostering faculty diversity
• Should involve the community, academic
  leadership, and the UR faculty themselves
• Need to avoid being a one-issue minority
  leader
• Not all UR faculty understand the issues nor have
  a sufficiently broad perspective
• Avoid overtaxing UR faculty/students already in
  place, and respect the need of UR faculty to
  decline
• Starts well before faculty positions are sought
• In K thru 12
• Parental education income clearly play a role
  in determining success

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Last Thoughts

• Challenges
• Value of diversity is under-recognized
• Paucity of diverse leaders and mentors
• Not all diversity groups, or even UR groups, are
  equally discriminated against
• There is a real need to maximize fit and
  comfort
• In Academics
• In Healthcare
• In Leadership

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FOSTERING A DIVERSE FACULTY BRIDGING THE DIVIDE