What Is Tokenism?
What Does Tokenism Mean?
Tokenism is the practice of including a member from a marginalized community just to portray an image of diversity within that group.
One of the earliest theories of tokenism was established by Rosabeth Kanter, who defined tokenism as an artificial appearance achieved by including a limited number of people in the minority group in effective positions because of their characteristics, such as gender, race, religion, age, and others, that are accepted as a disadvantage or seen as different from the dominant group.
Kanter initially coined the term when the scientist was examining the under-representation of women in organizations, and expanded the definition to other characteristics. According to her, token groups generally have less than 15% representation, while “tokenists” have around 85%.
4 Examples of Tokenism in the Workplace
To paint a better picture of tokenism, these are the four ways companies may tokenize underrepresented individuals in their organizations:
Misleading Branding
Homogeneous companies often use their marginalized employees to portray a diverse organization, creating false marketing and branding.
FOR EXAMPLE: Casting a diverse representation of people just to fill a quota in the media for films, TV roles, advertising, and marketing
2. Symbolic Diversity
Sometimes token individuals are hired into roles just to check the box of inclusivity, not because of performance or based on meritocracy. This practice is not sustainable and may hinder the progress needed to empower marginalized people.
FOR EXAMPLE: Hiring a minority for a sports team or musical group
3. Lack of Support in New Roles
Token individuals are sometimes propped up to roles and set up to fail when no support is invested in them directly. Tokens can be put in a position poised for failure as they aren’t being provided the proper system or team that can allow them to be successful. Management can use this to justify shifting resources away from them due to perceived failures.
FOR EXAMPLE: Hiring marginalized folks as healthcare providers without trying to make the workplace more inclusive of the new dimensions of diversity that they bring.
4. Misrepresentation of a Community
Token individuals are asked and expected to speak on behalf of their community, often resulting in unpaid labor and energy. They’re also expected to take up mentorship, sponsorship, and other diversity and inclusion-related work.
FOR EXAMPLE: Political party backing a politician based on their ethnicity
How to Recognize Tokenism in the Workplace
Whether as an employee or organization leaders, we must recognize whether or not tokenism is occurring in our workplace. That way, we can implement corrective procedures to counteract it before it’s too late!
These are some red flags of tokenism to watch for including:
Plenty of diversity in entry-level positions, but not in leadership or management positions.
High voluntary resignation rate, especially among underrepresented groups. This is because, in a company with tokenism, the focus of diversity is only on hiring not retention.
Using diverse personnel as the face or voice of the company only when there are issues concerning diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Utilizing empty bandwagon gestures, also known as “woke-washing”. The use of social activism language in marketing materials only to reach profitability instead of being of actual value.
Holding events that support diversity, equity, and inclusion without implementing policies that supports diverse employees.
How to Measure Tokenism
Tokenism can also be identified by representation ratios in your organization. Kanter classified four different groups according to numerical representation ratios:
Uniform Groups
The distribution of gender, race, or ethnicity is homogenous and involves only one distinctive social type with a typical ratio of 100:0.
Skewed Groups
There are two groups of which is a numerically dominant group and another of the minority with a typical ratio of 85:15, this number could go lower, and even “alone” representation is possible. Token individuals are usually found in skewed group's minority members.
Tilted Groups
There are groups in which the dominant group is the majority, while the token group is in the minority. The typical ratio is 65:35. Token individuals might still exist, but the minority group can create coalitions and have more power than a skewed group.
Balanced Groups
The typical ratio is around 60:40 or 50:50 and subgroups are contributing to the group in line with their abilities and skills, without any obvious majority and minority groups.
Based on the ratios above, you can be mindful if your organization belongs to skewed groups, which is typically a sign of tokenism. It’s important to note that providing equal opportunities isn’t just about numbers.
Try to think about whether or not all your employees are heard, regardless of their status or social standing. If they’re able to communicate their ideas and collaborate to create meaningful impacts on your organization, you’re on the right track!
The Negative Impacts of Tokenism
Kanter’s Tokenism Framework
Kanter stated three negative processes that employees in token roles experience:
#1: Performance Pressures
Token individuals are often highly visible and experience a lack of privacy. This heightened visibility causes performance pressure and can create anxiety in tokens.
