So, if the evidence tells us that Equity and inclusion drives better business results, what is getting in the way of progress?

The business case for Equity, Inclusion and belonging is stronger than ever.?Research shows that organisations with greater diversity are more likely to be profitable in comparison to their peers, who are less diverse and have greater innovation (Centre for Talent Innovation, 2014). ?However, progress is slow on increasing representation.?In 2019 ethnic-minorities on UK and US executive teams stood at only 13% and females at just 20% (McKinsey, 2020).

So, if the evidence tells us that Equity and inclusion drives better business results, what is getting in the way of progress?

While diversity can be quantitatively measured, inclusion is the day-to-day behaviours of individuals and can be more difficult to measure (Winters, 2014).?To increase leadership diversity employees need to navigate the workplace processes to progress through to leadership roles.? For minority groups this can mean more barriers in place in comparison to their male and/or white colleagues (Atewologun, D. et al., 2014).???There is a significant amount of research (Ho, A.K et al 2012, Phillips & Lowery, 2015) that states that majority groups benefit from privileges in which enable them to navigate their career more successfully than those who lack privilege.??This privilege is often invisible (Sidanius & Pratto,1999).??

Privilege does not mean that you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth and never had to work hard or that you achieved success with no struggle. It simply means that you are likely to have enjoyed certain tailwinds because, based on parts of your demographic makeup, you are in the majority.

There have been some recent papers exploring how understanding personal privilege links to decision making on influencing policies to support equality (Phillips & Lowery, 2015) which have showed that individuals who acknowledged their own privilege were more likely to support equality policies.??However, there are limitations to the research so far, for example the majority are in educational settings and US based.?

There is little academic research on this topic in the UK, however it is becoming an emerging theme.?Authors like Eddo-Lodge, R., 2020 share examples of the importance of the privileged groups in doing the work to understand how they personally benefit from it.??The significance of understanding what privilege means as a concept and at an individual level cannot be underestimated, this is a complex topic which warrants an investment in time and energy.?

Recognising your privilege means understanding the access you’ve been granted to certain spaces, the dynamics within an organisation, and how influential you can be in creating equity & belonging in the workplace.

“Everything about privilege should be researched in a nuanced and intersectional way” (McIntosh, P. ,2012. P.204)

As a doctoral student with Cranfield University

My research plans to explore social identity and intersectionality to:

1.????Understand how leaders self-evaluate privilege.

2.????Consider how understanding of individual privilege influences inclusive behaviours.

3.????Consider how understanding of individual privilege reinforces or disrupts their understanding of privilege.?

If leaders recognise and understand their own privilege will it increase their inclusive behaviours in the workplace?