I recently shared research on LinkedIn showing that in organizations actively promoting gender equality, when women do well, their success is less likely to be attributed to their abilities and more likely to be seen as unfair by others.
That continuingly frustrating trope of “the diversity hire” is alive & kicking
Normally we “blame” the narrow mindedness of the people who hold these views. “They don’t recognize their own privilege” we say. Or “they’re frightened of losing out if we level the playing field”. Or “they’re angry because their sense of entitlement to certain jobs and opportunities is being challenged”.
It is easy to blame “unreconstructed people” who simply “don’t get it”, but is this the whole story?
For diversity initiatives to succeed, organizations need to lay the right foundations. Too many organizations focus on a diversity numbers game without creating the environment to ensure colleagues with minoritized characteristics are genuinely welcomed and set up to succeed.
It’s the equivalent of filling your house with new furniture while the roof leaks and there is mould growing up the walls. That shiny new furniture will not stay shiny for long.
We get so acclimatized to the culture we work in we don’t see what’s holding us back from becoming genuinely inclusive.
If you are working to increase diversity in your organization, here are three questions to consider to make sure you are laying the foundations for success.
1. How will your existing colleagues be supported to change?
Many organizations act as if all they need to do is bring people with minoritized characteristics in, and miraculously their culture and ways of working will change.
A key rationale for seeking diversity is to bring fresh perspectives and ideas to an organization. What leaders rarely think about is that existing teams and colleagues work the way they do because it feels comfortable and familiar.
Unless you actively work with teams to help them understand the change you wish to create, how it might affect them and how they do their jobs, surface what they might find uncomfortable and agree how to deal with this, underneath smiles cauldrons may be boiling.
Even if you don’t know how things will change when you bring diversity into your organizational mix, you can agree how people will be supported through the change.
2. What story are you telling about why diversity matters?
In working towards greater diversity, rarely do leaders create a clear narrative about the change they are seeking, why it matters to the business and what this means for existing colleagues. They almost never articulate in clear and relevant ways how existing colleagues will benefit.
Even if such a narrative is created, it is rarely communicated in ways that penetrate deeply into the organization. Or the message is communicated once and leaders assume it has been understood and absorbed.
Telling the story of why increased diversity matters to your organization is not a one and done activity. It also needs to be humanized so people can relate the story to their own experience of your organization.
3. Do leaders know how to create the right conditions for inclusion?
Because equity, diversity and inclusion have been mainstream in organizational discourse for the last few years, we assume leaders understand what these concepts are and how they apply to their own businesses.
When exploring working with new clients, a question we always ask is “what do you understand by the terms ‘equity’, ‘diversity’ and ‘inclusion’?”
Most – yes most – leaders struggle to answer. If we then ask this question of others, it is always the case – yes always – that different people in the same organization define the terms differently.
This is just one indicator of what we regularly find: leaders very often over-estimate their understanding of EDI. Is it any wonder, then, that even the sincerest people, genuinely trying to drive change, struggle to succeed?
And finally…
Organizations regularly report that they have higher turnover among colleagues with minoritized characteristics. This costs businesses money in increased recruitment costs and lost organizational knowledge.
Doesn’t it therefore make sense to spend some time creating the conditions for colleagues with minoritized characteristics to thrive?
Can we help?
Full Colour specialises in helping leaders get the best from people and from themselves so they can deliver high quality results and create a workplace culture people love. We do this by helping leaders build equitable, diverse and inclusive organisations.
Do you want help with any aspect of your leadership and inclusion journey? Reach out to Izzy Taylor on [email protected] to arrange an informal, no obligation chat with Srabani Sen.