We, at AIS SIGSAND and SIGSAND.com value the diversity of membership, and are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive community. We will champion members’ full participation in all our activities and events so they can bring their intellect, creativity, and energy to bear on the community’s activities.
Diversity is the quality of being different or unique in individual or group level characteristics, including age, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, language, nationality, emotional, physical, mental and developmental abilities, race, religion, sexual orientation, skin color, socioeconomic status, and more.
Inclusion is the act of recognizing, incorporating, and valuing the diversity in all its forms.
How and why does diversity & inclusion matter?
There are both ethical and economic reasons to work toward D&I. Below, we list a few. For further reading see: Olbrich, Trauth, Niedermann & Gregor (2015).
Innovation – There is an increasing emphasis on innovation in our knowledge-intensive global economy. Diverse and inclusive groups bring more ideas and resources to bear on a problem or task.
Performance – A diverse and inclusive organization enhances performance by increasing productivity, creativity, access to labor pools, and consumer/market intelligence. As IS scholars, emphasis on diversity and inclusion enhance the design and development of systems and the education of our students.
Equity – Caring about others, particularly those at a disadvantage, is the right thing to do–equality and justice are universal moral values.
Diversity and inclusion helps make the world a better place and we should work toward that end as scholars, educators, and individuals.
Policy – Recognizing its social and economic value, governments and organizations are increasingly requiring or supporting initiatives aimed at diversity and inclusion, particularly in the technology sector.
Relevancy – A social inclusion lens can be applied to virtually any IS research topic, publishable in nearly every mainstream IS journal. Committing to social inclusion can enhance your teaching–making your classroom more inclusive and helping you connect with students.
Self-Interest- Geographic and job mobility are on the rise and so are changes in the demographic composition of many countries. You may not feel you are a minority, but your family or you may be a minority at some point.
Despite feelings of greater inclusion, we encourage all AIS members to resist the tendency to associate only with those in their smaller communities. As a global community of scholars, establishing connections more broadly throughout the AIS is important for enhancing career choices, journal governance and editorial board participation, and exposure to ideas that enhance research and teaching quality, student placement, and other opportunities. SIGs, Chapters, and Colleges can provide inroads to engage with people in other parts of the AIS, outside of our comfort zones.
Message from AIS SIGSAND Officers:
- President: Roman Lukyanenko, HEC Montréal
- Vice President: Arturo Castellanos, City University of New York
- Secretary, Publicity Coordinator: Jon Beard, Iowa State University
- Website developer and administrator: Daria Andrievskaya (da7148@mun.ca)
Adapted from https://aisnet.org/page/DiversityInclusion
