how to build and measure a culture of inclusion? develop inclusive leaders

How to Build and Measure a Culture of Inclusion?

Develop Inclusive Leaders

©2015, Linkage. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Exclusion

• Humans are social animals

• Exclusion is threatening. Normal defenses:

– Withdrawal

– Domineering behavior

– Alliances

• These defenses are understandable BUT negative

• Academic researchers find that ostracism is seen as acceptable but more damaging than harassment

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Harassment Exclusion

Active Passive –neglecting to take action

Engages the target Disengages / isolates the target

Negative social attention and treatment Lack of social attention and treatment

Not socially acceptable More socially acceptable

Less common More common

Obvious Subtle

Hard to deny intent Can be due to oversight

Can develop rules against (anti-bullying) Difficult to develop rules against

Increases social engagement Decreases work commitment

Slight relationship to turnover Stronger relationship turnover

Requires bravado Requires no courage

Harassment vs Exclusion

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Exclusion Inclusion

Passive –neglecting to take action Active: It’s all about action

Disengages / isolates the target Engages / Brings in the “target”

Lack of social attention and treatment Increase in social attention and treatment

More socially acceptable May not be socially acceptable

More common Not common

Subtle Obvious and subtle

Can be due to oversight Takes foresight

Difficult to develop rules against Difficult to execute

Decreases work commitment Increases work commitment

Stronger relationship turnover Stronger relationship and engagement

Requires no courage Requires courage

What Is Inclusion?

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Inclusion: Definition

Dictionary• The action or state of including

or of being included within a group or structure

• Include: comprise or contain as part of a whole

In Organizations• All employees feel welcome

accepted, and valued especially under-represented groups

• Employees are recognized for their uniqueness as well as their commitment and energy for the organization

• As a result, employees are more apt to engage and deliver results

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At work, Inclusion is related to full engagement and discretionary effort


How to Get Inclusion

• We talk about “inclusive organizations”

• But, how do you get there?

– Culture

• How do you change culture?

– Leadership

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Leadership and culture are fundamentally intertwined.

Leaders are the main architects of culture. After cultures are formed, they

influence what kind of leadership is possible. When

culture becomes dysfunctional leadership must do something to speed up culture change.

(Edgar Schein 2010)


• What does it feel like to be included or excluded?

• Have you ever worked for a leader who made you feel included? What did he or she do that was inclusive?

Questions Worth Asking

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These simple questions became the basis of an in-depth study with Fortune 1000 diversity officers


Describing an Inclusive Leader

1. Results Focused: expects everyone to contribute their unique talent

2. Open: transparent and articulate about self, direct with others and receptive to others’ ideas

3. Security Builder: establishes an environment where individuals can express themselves and are treated respectfully, even if different

4. Equips Others: elevates others, supportive of others’ development and needs


Inclusive Leadership: Competencies, Behaviors and Outcomes

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Core: Results FocusedExpects everyone to contribute their unique talent

Leads Self: OpenTransparent and articulate about self, direct with others and receptive to others and ideas

Leads Culture: Establish SecurityEstablishes an environment where individuals can express themselves and are treated respectfully, even if different

Leads Relationships Equips OthersElevates others, supportive of others’ development and needs


So How Do We Develop Inclusive Leadership?

Ways to Change Humans and Organizations

• Some believe change thinking with insights, and behavior will follow

• Others believe deliberately change the behavior, and thinking will follow

• Both are right

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Outside InInside Out

The steps to become an inclusive leader can start on the inside with insights or on the outside by changing behavior, practices and habits

Inside OutOutside In


Detailed Assessment Provides Insights and Motivation for Inclusive Leadership

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Validated Questions and Behaviors• We understand the behaviors of inclusive leaders

• By assessing individuals against these and providing feedback, we will guide them to demonstrate inclusive leadership and build an inclusive culture

• Most leaders want to be inclusive—and by contrasting their self-perceptions with others’, targeted improvement is stimulated and motivation for development is inspired

A challenge remains. This continues to be a blind spot for many. Assessments can help, but coaching and insights are needed.


Mindset for Being Results Focused

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Employees Feel Unique

Employees Feel Part

Balance your focus on followers’ contribution to shared results and their unique capabilities

“We need

people like you!”

“We all need to focus on

winning/ results”

“Can you see me? Can you hear me? Does anything I say mean anything to you?” – Oprah Winfrey

Focus on Results


Habits and Practices for Being Open

• Personal disclosure/ vulnerability

• Fluency in describing own cultural script/comfort with own diversity and that of others

• Storytelling

• Practice at candidly discussing differences

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Mindset for Building Security: Micro-Affirmations

• Micro-inequities: seemingly small events that are often hard to prove yet somehow diminish or exclude someone

• Micro-affirmations: subtle or apparently small acknowledgments of a person’s value and accomplishments

– “Small acts, both public and private, often unconscious but very effective which occur wherever people wish to help others to succeed. Tiny acts of opening doors of opportunity.” (Dr. Mary Rowe)

Micro-affirmations empower others to take on more, step up and contribute more


Habits and Practice for Building Security

• Encourage everyone to “speak up”

• Establish an expectation that everyone should be respected

• Safety and risk taking in exposure

• Deliberate articulation and development of culture

• Focus on micro-affirmation

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Mindset for Equipping Others

TW0 MINDSETSCAROL S. DWECK, Ph.D.

Fixed MindsetIntelligence is static

Growth MindsetIntelligence can be developed

As a result, they reach ever-higher levels of achievement.All this gives them a greater sense of free will.

Leads to a desire to look

smart and therefore a

tendency to…

Leads to a desire to learn

and therefore a tendency to…

Graphic by Nigel Holmes – Adapted by Linkage

embracechallenges

persist in the face of

setbacks

see effort as the path to

masterylearn from criticism

find lessons and inspiration in the success of others

CHALLENGES OBSTACLES EFFORT CRITICISMSUCCESS OF

OTHERS

avoid challenges

give up easily

see efforts as fruitless or

worse

ignore useful negative feedback

feel threatened by the success

of others

As a result, they may plateau early and achieve less than their full potential. All this confirms a deterministic view of the world.


Habits and Practice for Equipping Others

• Share decisions and plans

• Coaching skills/new models of development

• Networking skills and strategies for leveraging

• Focus on growth, not fixed capabilities

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About Linkage

Linkage works with leaders and leadership teams worldwide to build organizations that produce superior results. For over 25 years, we have delivered on this promise by strategically aligning leadership, talent, and culture within organizations globally. We do this by providing strategic consulting on leadership development and talent management topics and through our learning institutes, skill-building workshops, tailored assessment services, and executive coaching.

Linkage is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, with operations in Atlanta, New York, San Francisco, and St. Louis, and outside the U.S. in Athens, Bangalore, Brussels, Bucharest, Buenos Aires, Hamilton, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait City, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, and Sydney.

Linkage200 Wheeler Road

Burlington, MA 01803781.402.5555

www.linkageinc.com [email protected]

@LinkageInc

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http://www.linkageinc.com/

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how to build and measure a culture of inclusion? develop inclusive leaders

Documents

culture of inclusion

culture change

social animals exclusion

discretionary effort

main architects of culture

inclusive organizations

inclusive leaders

kind of leadership