Human Resources
HR Lunch & Learn – The Status Inversion Trap
Topic: The Status Inversion Trap (These sessions will NOT be recorded)
Location: Online (to register see below)
Date: September 2 (Session 1) & October 7 (Session 2)
Speaker: J.P. Anderson
Many organizations sincerely hope to cultivate a culture of inclusivity and belonging among their employees and routinely engage with consultants to stay on track with these goals. Leaders “walk the talk” and teams dutifully attend facilitations with open minds. Yet, despite best intentions and hard work, many organizations feel like they can ever quite get their workplace cultures in line with their organizational values. Tensions keep surfacing; teams keep getting burned out; leaders become exhausted. Some have blamed the very idea of “diversity, equity, & inclusion” itself for such outcomes, claiming it be a divisive approach to workplace relations. But this shallow view risks throwing the baby out with the bath water, so to speak. The real issue preventing DEI work from producing the change people want to see is something I call “status inversions.”
Status inversion shows up when an organization genuinely wants to advance equity but ends up merely changing who is regarded as credible instead of changing its workplace culture. Rather than separating competence and leadership from things like race, gender, or sexual orientation, those assumptions quietly get reassigned. White employees may feel their perspectives don’t count in equity conversations, while employees of color may be treated as if they’re supposed to have all the right answers—or carry the hard conversations—simply because of who they are. That pressure isn’t fair, and it often means important, nuanced discussions never really happen. Even though this dynamic can look like progress on the surface, it keeps a social hierarchy in place, leading to tension, withdrawal, and burnout. Real transformation happens when we stop attaching worth, competence, and leadership to identity at all—not when we just reshuffle who holds status.
J.P.’s two-session workshop will cover how to recognize, avoid, and repair status inversions so your organization can get back to making the change it wants to see.
Session 1: The Master’s Tools & Status Inversion
Poet, activist, and scholar Audrey Lorded once wrote that “the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house”. What Lorde meant was that a society cannot overcome oppression by utilizing the logic and methods (i.e. “tools) of the oppressor, even when those tools are wielded by well-meaning people. That’s because whenever we use the “master’s tools”, Lorde argues, we end up affirming—instead of challenging—the oppressive values which justify exclusion and discrimination. Using Lorde’s idea as jumping off point, session #1 traces how DEI trainings and facilitations which use tools like blame & shame contribute to “status inversions” rather than meaningfully interrupting bias and exclusion in a sustainable way.
Session 2: Your Tools & Belonging
Now that we have identified the status inversion trap, it is time to focus on how to avoid the trap and what to do if we have already fallen in it. Most clients I work with agree that status inversions have happened in their organization and want to know how to “fix” them. But it’s not about fixing; instead, status inversions can be seen as an opportunity to think deeply about the values which are most important to you and how you can all work together to bring these values to life in your workplace. Through guided discussion and activities, session #2 aims to identify which of your tools can build a workplace culture where belonging is a reality rather than a constantly moving goalpost.
Bio:
J.P. is a professor of American Ethnic Studies at the University of Washington, Seattle, and a consultant with Seattle-based DEI-Belonging firm Cultures Connecting. J.P. holds a Ph.D. in political science with a graduate certificate in Law, Societies, and Justice from the University of Washington and has published his own research in academic journals such as Law & Social Inquiry and Law & Policy.
In the DEIB space, J.P. works to increase awareness, build knowledge, strengthen skills, and support advocacy through facilitating workshops which brim with warmth, humor, and kindness. In a world too often marked by darkness and division, J.P. chooses optimism and authentic connection to support others in their journey of self-discovery. Two of his favorite quotes are “be kind whenever possible—It is always possible” and “If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution”.
OFM is committed to hosting accessible events that promote belonging for everyone. To request an accommodation, please send an email to SHRplanning@ofm.wa.gov. We encourage you to send requests at least 14 days before the event to allow time to make appropriate arrangements.
