From Systemic Exclusion to Systemic Inclusion: A Critical Look at Museums

Abstract

Workplace inclusion is a hot topic, defined as an organizational environment where everyone can reach his or her full potential. Much has been written over the last decade or so and themes of various annual conferences across the country have emphasized the need for socially conscious museums. Creating inclusive work environments and work practices are crucial to move the museum field forward. I argue that a focus on workplace inclusion places an emphasis on developing staff that have the knowledge, capabilities, and skillsets to be inclusive within daily work activities. Organization development, a practice that utilizes systems thinking to create change within organizations, can help institutions to build the capacity to become more agile, learning organizations. Adult learning theory, applied across the system, provides a framework for staff to learn how to be more inclusive. This article examines what we mean by inclusion, why it matters, and how a critical approach to organizational theory might help us better understand how to prioritize inclusion in our everyday workplace practices. Drawing on specific examples from the Minnesota Historical Society, I show how a systems approach to thinking about inclusion and the Andragogical Model can help museums build a more inclusive staff.

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