CamiloTorresWhat Are the Most Effective Management Approaches to Inclusion?
Inclusion is important to an organization. But it is a challenge in the current day workplace climate, especially when it comes to such things as one-on-one activities between men and women. There are several philosophies about fostering inclusion; they range from a rules-based approach to those emphasizing selection, training, and other ways of managing to meet the objective. There should be an effort to avoid the rules-based approach. These were some of the conclusions to be drawn from responses to this month’s column about how best to foster a climate of inclusion in an organization.
Dianne Jacobs made the case for inclusion succinctly when she said: “Those that manage diversity and inclusion well tend to manage change well.” MarufSalmon added, “Inclusion is a pedestal to achieving competitive advantage over other organizations as you use this to turn your human resource to human capital.”
Several respondents nevertheless expressed caution in just how to manage inclusion, particularly when it comes to the specifics of one aspect of inclusion, the one-on-one meeting. Citing a Boy Scout Youth Protection rule on how to avoid such meetings, Phillyattorney asked, “While youth protection is critically important, has our civil discourse reached the point that the same protections are needed in the workplace?” Linda Powell commented, “Men who say they fear meeting alone with a female employee are a symptom of a systemic problem. It’s a problem with the culture in that organization.”
David Wittenberg pursued the issue of rules-based approaches to inclusion further when he said, “Inclusion and diversity are excellent goals. Rules-based approaches don’t always serve those goals… I don’t believe in quotas… Instead, I favor an individualized approach where the organization names diversity and inclusion as values and then individuals are evaluated based on their words and behavior rather than on numbers.” Frances Pratt suggested that, “… there needs to be a more curious approach to the hiring process. This curiosity needs to start with our existing team. Who is in our team and how can we map their skills … to see the gaps? Then how can we approach the process of finding new people with a view of filling these gaps …?”
NickC addressed the issue of training when he said, “… rather than an executive coach or program of study, perhaps seeing things through diverse eyes and experiences might address a fundamental anchoring bias. I see the world through only my eyes. It takes more than the leaders to facilitate such progress …” His suggestion was to involve those being managed to help with the coaching. Linda Powell described several important elements of an effort to support inclusion this way: “Organizations must have clear policies on harassment, (then) insist on leadership that models appropriate behavior, effective mechanisms for investigating charges, and regular surveys to evaluate their effectiveness.”
All of these comments help us to continue the examination of an important question: What are the most effective management approaches to inclusion? What do you think?
Original Column
Diversity and inclusion are universal topics among executives these days. A recent McKinsey study is typical of others that have found “a strong correlation between gender diversity and a company’s bottom line.” Companies in the top quartile of gender diversity worldwide had a high likelihood of outperforming bottom-quartile industry peers in both earnings before interest and taxes as well as longer-term value creation, according to the study.
Others have reminded us that diversity and inclusion are distinct concepts that are often confused—that inclusion is the glue that makes diversity stick. People with diverse backgrounds won’t remain in an organization unless they feel that they are included in what is going on.
There is a lot of advice for managers about how to promote inclusion in an organization. Laura Sherbin and Ripa Rashid remind us as leaders to practice inclusion on an everyday basis by “ensuring that team members speak up and are heard, making it safe to propose novel ideas, empowering team members to make decisions, taking advice and implementing feedback, giving actionable feedback, and sharing credit for team success.”
"There are others ... who apparently fear that a more diverse and inclusive organization poses risks for executives, especially males"
They also suggest that it is important to let people be authentic (i.e., themselves), foster career sponsorship, provide visibility for everyone, and define clear career paths for those who might otherwise get lost in the organization.
To be more inclusive, Sidney Finkelstein advises us to “hire for talent (in unlikely places), not a resume; … define the core vision for the team or organization, and regard everything else as potentially open for innovation;… believe that people you hire can and should do anything; and foster competition and collaboration (not one or the other)."
The ‘risks’ of diversity
There are others, however, who apparently fear that a more diverse and inclusive organization poses risks for executives, especially males. The fear is perhaps fueled by recent allegations of inappropriate workplace behaviors.
Recently, a blog maintained by Gallup appeared in my email under the headline: “Should Men Avoid 1-on-1 Meetings With Women?” I couldn’t believe the question was being asked in this day and age. It seemed to me that the answer was an obvious and resounding “no.” A “yes” reply clearly suggests insensitivity to the personal development needs of both women and men. Further, the title implies that the challenge is for men only.
Nevertheless, I shared the question with several friends of both sexes (not colleagues at HBS). To my surprise, responses were highly varied. One person said, “Ten years ago I would have had the meeting without a second thought; today I’m not so sure.” This led me to wonder whether I had been out of a supervisory role in the workplace for too long. Was I that out of touch with the real world of work?
What is happening on the front lines of management? Are there other kinds of fallout from current efforts to promote gender diversity and inclusion in the workplace? Have these efforts produced a certain amount of caution, fear, and backlash among established managers? How should managers deal with the challenges of building an inclusive workplace? What do you think?
References:
Sidney Finkelstein, 4 Ways Managers Can Be More Inclusive, Harvard Business Review, July 13, 2017
Gallup at Work, “Should Men Avoid 1-on-1 Meetings With Women?,” September 17, 2018, gallup@e.gallup.com
McKinsey & Company, the Shortlist, September 21, 2018, mckinsey.com
Laura Sherbin and Ripa Rashid, Diversity Doesn’t Stick Without Inclusion, Harvard Business Review, February 1, 2017