Inclusion on the slopes series: Introduction
When I was a little girl, I had a dream to go skiing. My mother told me a story about one day when I was younger it was snowing, and I ran outside in the snow wearing just a t-shirt. Of course, my mother reprimanded me for running outdoors, but I believe that was the moment where I fell in love with the snow. To me, the snow is magical, it's something so pure and yet so simple that makes even the most mature adult playful. This playful mentality makes life so rich and amazing, and I would like to share this experience with others. So I got older, and guess what, I went skiing for the first time this past year. I can only imagine what you are thinking? You are maybe thinking what about the cold. I get it, but for someone that gets cold quite often, I was hot on that mountain! At one point, I had to open my jacket because I was so hot, I was sweating. While standing on that mountain, I thought about why I took so long to experience something so great but thought even more so that everyone should experience this feeling.
While on the mountain, I understood that one of the biggest challenges an organization faces is inclusion. While diversity serves its purpose, if organizations truly want to develop diversity organically, the research supports to start with inclusion. The concern with diversity is that it doesn’t uncover the intention behind its need in the first place, which is the lack of inclusion. Hence, this is the reason inclusion must be the priority. As someone who has immersed herself in inclusion for all of their HR career, and even throughout her life, this is part of my mission to generate inclusion on the slopes. There is no reason for anyone to feel that skiing is a far-fetched activity. No one should feel because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, or even religious affiliation that they are excluded from the benefits of skiing. It’s time for the stigma to change. The ski experience changes you, and I promise you will never be the same. The way you view the world before skiing and after are quite different, and I want to share that experience. The experience itself is enthralling as it provides a sense of accomplishment.
The Inclusion and Diversity difference
The conflict with the two topics of diversity and inclusion is that inclusion is different from diversity [4]. Inclusion has an attitudinal and cultural transformation distinction. Inclusion encompasses involvement, engagement, and the usage of diversity into organizational processes [4]. Diversity, on the other hand, concentrates on the characteristics of specific groups and demographics [5]. Diversity management, unfortunately, doesn’t address the exclusion perspective that ties into different identity groups not feeling part of an organization [6]. For organizations to continue to be effective, diversity management must shift from diversity to inclusion [6]. The concern is that combining both may appear to be proficient; the dilemma is that the primary priority isn’t put on inclusion, which it should be. Inclusion advocates for sustainable leadership and is the social element of developing relationships needed for organizational success [7].
Organizational focuses on Inclusion
Because of the current opportunity available to create more inclusion, I am launching a 20-article series on Medium.com that concentrates on inclusion. Inclusion is the manner in which people feel a part of their organizational processes, feel the ability to influence those processes, and feel a sense of connection to their role in a company [6]. The series will be a well-researched, well-develop comprehensive action-orientated series that provides organizations and leaders with current data to support the claim that inclusion is the way. Most importantly, this information will be easily accessible to the people that need it the most via Medium, LinkedIn, and even my Facebook page. I will be openly distributing this information to assist with guiding organizations towards a more inclusive environment. Many professionals don’t have access to this information because it is suppressed in academic literature, and the goal is to bridge that gap. In this case, I would like to use the ski industry and Vail Resorts as a bit of a case study to examine and create inclusion.
Vail Resorts role in the ski industry
Vail Resorts is a leading global mountain resort operator that specializes in providing an experience of a lifetime for its guest [9]. The reason Vail Resorts is the focus of this article series is that they are considered change initiators for the entire ski industry. In 2008, Vail Resorts launched the Epic Pass [10]. The Epic Pass is a seasonal pass that skiers can purchase before skiing at a discounted rate. The skiers receive unlimited access to any one of Vail Resorts ski resorts with this pass [11]. Unlike other ski resorts during that time frame, not many organizations were focusing on passes or lowering prices to accommodate unlimited skiers at a discounted price point, therefore capturing revenue before the season [10]. This pass transformed the ski industry, and just recently they established a pass that is epic for everyone.
The launching of the epic for everyone is challenging the stigma of skiing. I am excited about the move; for this will be the year that not only I but others can fulfill the dream to ski. I think this will be the beginning of bringing more inclusion into the ski industry. There are also several other factors to consider as the ski industry makes skiing more affordable. The other factors include challenging the social contract between minorities and the ski industry; taking action to establish efforts that blend minority and majority representation and developing a platform to create a win/win for all stakeholders involved.
