Talking Taboo: Making the Most of Polarizing Discussions at Work
Why are our employees talking about that? All HR professionals have had situations occur that require immediate action and attention because a workplace conversation on a taboo topic just took place. Politics, religion, social injustice, aging, sexual orientation: individuals sometimes move from polite conversation on these topics (and more) to entrenchment in their viewpoint. And sometimes, words become weapons and bad behavior occurs that needs fixing as a next step. This session discusses a useful framework with four touchpoints to manage words, interactions and behaviors differently so respectful and acceptable engagement is the outcome. Leave the session ready to address and manage these types of issues if they arise in your workplace.
Learning Objectives:
- The science behind polarizing viewpoints, entrenchment in them, and the regrettable use of words as weapons in the workplace.
- How to use the Me + We + Wo +RK framework to navigate through tricky and complex discussion toward positive resolution for all.
- Understand how empathy and culture are affected by opinions and what to do about it.
- Hear about case studies in workplaces around the globe where polarizing, entrenched or weaponized viewpoints were managed (some well, some not so well).
In-person session offerings are on a first-come, first-served basis.
Alexander Alonso, Ph.D., SHRM-SCP
Alexander Alonso, PhD, SHRM-SCP is the Society for Human Resource Management's (SHRM's) Chief Data & Insights Officer leading operations for SHRM's Certified Professional and Senior Certified Professional certifications, research functions, and the SHRM Knowledge Advisor service. He is responsible for all research activities, including the development of the SHRM Competency Model and SHRM credentials.
During his career, he has worked with numerous subject matter experts worldwide with the aim of identifying performance standards, developing competency models, designing organizational assessments, and conducting job analyses. He was also responsible for working on contract task orders involving the development of measurement tools for content areas such as job knowledge (like teacher knowledge of instructional processes) and organizational climates (like organizational climate forecasting in military health care).
Dr. Alonso received his doctorate in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Florida International University in 2003. His works have been recognized for their contribution to real-world issues. They include being recognized by the Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology (Division 14 of the APA; SIOP) with the 2007 M. Scott Myers Award for Applied Research in the Workplace for the development of the federal standard for medical team training, TeamSTEPPS; being awarded a 2009 Presidential Citation for Innovative Practice by the American Psychological Association for supporting the development of competency model for team triage in emergency medicine; and receiving the 2013 SIOP Distinguished Early Career Contributions for Practice Award.
Throughout his career, he has published works in peer-reviewed journals such as Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, Journal of Applied Psychology, International Journal of Selection and Assessment, People and Strategy, Personality and Individual Differences, Quality and Safety in Health Care, and Human Resources Management Review. He has also authored several chapters on community-based change initiatives in workforce readiness, as well as co-authoring Defining HR Success: A Guide to the SHRM Competency Model in Practice.
Dr. Alonso also served as a columnist analyzing major trends in the workforce for The Industrial Psychologist and HR Magazine. In addition, he has served on several professional society boards including the SIOP and the Personnel Testing Council of Metropolitan Washington.