Can inclusion ever become exclusion?

The simplistic answer to this question is no. By very definition, if you are getting inclusion right it prevents exclusion. So why am I even asking the question?

I recently came across a website called “Answer The Public”. You can see what people are searching for online using. In a moment of curiosity, I put the term “inclusion” into the search bar. A lot of medical stuff came up about certain types of cells. In our sense of the word, there was the usual stuff, like what inclusion means.

What stopped me in my tracks was one of the most searched phrases was “when inclusion becomes exclusion”

On reflection, this is not surprising, given the polite contingents of the anti-work brigade. I’m sure we can all think of good, well meaning people in our networks who want to find reasons for why we shouldn’t be working towards a more inclusive world.

However, I have also had conversations this week with two clients who are very committed to EDI, are working to create change, have strong personal values around equity and inclusion but are still worried that they will disempower or turn off sections of their staff.

If this is you, I offer three questions to ponder. I hope they help you navigate this issue.

What does your organization stand for?

When developing strategies most organizations review or redevelop their values. Those who take this work seriously then put thought into what their values should look like in practice?

What few organizations go on to consider is what their values mean in terms of “lines in the sand”

I’m a Star Trek fan – I give you permission to laugh ??- and there is a great line in the film First Contact. In battling an invasion of earth by the Borg, Captain Jean Luc Picard says: “The line must be drawn here. This far, no further!”

Defining that line is central to living your organizational values. Communicating it – both directly by saying what it is, and indirectly by demonstrating how you're living your values – is crucial. This is what having organizational values is all about, and it is what creates trust.

Remember the RNLI which a few years back was criticized by government ministers for picking up migrants in distress on the open seas? They stood firm and their CEO spoke openly about why saving all lives was important, and they weren’t going to pick and choose who they rescued. The RNLI lost supporters but gained a lot more, and their income went up.

For whom does your organization exist?

Whether commercial, public or non-profit, at the heart of all organizations are the people they exist to serve. How you can best serve them is determined by your values. ?It’s why there is such a ruckus when organizations veer away from their values. Think energy companies of the Post Office...

If you know who you are primarily there to serve, that will help you clarify the degree to which you need to worry about losing polite anti-wokers. If those people are core to you, then of course you need to think harder about how inclusion efforts embrace them. If not…

Who is ACTUALLY being excluded?

It is one thing actively to exclude, e.g. implementing initiatives that positively discriminate – which, by the way, in this country is illegal. If your policies, culture, systems or ways of working are actually excluding people, it is quite simple. ?Stop doing those things. (OK, OK, I know the reality is more complicated than that.)

But there is a big difference between “feeling” excluded and actually “being” excluded.

Don’t get me wrong. Feelings are real, so it is important that you address them.

If your inclusion initiatives are leaving some people feeling excluded, get curious. Exploring why some feel as they do will help you understand what action you can take. It will also help you understand whether it is your inclusion initiatives that are making some feel excluded or something else. E.g. For some organizations, the criticism from polite anti-wokers may be framed as resistance to inclusion initiatives, but dig deeper and it could be to do with their managers managing them poorly .

Finally…

No organization owes anyone a job. What you offer is opportunities to be part of your journey.

The more explicit you can be about your values and how you live them, the clearer the choices you are offering existing and future employees. It’s then up to them to decide if your organization is for them or not.

If some decide to leave you, it’s OK. Wish them well as you wave them goodbye. This gives you space to attract the people who love your mission and values, and can’t wait to contribute.

I hope you found this helpful. I’m off on my hols now, so I will see you again in September. Have a great summer.

Can we help?

Want help with any aspect of your leadership and inclusion journey? Reach out and to set up an informal, no obligation chat. Contact [email protected]

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