Appunti del direttore

2022-10-09 Zenia Simonella

When the Context Changes

In a general context that is closed or hostile to the theme of diversity and inclusion, organizations could face an uphill climb, and it could become treacherous and counterproductive to point out progress in this field, especially if the organizations operate locally. At the same time, the history of diversity management reminds us that there have been organizations that have given benefits and opportunities to their employees, going beyond the context in which they operated. The most virtuous organizations could thus use their freedom of action to construct an open and inclusive work environment, ...

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2022-07-21 Simona Cuomo

South Working: The New Frontier of Smart Working in Italy

South working represents a new way of thinking about work beyond the health emergency. This model, in addition to guaranteeing workers an adequate balance between private and professional life, has the merit of restoring social and economic value to local areas that are very often marginalized. Finding a job consistent with one’s academic degree and building a career by working in the South seemed to be a remote and unlikely possibility until just a few years ago. The health emergency and the recourse to smart working have offered many workers the opportunity to leave the large cities of ...

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2022-06-29 Stefano Basaglia

LGBTQI+ Pride Month: The Importance of Words, Identification, and Inclusion

Historically, LGBTQI+ pride month is dedicated to remembering the people who launched the battle for the right to be recognized as “subjects.” However, the road to equality is still very long. This is demonstrated by the inappropriate use, including in important media outlets, of terms such as “sexual choices” and “marriage,” but also the reticence to use the words “homosexual” and/or “gay.” On the occasion of LGBTQI+ pride month, we want to stress the importance of certain themes: the use of words, identification, and inclusion. The Stonewall revolt in New York in June ...

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2022-05-31 Zenia Simonella

Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities: Yes, There are Inefficiencies, but the First Obstacle Is Cultural

The Court of Auditors recently exposed inefficiencies in the management of the Fund for the right to work of disabled persons, an instrument established more than twenty years ago to favor their employment. While it is true that inefficiencies emerge on the part of the state, on the other hand, organizations that want to include people with disabilities can already do so, addressing first of all stereotypes and prejudices, the first true obstacles to inclusion. In a resolution of May 11, 2022,[1] the Italian Court of Auditors provided a detailed picture of the management of the Fund for the right ...

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2022-05-25 Simona Cuomo

The Contradictions of Inclusive Leadership: The Case of Elisabetta Franchi

In addition to reaching business goals, leaders should have a moral obligation toward the community they serve. Thus their words can never be spoken by chance, nor can they be considered a gaffe to be corrected the next day. Emblematic from this standpoint is the speech given on May 4 by Elisabetta Franchi, a successful entrepreneur and Knight of the Republic. In the collective imagination, women are expected to play a “feminine” role, based on values and conduct of listening, empathy, and inclusion, and thus consistent with the category to which they belong. This viewpoint is reflected ...

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2022-04-26 Zenia Simonella

Workplace Discrimination Is Still in Fashion

According to the latest survey by ISTAT on LGBT+ individuals in work environments, almost 3 out of 10 state that being homosexual or bisexual has represented a disadvantage during the course of their work career. The report also indicates that phenomena such as discrimination are underestimated in work environments, where the issue of inclusion is secondary, where attitudes and behavior of aggression or micro-aggression are not socially punished, and where a culture open to diversity is lacking. The Italian statistics agency Istat recently published a document that presents the results of a ...

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2022-04-11 Simona Cuomo

Is Women’s Leadership Only Inclusive?

When we speak of women leaders, the collective portrayal refers to a style of management that is collaborative, empathetic, sensitive, gentle, inclined to listen to their associates; thus women are able to make correct and fair choices. Yet what to say about those women who have used power coercively and without taking responsibility for the community they have served? Achieving power and being a leader in current society thus implies a path of awareness that allows for interiorizing an identity of leadership that is authentic, responsible, and respectful of those values, styles, and models ...

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2022-03-16 Simona Cuomo

The Role of Fashion in Processes of Inclusion

The main goal of inclusive fashion is to create types of clothing for people with disabilities. Although Italian fashion is considered an example and a driver of international fashion, there are currently no emerging or prominent brands that deal with inclusive fashion. In addition to the lack of a true commitment to ethics and social responsibility by the various enterprises in the sector, the data suggests that people with disabilities would be willing to spend more than 8 trillion dollars in clothing if only they had the possibility to purchase comfortable, attractive and fashionable items. ...

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2022-02-22 Simona Cuomo

Unique or Diverse?

During the third night of the Sanremo Music Festival, Drusilla Foer proposed replacing the word “diversity” with “uniqueness,” a term that many think would be more beneficial to the cause of Diversity Management, that is, the management of diversity of workers in organizations. However, before replacing one term with another, it is important to reflect on the role that diversity and uniqueness have in the construction of personal identity. Drusilla Foer’s speech on uniqueness, given on the stage of the Ariston theater during the third night of the Sanremo Music Festival, moved the public:[1] ...

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2022-02-02 Stefano Basaglia

Not “A Woman,” But “Which Woman” as President of the Republic

Electing a woman to a public or private office is not a signal of progress per se. What counts are ideas, political experience, and career path. Yet the failure to elect a woman to the Presidency of the Republic puts the question of women’s access to top positions in politics and economics at the center of the debate. It’s an issue that cannot be addressed just with the introduction of quotas or generic appeals. Saturday, January 29, 2022: President Sergio Mattarella was re-elected, for his second term as President of the Italian Republic. The election was characterized by the issue of gender ...

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