DEI without Equity: Understanding and Shaping Cultures of Race in Product Design Organizations

Workshop Presentation
Rene Canady  

Racism is recognized widely in service organizations such as hospitals, banks, and retail services. Yet organizations that design products and innovations rarely scrutinize whether and how their products reflect racial bias, assumptions, or ideals. Examples of racist design can be found in products used daily such as include computer algorithms, medical devices, and personal care products. Unfortunately, the most common solutions from these organizations are diversity, equity, and inclusion activities that research has already proven ineffective and sometimes harmful. In this workshop, we shift the focus from sites of customer service to sites of production and consider how these organizations function as sites in which racial processes contribute to product outcomes. Using bioengineering laboratories as a case study, this interactive workshop will teach participants: 1.) 3 different types of racialized organizations that innovate: Traditional, Diversity Friendly, and Race-Critical, 2.) The equity consequences of the products in each type of production space for its consumers, and 3.) Some of the necessary elements to create an organizational culture that creates equity amongst both the organization's members and those who consume the organization’s products. This workshop is designed based on the results of a master's thesis research study interviewing 47 engineers and completing three laboratory ethnographies.