#2: Social Isolation
Majority groups often form barriers to limit token access, who are considered outsiders in their group. Usually, members of the majority group remind and reinforce the difference between themselves and token individuals in their collective organization.
#3: Role Encapsulation
Tokens are compressed into prescribed stereotypes about them and status-leveling is made against tokens.
Real Examples of the Negative Impacts of Tokenism
Feelings of isolation - Tokens may frequently experience a sense of isolation, feeling misunderstood and alone in their perspectives or positions.
Token employees are more susceptible to microaggressions or hostility as a result of boundary heightening, making it uncomfortable for everyone in the workplace.
Anxiety and stress - Being in the spotlight and extremely visible in the organization makes tokens more susceptible to anxiety and stress. They might also overwork to compensate for their position, which might result in burnout and exhaustion.
Demotivation due to lack of acknowledgment - Sometimes tokens will feel less appreciated and unmotivated, some could develop imposter syndrome.
Increased attrition - As a result, tokenism can harm the entire organization, resulting in increased staff turnover and decreased morale. It can hurt the company culture and cement stereotyping in the company.
Reduced communication - Talented and competent employees of minority groups might also be more reluctant to voice their concerns or ideas, leading to lower productivity and growth.
Legal troubles - Facebook was sued by one of its shareholders over failures on racial issues in 2020 and it was found that that company’s approach to diversity has been characterized by tokenism.
Glass escalators - Instead of a glass ceiling, token males in female-dominated industries experience a phenomenon called men are 3.1x more likely to advance in industries where they’re underrepresented.
Tokenism vs. Inclusion
Experts deem that tokenism is diversity without inclusion, so we should always aim for inclusion to create a diverse workplace that offers equal opportunity. Inclusion means practices, behaviors, and social norms that include people with unique traits and characteristics in the workplace.
These healthy practices create a deeper understanding of each social group’s experiences and provide equal access to opportunities. The inclusion strategy tracks performance based on merit and captures promotion rates for all different groups, making sure everyone is accounted for.
Here are the key differences between tokenism and inclusion:
Inclusion attempts to take into account all ideas and aspirations, while tokenism might lead to a lack of creativity as token individuals feel underappreciated.
Inclusion provides equal support for all individuals to succeed, while tokenism often fails to set up a proper system for minorities to succeed.
Inclusion aims to promote equality while tokenism is a way for corporations to sweep token employees under the carpet.
Inclusion aims to create a more cohesive and diverse workplace where everyone feels accepted, while tokenism often leads to isolation for minorities.
How to Mitigate Tokenism at Work
There are plenty of strategies for you to enhance diversity and inclusion and avoid tokenism!
Use unbiased hiring practices
This can be done by using inclusive and neutral language in the job posting, removing names and pictures in the screening process, and other recruitment strategies that uphold DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) efforts in the company.
Create inclusive communication and working norms
Ensure the internal communication tools provided by your company are accessible and inclusive to all. An example is accommodating employees who are hard of hearing with tools and software necessary for them to communicate.
Build an inclusive workplace for all employees
Implement inclusive facilities such as gender-neutral bathrooms, nursing rooms, prayer rooms, wheelchair paths, and others to make your employees feel more appreciated.
Implement fair and transparent policies
Publicize compensation and benefits and make this information available for your employees as a point of reference.
Respect different religions and cultures
Acknowledge holidays that are applicable for your employees and give them flexible time off to celebrate their own culture and religion.
Promote a reporting system
Protect your employees from harmful and discriminatory behaviors by having a grievance reporting system. To avoid bias or conflict of interest, you can also use a third-party vendor that provides free consulting services for employees on different matters.
Incorporate inclusive values into training
Embedding principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion into employee education, covering topics like unconscious bias and cultural competency. This approach not only fosters a supportive workplace culture but also ensures all employees have equal access to learning opportunities, thereby enhancing engagement and driving innovation.
Final Thoughts
In a nutshell, tokenism is diversity without inclusion. In an effort to create a more diverse workforce, companies may sometimes fall on tokenism as a shortcut. This could lead to negative impact for both employees and the organization as a whole.
On the other hand, a more diverse and inclusive workplace could lead to organizational growth, both financially and intangibly. Creating a supportive, transparent environment that promotes inclusion is the way forward and will benefit everyone!
