Building an Inclusive Climate

Beyond diversity numbers: Creating a mental map of expected and rewarded behaviors where everyone feels they belong.

"These are my personal notes from courses I took at eCornell with Professor Lisa Nishii. I am sharing the ones that most resonated with my experiences working at Kaiser Permanente and at IBM Middle East and Africa."

— Chris Walker

Inclusion in the Here and Now

Not through the lens of "-isms"
Fairness & Respect are foundational
Everyone is potentially at risk

The Balance

Belongingness

Feeling part of the group.

Uniqueness

Individual uniqueness is recognized and valued.

Ingredients of Inclusive Climate

1 Strong values for developing high quality interpersonal relationships and competence.
2 A shared belief that people's diverse backgrounds are a source of insight that can be leveraged to enhance learning and performance.

Inclusive Climate

Climate is mental map of behaviors that are expected and rewarded
Helps reduce unpredictability
Climate can be changed quickly and effectively with clear signals about behaviors
Drivers:
Learning, Well-Being, Performance

Benefits

When people feel that those around them value what they have to offer...
...and are genuinely interested in them as individuals,
They are bolstered by belonging and confidence.
Which makes them more engaged with their work and with their coworkers...
...Leading to higher performance and lower turnover.

Leadership's Role

As a leader, you have enormous power to shape your team's work climate. You signal values based on what you systematically pay attention to.

Leadership is a Process

Peer Influence
Employees often see themselves as passive recipients
The reality is that employees co-create climate
Employee behavior determines how the climate is perceived

Create a Vision

Vision Should Be:

1
Understandable
2
Succinct
3
Powerful
4
Engaging
Provide a rationale for inclusion
Helps to create a stronger climate
Use stories and examples
Adjust the message
Communication not one way
The way you communicate
Balance advocacy with inquiry
Respond to questions
Validates that you are listening
Shows you are interested
Ensures that you understand
HOW vs WHAT you say
Listen and Observe
Adapt Standards
Be vigilant
Routinize discussion

Factors that Help Foster an Inclusive Climate

Shared understanding of team's goals
Align each member's contribution
Not uncommon to suffer from unresolved disagreements
Clear motivation about what needs to be done
Leader's Role: Provide clear motivation
Invest time to develop a shared vision
Establish Norms
Systems of accountability

Warning: Unexpressed perspectives can lead to disruptive conflicts and hamper continuous improvement.

Role Modeling

Informal behaviors matter just as much, if not more, than formal behaviors. People pay close attention to what you do versus what you say.

The Authentic Loop

Internalize inclusion standards yourself
↓
Your actions come across as authentic & genuine
↓
Staff will adopt them as their own

The Cynicism Loop

Leader does not "walk the talk"
↓
Messages are inconsistent; trust erodes
↓
Breeds cynicism; Leader seen as unpredictable
Remember: Focus on team member's perceptions, rather than on your intentions.

Characteristics of Inclusive Leaders

Clearly communicate expectation for respectful treatment.
Show interest in team members as people, not just workers.
Relate to one another on a personal level.
Encourage members to communicate their perspectives.
Mindful about protecting an environment where people feel comfortable.
Listen carefully when they do speak up.
Avoid engaging in preferential treatment.
Take time to understand different perspectives.

Inclusive Rules of Engagement

Have you ever seen a team in which discussions and decision-making are dominated by a subset of team members? Sometimes, a few people have the loudest voices, or the strongest personalities, and they get more attention and influence. How can leaders ensure that team members are functioning as a group, building constructively on each other's ideas, resolving conflict, and ultimately, making decisions together? The highest performing teams do just that.

The Dominance Trap

In the absence of team rules or norms that are explicitly designed to facilitator the participation of all team members...
...and to promote collaborative exchange among them...
...team discussion and decision-making are often dominated by a subset of team members.
(This could be those with greater status, or more outgoing personalities)
When only a narrow set of views is considered, teams become vulnerable to group think or incomplete decision-making.

Common Information Bias

The Bias:

Choosing to focus on ideas that are shared in common, even though they may not be more valid.

The Reality:
An idea that no one else has expressed is often most worthy of consideration.

Peer Influence & Environment

Peer Influence

The reality is that employees co-create climate. Employee behavior determines how the climate is perceived.
"You're either part of the solution or you're part of the problem."
~ Eldridge Cleaver

Environmental Conditions

Institutional Policies
Rules & Regulations
Economic Conditions
Inherited Climate

Status Cues as Inhibitors

When identity group membership is perceived to be correlated with:

Life Chances
Access to Resources
Opportunities
Voice
Command more respect
Command more deference
Command more power
Benefit of the doubt
Then any talk about inclusion is going to feel like a farce.

The Good News

Patterns of privilege can be delegitimized much more easily within workgroups.
Through the fair implementation of work practices by unit leaders.
When resources and opportunities are fairly distributed, boundaries between in/out groups blur.

Micro-aggressions

Subtle behaviors that lead someone to feel devalued. They define the tone of the team.

A microaggression is a subtle behavior that leads someone to feel devalued.
Being repeatedly interrupted or spoken over
Having others take credit for your ideas
Not being welcomed into a conversation
Being the last to receive information about something
Microaggressors can be observed:
Being condescending or demeaning towards others
Showing little interest in the opinions expressed by others
Addressing others in unprofessional terms
Excluding some from professional camaraderie
Withholding valuable information from others

Micro-affirmations

A microaffirmation is a visible sign of support side by:
Smiling
Nodding
Looking Interested
The power of subtle, non-verbal cues is incredible!
Single instances may appear minor.
Cumulatively, they define the tone of the team...
...and determine people's experiences of Inclusion

TIP: Question your gut reaction.

Every time you recognize an immediate gut reaction to someone, question it. Look for at least two pieces of evidence that may contradict your automatic reaction. Ask: "Would I have the same reaction if someone else had engaged in the same behavior?"