Nutshell: Some common inclusion scenarios

No matter how inclusive we aspire to be, there will always be tricky diversity, equality and inclusion scenarios to navigate in the modern workplace.

The business case for diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) at work is incontrovertible. It’s also the right thing to do.

But even when we’re fully on board, and know the theory and principles, on the ground, there are still plenty of grey areas that threaten to confound and confuse, whatever our intentions. It can sometimes be hard to know what to do when confronted with some common inclusion challenges.

Here are some tips for navigating some tricky DEI scenarios and building our inclusive practice.

Scenario 1

When we need to fill a vacancy in my organisation, we tend to start with who we might already know. How might I cast the net wider?

We won’t get very far with inclusion if we’re not getting the D in diversity, DEI right. Yet traditional ‘culture fit’ approaches to recruitment, where we’re looking to add more of the same to the mix, are remarkably resilient.

Instead, we need to think about recruitment in terms of ‘culture add’, asking ourselves: how can we use recruitment to bring in experience and expertise that’s different, new and fresh?

That, of course, starts with the right underpinning. Policies and procedures that outline things such as equality of opportunity, equitable pay or inclusive benefits clearly and transparently can act as a real statement of intent if they’re crafted imaginatively and shared widely.

There are also some very practical things we can do to recruit more inclusively:

Make ‘culture add’ a deliberate part of the business case for any recruitment.
Have a clear and transparent process and selection criteria. Don’t rely on gut instinct, which will tend to reinforce our biases.
Be up front about commitment to inclusion and open about inclusive benefits like flexible working or care/childcare policies.
Consider carefully the language used in job descriptions, job specs and job ads.
Avoid unnecessary or unclear requirements. (For example, do we really need an Oxbridge graduate?); take out language or references that could be narrowing; focus on 'must haves' rather than criteria that create barriers for people who don’t meet exacting and specific criteria.
Adopt inclusive interviewing, being as clear as possible about when, where and how interviews will take place, and offering reasonable adjustments for candidates who might need more support.
Don’t go it alone. One sure-fire way to tackle recruitment bias is to involve others in the process, especially people who have different approaches and perspectives.

Scenario 2

At the start of a new project or initiative, Tania is always first in line when it comes to lobbying for the best tasks or roles. She’s good, but, if I’m honest, I sometimes tend to go with her because it’s the easy option. How can I get others involved too?

There are a whole host of inclusion traps around the simplest of decisions about task allocation, promotion and remuneration.

Not everyone who deserves that choice project or role will want, or feel able, to approach us proactively to make a case. Women, for example are traditionally much less inclined to ask for a pay rise. Any form of 'inside track' for training and progression is inclusion death.

Be proactive about drawing that inclusion circle as wide as possible:

Be open and transparent about opportunities– no back or side doors, even if that might save time. Think about how best to communicate those opportunities within and beyond your team.
Think outside the box: rather than simply considering the usual suspects, are there other, less likely candidates who might bring new and different perspectives?
Actively encourage people to contribute and step up. Get to know your colleagues and think about ways in which you can build confidence in people less likely to put themselves forward.
Be fair and clear about how tasks, roles and promotions are distributed. If you were challenged about your decision, how would you defend it?

Scenario 3

One of my team members, Imran, is very quiet in meetings, although the rest of his work is exemplary. We have a big brainstorming session coming up. How might I encourage him to contribute more?

For some people, attending a meeting might feel akin to entering a gladiatorial arena.

Many people feel uncomfortable jostling for position, responding on the fly or saying the first thing that occurs to them. That doesn’t mean they have nothing to say. Inclusive leaders must make sure everyone has the opportunity, and feels able, to contribute.

Much of the groundwork for inclusive meetings relates to wider culture and behaviours. Prioritising psychological safety will do much to encourage full participation. So will taking the time to build trust between colleagues and boosting confidence where necessary.

Being aware of the continuum between introversion and extroversion will also offer helpful insights into the challenge a room full of noisy extroverts might represent for those who derive their energy in different ways. Learning to chair meetings well and inclusively is an important inclusive leadership skill.

Inclusive meetings

Writing in Harvard Business Review, Kathryn Heath and Brenda F. Wensil suggest that inclusive meetings are an essential starting point for inclusive cultures more generally. They also offer a handy checklist for leading inclusive meetings:

Review the list of attendees: is anyone missing, especially people who represent diverse or dissenting points of view?
Send out a clear agenda well ahead of time.
Greet each meeting participant warmly, by name, so everyone feels welcome (and visible).
State ground rules up front and make sure they explicitly foster inclusion.
Mediate and facilitate: keep track of who’s talking — and who’s not.
Prevent anyone from dominating, derailing or interrupting the discussion.
Remain engaged in the conversation from beginning to end. Listen actively and summarise the discussion where necessary.
Follow up after the meeting. Thank participants for attending and ask for their feedback.

Setting clear expectations about contributions and outcomes, in advance and on the day, is crucial. Explaining why people have been invited and what and how they should contribute will allow everyone to prepare, encourage participation and prevent situations where people stay silent or feel put on the spot or ‘bulldozed’ when called upon.

During the meeting, it’s also important to give everyone enough space and time to think.

