Inclusion: I Have a Voice

Look at organizations’ websites, annual reports and other outward representations of their brand, and you will undoubtedly find references to inclusion. Many cite a commitment to creating and maintaining an inclusive culture. Here are some examples.

“Drive a culture where employees feel a sense of inclusion and belonging.”? Kyndryl

“We’re continuing to create a culture of inclusion, increasing representation across teams and holding ourselves accountable at every level. Because belonging takes all of?us.”? Apple

“To help drive a culture of inclusion, we have developed and provided employees access to a range of programs and resources focused on building understanding and driving progress in the workplace.”? Bank of America

“We aspire to be the world’s most inclusive company…” GM

So, it’s apparent that numerous organizations recognize the importance of cultivating an inclusive culture.

At Talent Dimensions, we identify inclusion as one of the three pillars (including employee engagement and psychological safety) of creating a culture of belonging.

If multitudes of organizations are striving to create inclusive cultures, it’s essential to understand what that means and how to get there. Let’s start with culture itself and what that term means. As an OD practitioner, I studied and subscribed to Edgar Shein’s model of culture. ?Schein, whom we lost in early 2023 at the age of 94, identified three distinct levels in organizational culture:

• Artifacts – This includes visible and tangible elements of the organizational culture, including the physical environment, dress codes, rituals, language and other observable elements.
• Espoused Values – This level represents the organization's explicitly stated beliefs, norms and values, such as its mission statement, codes of conduct and stated goals.
• Assumptions and Beliefs – This level represents the deeply embedded, unconscious (and often unspoken) beliefs, perceptions and attitudes held by members of the organization.

When you explore this model, you quickly realize the complexity, especially at the assumptions and beliefs level, as they reflect how the organization operates on the inside. This makes assumptions and beliefs the strongest levers of organizational change; however, they are also the most difficult levers to influence.

Let’s return then to inclusion. We define inclusion as creating a workplace of mutual respect, trust and commitment where everyone feels encouraged and able to contribute based on their unique talents, experiences and backgrounds. The evidence of a culture of inclusion then is a workplace where employees can confidently say, “I have a voice.”

With this as context for what an inclusive culture means, let’s discuss how we get there specifically with a focus on leadership.?

Leadership is a social process by which an individual or a group influences and guides others toward a common goal or vision. It involves building trust, inspiring and motivating individuals to achieve their full potential, fostering collaboration and making decisions that impact the direction and success of a team or organization. At its core, leadership is about harnessing the collective power and capabilities of a group and channeling them towards a shared purpose.

To create and foster an inclusive culture, every individual must play a role by exhibiting inclusive leadership skills. Leadership encompasses formal leaders, employees and stakeholders. Leadership behaviors required to create an inclusive culture are the same regardless of the roles or levels. It is the context and conditions in which they are enacted that differ.

Inclusive leadership:

• encourages and expects diverse opinions and ideas to be offered and examined.
• views difference as a competitive advantage and catalyst for innovation.
• recognizes that accelerating complexity and ambiguity demand organizations and individuals build skills to identify opportunities within a changing environment.
• moves beyond basic curiosity to build awareness, sensitivity and understanding of the experiences of others.
• exhibits dexterity, ensuring achievement of objectives while concurrently building organizational capability to anticipate and prepare for what’s next.
• builds broader and deeper understanding by seeing the world through the eyes and lenses of others.
• looks beyond the here and now to understand the implications of today’s decisions on tomorrow’s workplace, workforce and working world.

As I mentioned earlier, inclusion is one of the three critical levers to creating environments where individuals can achieve a sense of belonging. Looking at Schein’s three levels of culture, it is clear that we must address multiple aspects of organizational life to achieve this goal. Are your visible artifacts truly inclusive of your employees? Do all your employees understand and connect to your stated beliefs, values, mission, etc.? Finally, do deeply embedded beliefs and assumptions support or potentially derail the culture you aspire to?

When we work with organizations to begin or continue their journey to become more inclusive, it requires peeling back layers to get answers to these questions. The work requires the courage to step outside comfort zones. If done well, there will be some discomfort in truths that are discovered. When you feel that discomfort, take heart. You are on the right track.