TALKING HEADS
T
Inclusion requires us to listen to our people
T
Binna Kandola
We prove our
commitment to
inclusion in the way
we behave towards
one another.
he executive chairman could
not have made his intentions
clearer: “Diversit y and
inclusion (D&I) are important
to me and to this organisation. I’m
delighted that you have given up your
valuable time to be here today to share
your insights into making us even more
diverse and inclusive. Make no mistake,
this is my number one priority.”
The audience — employees from
different parts of the organisation, plus a
few external speakers — was impressed,
as was I. “Unfortunately, I have to leave
now, but I look forward to hearing the
outcomes from this conference,”
he added.
He had spent approximately two
minutes on a topic which was his number
one priority. I wonder how much time he
gave his number two priority.
Sadly, this is all too typical of senior
leaders’ approaches to inclusion; their
words show one thing, their actions
another. Inclusion is a feeling — and
“To understand
what can be
done to create an
inclusive culture
requires more
than the ritualistic
mouthing of empty
platitudes”
to understand what can be done to
create an inclusive culture requires
more than the ritualistic mouthing of
empty platitudes.
In principle, of course everyone is in
favour of more inclusion. It’s in the way
we behave towards one another that we
prove it, however.
We hear (so often now that it’s
become a cliché) that with issues such
as race we need to have conversations.
But conversations are about listening as
well as talking. One way to discover how
inclusive our organisations are, and what
we need to do to improve, is to listen
to the experiences of our colleagues,
particularly those who feel that they
are being denied equal opportunities.
It can be a difficult, occasionally painful,
process but it is one thing that can
help engender greater understanding
and empathy.
Leaders need to engage and visibly
demonstrate their commitment. We
should also be aware, however, that
there is one powerful blockage to those
who wish to do this: the consequences
of making a misstep. As one leader told
me: “The benefits of me talking about
D&I do not seem to outweigh the risks
should I say something wrong.”
Reactions to well-intentioned
individuals not using the current
terminology can often be so strong
that it puts people off wanting to discuss
these topics in public at all.
“Is it BAME or BME? Coloured people
or people of colour? What does LGBT+
mean again?” The language of diversity
is always evolving. People may not
be aware of what’s acceptable right
now. To react with condemnation and
anger each time someone uses a term
someone else considers outmoded only
serves to suppress further conversations,
which, in turn, means the vision of
inclusion remains as distant as ever.
Professor Binna Kandola is a business
psychologist, senior partner and
co-founder of Pearn Kandola.
February – May 2020 // 57