Double Consciousness in modern business
Writing a thesis to apply for a PhD takes a long time. Lots of research, formulating ideas, brainstorming with professors, crafting and polishing - it took almost 2 years to write. Fortunately, the result is a long backlog of raw ideas and inspirations for many articles to come. Have a look at a brief overview of my thesis on this page.
After I finished my Masters in Philosphy at Tilburg University, I started working on my PhD called "Philosophical and Sociological research about Diversity and Cultural Cloning, and the effects of W.E. Dubois’ concept of Double Consciousness in organizations and corporates.
In short, my philosophy is that Diversity is the recognition of the plurality of identity, and Inclusion is the recognition that these different identities are equal. Empathy is the answer to a lack of diversity: empathy enables one to understand that there are different identities because you can take their perspective. Though, empathy alone does not guarantee that all will be treated equally. It does not guarantee inclusion. For this, you need acceptance as the solution for a lack of inclusion. Acceptance literally means "to not change something".
That's where Double Consciousness comes in. In my work, Double Consciousness is defined as the norm's lack of acknowledgment of the plurality of identity, contrasting with a hypersensitivity of the minority to the identity of this norm. The minority becomes hyper-sensitive, in order to assimilate to the norm. They accept the norm as part or parallel to their identity, in order to not be excluded from society, culture, and business.
Those not part of the norm have a double consciousness: one for yourself + one to fit in.
"Do people in your organization have Double Consciousness?"
A new model
Double Consciousness as a metric for success.
Right now, the concept of DC is used to acknowledge something negative. It is a canary in the coal mine, as it's symptomatic of a lack of diversity and inclusion. However, it's possible to change the definition to become a metric on a spectrum. As such, it could be possible to have a "healthy double consciousness", being the ability to acknowledge the plurality of identity and practice inclusion, without it negatively affecting your identity or someone else's.