To lead an organizational culture change that ensures inclusivity goes beyond surface level, it's essential to move from performative gestures to meaningful, long-term strategies. Start by fostering open communication channels where diverse voices are genuinely heard and integrated into decision-making processes. Leadership must champion inclusivity through action—this means implementing policies that address unconscious bias, ensuring equitable opportunities for all employees, and creating a safe environment where differences are respected and celebrated. Educate and train all levels of staff on the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and provide continuous feedback mechanisms to measure progress.

People tend to feel more included when they have higher levels of individual agency. Culture is a matter of belief, so creating the space in which people can find that belief is important, but often involves formal structures, and leaders, relinquishing certain aspects of control. This is one reason why many organisations are structurally constrained: they seek change, but they are tangled in legacy structures of power and control.

1. Strategy & Vision: have this in place because if you don’t know where you want to go, you will not be able to get there (align inclusion as not only an HR topic & ensure commitment from senior leaders) 2. Relevant Data: collect data related to inclusion to see your starting point & measure it overtime - set KPIs 2. Policy change: if an organization expects the culture to change the policies & practices need to change with it (including putting resources behind those changes) 3. Accountability: especially for senior leaders & middle managers 4. Communication: communicate the vision & strategy in different formats & at different levels 5. Change Management: follow the expertise on change management throughout the inclusion journey

Employees are the heart of a great company culture, so any change that is exclusively leadership-driven or includes only a select group of employees will be difficult to sustain. Build change systems that not only intentionally include but seek out diverse perspectives. Set benchmarks of representation in your surveys and focus groups. Design project committees that reflect the full breadth of your organization across levels, functions, locations, and backgrounds. Engage ERGs for feedback along the way and pilot new initiatives with purposefully designed participants that give you insight into how different groups will be impacted. To design inclusive culture change, you need to implement inclusive culture change systems.