With the push for greater diversity and inclusion that has emerged in many industries and sectors, organizations and institutions have begun to appoint or employ staff who are responsible for addressing these issues. These leads, officers, or managers are often tasked with creating or executing initiatives and overseeing and addressing concerns around equity and diversity within the organization. An ongoing and pressing concern for these employees is a lack of professional supervision and support in their roles from their superiors.
Often, the diversity/equity practitioner is the only employee with any critical knowledge on equity and its frameworks, so the dominant normative model where an in-house supervisor supports an employee’s professional development does not work in these contexts. While their supervisors may be able to offer them general support, they are unequipped to direct them specifically in their capacity as diversity/equity staff.
