Allison Elias

How can those seeking to create diverse, equitable and inclusive workspaces bring opposing sides into alignment? The answer: Consider the various stakeholders in an organization as taking part in a multi-party, multi-issue negotiation. Here are three key tactics for leaders to use in an organizational context to implement DEIB more effectively.

Negotiation doesn’t have to be a battle, but an exchange that advances careers and builds relationships. For women, this perspective can tap into expectations others have of “female” strengths, as well as some competencies many already use. Here, drawn from research on negotiation and gender: techniques to achieve constructive, win-win outcomes.

As we celebrate Women’s History Month throughout March, Allison Elias, assistant professor of business administration and author of the book The Rise of Corporate Feminism: Women in the American Office 1960–1990, asks whether all women benefit from efforts to advance gender equity in the workplace, as well as where we've been and where we're going.