Brainwriting

Another inclusive meeting technique is brainwriting where, instead of (or as well as) everyone pitching ideas verbally, participants write down their ideas instead.

It has the advantage of encouraging introverts to open up and extroverts to slow down and listen, acknowledging that some people simply need longer than others to come up with ideas. Brainwriting gives everyone extra time to think about and develop their suggestions more fully – and is another way to make sure everyone participates.

The best meetings are those where the discussion is not monopolised by the usual over-contributors, and where decisions are made without proper input and debate; we need to encourage and enable everyone to have their say.

Scenario 4

I’ve noticed that my boss often seems uneasy when she has to deal with members of my team who do not share her own background and experience. How can I encourage her to open up and find out more about what they bring to the organisation?

The philosopher John Stuart Mill has an interesting take on the value of difference: “It is hardly possible to overrate the value… of placing human beings in contact with persons dissimilar to themselves, and with modes of thought and action unlike those with which they are familiar”.

Mill would undoubtedly approve of the idea of immersive experience, when we challenge our biases about people simply by spending time with them.

Reverse mentoring, for example, can be a relatively simple way of expanding our horizons. In most cases, it inverts the more usual senior-junior mentoring relationship.

Originally used a means of senior leaders learning about tech from their digital native colleagues, it’s increasingly being used as a way of supporting inclusion by providing a framework for leaders to learn from and about the different experiences of more junior or diverse colleagues in organisations.

Pairing that boss with a team member who is different offers a real opportunity to open that boss’s eyes to other experiences and potential she might not otherwise recognise.

Scenario 5

Just before an important pitch to a potential new client, Sarah seemed upset when Dave told her (in front of those clients) “you’re looking great, you’ll do really well”. Some of my colleagues have said they feel uncomfortable with him regularly commenting on people’s appearance. What should I do about it?

Deciding whether or not a comment, remark or action, often made with the best of intentions, should be challenged is one the trickiest grey areas we’ll face as leaders. Some colleagues might consider as being overly 'woke' calling out what might be considered off-the-cuff, innocent, even positive comments.

Cultural contrarian Slavoj Žižek has even gone as far as to suggest that political correctness represents a form of “modern totalitarianism”, a philosophy of “I know better than you what you really want” that masks an oppressive power relationship.

Language and viewpoints that will be offensive to many might create positive social bonds in other groups. So, who draws the line on what’s acceptable?

At work, that acceptable line can be very clear in the more extreme instance, where it’s defined by legislation and practice. Obvious racist or sexist name calling, unwanted physical contact or mocking someone with a disability all represent clear grounds for discrimination.

But that still leaves Dave and his tendency to compliment his colleagues on how they look, perhaps because he thinks it’s a positive thing to do, or perhaps because he doesn’t know what else to say.

What Dave might not understand is that drawing attention to someone’s appearance can be perceived as signalling that how they look is as – or more – important as what they say or do.

While none of us wants to create victims where none exist, equally, we need to acknowledge and respect a range of tolerances when it comes to being on the receiving end of seemingly innocent comments, misplaced “banter” or worse.

Some of Dave’s colleagues may feel neutral about Dave’s compliments. Others (both women and men) may respond positively towards them.

For some (people witnessing the comments as well as the recipient), it might be unwelcome, especially in front of clients. His less happy colleagues’ willingness to bring it up may also vary depending on how safe they feel or if Dave has any positional (or other) authority over them.

Dialogue is the answer. It could be that no one has ever explained to Dave that it may not always be appropriate to comment on how people look, and that some of his colleagues might find it offensive or upsetting.

Giving him the right feedback about his impact on Sarah in this instance, for example, might well be a positive learning experience, encouraging him to take into account that not everyone will find the same things acceptable.

Agreeing team or organisation-specific language can also help.

In the light of the #MeToo scandal at the Old Vic theatre in London, the organisation developed a particular shared language of “ok” and “not ok” to use in difficult situations or when negotiating what might be fine for some, but an absolute no-go for others: whether it’s 'ok', or 'not ok' to give a particular colleague a hug, for example.

It means everyone has a non-controversial way to let others know what’s acceptable or not, in their own particular case. Other organisations use a traffic light system in a similar way.

We need to find ways to manage a range of behaviours, tolerances and responses in open, non-threatening ways. Creating safe environments where these conversations can happen is a key starting point.

Whether we agree with Slavoj Žižek or despair at people who subscribe to an “anti-woke” agenda, the principles underpinning DEI and how we deploy them at work can seem fraught with difficulty and challenge.

But that doesn’t mean that we can ignore them, turning a blind eye when we’re faced with a challenge that puts us on the spot. As our scenarios suggest, there are ways to take the sting out of these situations by learning some simple techniques and encouraging open dialogue in safe environments.

It’s up to us, as leaders, to make that a reality on the ground. We need to start building our DEI practice now.

Test your understanding

Describe the difference between recruitment based on “culture fit” or “culture add”.
Outline the role brainwriting might play in inclusion practice.

What does it mean for you?

Reflect on the ways in which you might open up dialogue about inclusion with your colleagues. What more could you do to make inclusion a regular part of your team discussions? What protocols might you adopt to support it?