What does respect look like? Diversity management practices in the experience of a travesti patient in the public health system

Abstract

This teaching case aims to highlight the need for organizations to have concrete, intersectoral, and formalized practices around diversity and inclusion management, to treat all stakeholders, particularly customers, with dignity. Based on data obtained from observations and interviews, the case reports on the experience of a travesti patient when accessing a public hospital and the consequences of the lack of preparation of professionals to deal with issues of diversity. Thus, some management dilemmas can be addressed with the application of the case, the main ones being how to make practices more inclusive and how to deal with transphobia or violence on the part of health professionals. The case applies above all to the area of people management, but it can also be applied to disciplines around health management and public management, as it portrays a situation that occurred in the Public Health System. As a result, the case shows that efforts to make organisations more inclusive must be interdisciplinary. Business schools are increasingly demanding tools for teaching inclusive management practices. Although the case is centred on a social marker of diversity—gender identity—the reflections can inspire management practices for other audiences socially constructed as diverse.

Keywords:
Diversity management; Health management; Travesti; Transgenders; Teaching case