The epic day pass is an opportunity for individuals who may only ski once or twice a year; by offering this ski pass, there is an opportunity to tap into an additional market that expands the ski industry [12]. Vail Resorts expansion continues because of their ability to minimize risk by being ahead of climate change; customers receive a discount by purchasing ski tickets before the ski season, and profits increase each year because of their ability to improve the guest experience. They have been aggressively utilizing their profits to initiate resort improvements and property upgrades [13].
So much has changed since the initial writing of this article. The article series has evolved to address the industry as a whole versus a specific entity. As we continue to explore the needs within the industry, these articles will address these specific topics. Let’s unpack inclusion and the fundamentals.
Unpacking Inclusion
The layout of the articles will unpack several key fundamentals to addressing inclusion and most importantly creating some action items. First, the articles will address leadership competencies. These are specific factors that leaders need to consider as they are tackling inclusion. Second, we will concentrate on how to resolve cognitive dissonance, its impact on our ability to associate with one another, and the layers involved in navigating it for the future. To do this, we will emphasize stories and lived experiences in the industry. Third, uncovering four theories for inclusion initiatives: intrapreneurship, action research, emotional intelligence, and systematic thinking. Fourth, all of the initiatives mentioned will address one of the most challenging industries to create inclusion: the snowsports industry. Are you ready for more inclusion on the slopes? I know I am. I look forward to seeing you out there.
References
[1] canstockphoto. (2019). Happy black girl skinned in winter clothes. Retrieved from https://www.canstockphoto.com/happy-little-black-skinned-girl-in-40505728.html
[2] Tofugu. (2019). Ski in Japan:The best places. Retrieved from https://www.tofugu.com/japan/ski-in-japan/
[3] Quora. (2019). What are the three major differences between diversity and inclusion. Retrieved from https://www.quora.com/What-are-3-major-differences-between-diversity-and-inclusion
[4] Turnbull, H., Greenwood, R., Tworoger, L., & Golden, C. (2010). SKILL DEFICIENCIES IN DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN ORGANIZATIONS: DEVELOPING AN INCLUSION SKILLS MEASUREMENT. Academy of Strategic Management Journal, 9(1), 1–14.
[5] Roberson, Q. (2004). Disentangling the meanings of diversity and inclusion. Cornell University IRL School. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=cahrswp
[6] Cottrill, K., Lopez, P. D., & Hoffman, C. C. (2014). How authentic leadership and inclusion benefit organizations. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 33(3), 275–292. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/EDI-05-2012-004
[7] Gerard, L., McMillan, J., & Norma, D. A.-G. (2017). Conceptualising sustainable leadership. Industrial and Commercial Training, 49(3), 116–126. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ICT-12-2016-0079
[8] DynamicCapital. (2019). Inclusion going beyond diversity: . Retrieved from https://www.dynamiccap.com/inclusion-going-beyond-diversity/
[9] Vailresorts. (2019). Vail Resorts announces 2019–20 pass partner change and new keystone plus pass. Retrieved from http://news.vailresorts.com/corporate/keystonepluspass.htm
[10] VailResorts. (2018). Epic Pass Season Pass. Retrieved from https://www.epicpass.com/passes/epic-pass.aspx
[11] VailResorts. (2016). Vail Resorts Inc. : Leisure and Arts — Company Profile, SWOT & Financial Analysis. Retrieved from London: https://proxy.cecybrary.com/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1850353981?accountid=144789
[12] Brown, J. (2019). Q&A: Vail CEO on the future of skiing. Retrieved from https://www.sfchronicle.com/travel/article/Q-A-Vail-CEO-on-the-future-of-skiing-13707327.php
[13] Kalogeropoulos, D. (2019). Vail Resorts Talks Property Upgrades and Season-Pass Trends. Retrieved from https://www.fool.com/investing/2019/03/16/vail-resorts-talks-resort-upgrades-and-season-pass.aspx
[14] Bisonmovingandstorage. (2018). Tips for unpacking after you move. Retrieved from https://www.movebisson.com/blog/tips-for-unpacking-after-you-move/Tips
