Building an inclusive culture – where do organisations fail to put enough effort?
A client of Ian Dodds Consulting’s (IDC) has ambitious transformation plans for building an inclusive culture that delivers real business benefits from diversity. Their Chief Operating Officer queried which areas organisations fail to put enough effort into and, as a result, do not to deliver against their expectations. This is an important question for this organisation, which is complex and has some deeply entrenched attitudes and behaviours.
Regular readers of my posts will know that I would start by emphasising the importance of making full use of the diversity and inclusion (D&I) change drivers in implementing their D&I strategy. These are:
- Leadership message and example;
- Communications and engagement;
- Education and training;
- Measurement
Many organisations fail to underpin their efforts with these drivers. However, those that do recognise their significance often put inadequate effort into:
Leadership example – without the leaders setting an example in the behaviours they expect of others in the new inclusive organisation, their message, no matter how clear, will not be seen as authentic. They will be accused of ‘not walking the talk’.
Engagement – building an inclusive culture involves changing attitudes and behaviours and this does not occur through exhortation. It requires those affected to be involved in diagnosing the needs and helping address them.
Education – changing entrenched behaviours requires that people are made aware of what are appropriate and inappropriate behaviours for an inclusive culture. It is important that the training effort is designed to do this.
Measurement - it is critical to choose measures appropriate to the stage you’re at. Looking for tangible returns on investment when you are only starting your D&I change efforts will enable the sceptics to demean the entire process. This is because a clear foundation of awareness and the need for behaviour change will not yet have been established. Whereas organisations that keep measuring the representation of non-traditional groups in management only—important as that is—never discover new ways to move ahead and gain the business benefits they aspire to.
IDC’s consultants all have considerable experience of helping clients gain the business benefits that accrue from proficiency in D&I change management.
Dr Ian Dodds,
www.iandoddsconsulting.com
10 Dec 15
Coaching leaders and their teams to make more of a difference in the world.
8yIan, as always you hit the nail on the head in a succinct way that comes with real experience and knowledge. Good article.