Organisations in India are putting many policies, practices, and processes in place in an effort to create inclusive workplaces; aside from providing unconscious bias training for staff, the main focus is on addressing the unique needs of diverse groups (gender, generation, differently abled, etc.).
Furthermore, it’s critical to pursue this organisational inclusion journey in order to eliminate systemic and cultural unconscious prejudices and give every group equitable access to opportunities.
Diversity has been introduced into the workplace as a result, but utilising diversity—the true business driver—is still difficult. Each of us must intentionally walk through the Inclusion Pyramid, which is really an individual trip that I refer to as the Individual Inclusion trip, in order to be proficient at utilising diversity.
How DO YOU react to distinctions?
Conscious: Do you keep an eye out for the ways in which people differ from you? One CEO I know of described how, in a difficult client discussion, one of his staff members adopted a very comforting and non-confrontational manner that contrasted sharply with his own.
Accept & Appreciate: How do you feel when someone holds a different opinion than you? holds a viewpoint that differs from yours? possesses a distinct decision-making style? Recently, the vice president of a BPO was criticising her manager, who relied only on that management style and had a highly hands-on approach to managing people and performance. Her own approach was more about empowering and delegating, and it produced outcomes as well. However, the manager only gave high performance ratings to team members who exhibited her own flair! This is by no means an unusual situation.
Respect: My previous trainer, Murli, left for better opportunities, so I recently rejoined my gym and recruited her. I was seriously thinking of replacing Murli as I concluded our first session. He appeared incredibly haphazard and unprepared. I was following the format created by my former trainer, who was quite meticulous in outlining our weekly workout strategy. This was ideal for my extremely meticulous and orderly mentality. Murli, on the other hand, seemed to work with a variety of tools and body parts at random and had a strategy in his head. I realised he took a unique approach to working out when I asked him to talk. However, in order to even extend an invitation to speak and hear his perspective, I had to “respect” the possibility that his unconventional method would be worthwhile. It means that I have to stop “judging” and stop waiting to see the outcome.
Leverage: After determining the difference’s worth, the next step is to pinpoint any obstacles or problems and use the team’s unique capabilities to overcome them. To facilitate the best possible negotiation, the CEO and his report can utilise their complimentary skills of confrontation and harmonising; the VP and her manager can combine the best aspects of each of their approaches to provide the best possible teams and performance. I can also enhance Murli’s varied approach to exercise with my methodical manner.
We find differences uncomfortable by nature (this stems from our ape-like reaction). We feel out of control and threatened by differences. They may also breed suspicion. Training and deliberate effort are needed in order to take advantage of variety.
Training and coaching leaders and managers through this Individual Inclusion Journey presents, in my opinion, a great opportunity (and an urgent need) to develop the capacity to recognise and capitalise on the diversity of others’ experience, background, viewpoint, and working style.
Being inclusive should and soon will be a crucial leadership skill.
Currently, it appears that diversity programmes place too much emphasis on embracing diversity and meeting the unique needs of “different” people, and not enough emphasis on utilising those differences in strengths.
When everyone can recognise, value, and capitalise on their unique strengths, diversity will be drawn to and a culture of inclusion will flourish. Additionally, we will easily adjust to diverse requirements once we recognise the worth of differences.
This is genuine inclusivity.
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