What can canaries in coalmines teach us about diversity and inclusion? In this episode, I’m speaking to an academic who has some fascinating ideas and insights into how we can create more inclusive work environments and cultures — in other words,...
What can canaries in coalmines teach us about diversity and inclusion? In this episode, I’m speaking to an academic who has some fascinating ideas and insights into how we can create more inclusive work environments and cultures — in other words, how to get the best out of all employees.
Guest Bio
My guest, Dr. Ludmila Praslova, is a Professor and the Founding Director of Graduate Programs in Organizational Psychology at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, California. She is an industrial organizational psychologist with a background in global diversity, intercultural relations, and, more recently, neurodiversity in the workplace.
She’s also the author of a new book called 'The Canary Code: A Guide to Neurodiversity, Dignity, and Intersectional Belonging at Work’ which takes a concept you’ve heard of — the canary in the coal mine — and applies it to the world of inclusion.
Her simple yet fascinating idea is that if we can focus on meeting the needs of those who are most sensitive to negative workplace dynamics and then create an environment that allows them to flourish, we can create an environment where everyone can flourish.
Episode Description:
In our discussion, we explore the importance of removing barriers in the workplace, the pitfalls of traditional hiring practices, and how the Canary Code works in practice. You'll hear
insights on creating inclusive environments, addressing workplace biases, and why something I've often done, viewing neurodivergent traits as 'superpowers', is actually unhelpful.
AI-generated timestamp summary
[00:00:00] - Introduction