Are you creating an “Inclusion System”?
Here are two ideas from my book, Reconstructing Inclusion: Making DEI Accessible, Actionable, and Sustainable and other texts I leaned on in writing it. In addition, I’ve included one quote, a book recommendation, and a video or article that has inspired or influenced me and hopefully will resonate with you, too. (That’s ✌🏿+ 💡📚➕).
Page 80-81
A central idea of Reconstructing Inclusion is the Inclusion System of which there are five foundational elements. These foundational elements may already be a part of your current DEI approach. If so, the evolution of your Inclusion System is on solid footing. If you don’t find these elements in your approach, then use these as a guide.
1—Accessible, Actionable, Sustainable
An Inclusion System assures that inclusion is integrated into an organizational culture in the following ways:
Accessible means that an Inclusion System is for everyone in an organization, and everyone is invited to contribute to its design; be open and safely critical of it; or make a case for changing what it needs to do more of, differently, or stop doing. Furthermore, it recognizes that those who initially engage in the formal design will be a fraction of the whole. An Inclusion System intentionally finds channels to move that fraction closer to “1,” or completeness.
Actionable means that inclusion is unambiguously prioritized in the organization. While it has ever-emerging philosophies and approaches, the ongoing set of actions and behaviors are communicated with clear expectations of all organizational stakeholders without regard to power or position.
Sustainable means that an Inclusion System is created to fulfill organizational purpose. An Inclusion System is a helping force for all stakeholders (i.e., employees, shareholders, suppliers, and customers/users of products and services) to thrive and advance the organizational culture to be generative.
Sustainability goes beyond traditional connotations of the term mainly focused on the natural environment. Climate action is in scope, but more important is sustaining and growing social capital to address complex social and business challenges.
2—Interdependence
An Inclusion System acts to foster interdependence. It acts as a system in and of itself but can only operate interdependently engaged with other organizational systems. An Inclusion System functions as a system within a system.
3—Mindful Reflection
An Inclusion System reflects on itself constantly. In maintaining its insightfulness, it must be measured and challenged for integrity and viability. An Inclusion System uses the behavioral and social sciences as tools for measuring, evaluating, learning, and telling stories about the impact of its co-creations with other systems. Measures can vary. There can be measures of the inputs to evaluate the uptake and resonance. Most important, however, are the measures of the outcomes and impact.
4—Skilled Operators
An Inclusion System requires skilled operators. There are many people in organizations that consider themselves DEI practitioners. Some have adjacent skills that transcend traditional DEI experience. Others are passionate about the work based on their lived experiences. Skill levels will vary.
Skilled operators are like Moritz, who taught my stepson, Rafael, how to juggle (see pg. 75 of Reconstructing Inclusion). They help people to constantly build capabilities so that more skilled operators are available to the organization.
To a lesser extent, Inclusion Systems require the rhetorically gifted to champion and communicate intentions, actions, and outcomes. Operator skills should outweigh rhetorical skills at least 2:1. All organizations should aspire to diligently growing the skilled operator to rhetorically gifted ratio. Showing is greater than telling.
5—Adherence to Core Elements
The core elements of an emerging Inclusion System are like a mirror for the inputs selected. If any input of the system is found to be out of alignment with the core elements and doesn’t create the conditions for the above in the fulfillment of its mission, it should be discontinued.”
Page 101-102
"Keeping people separated into identity groups to feel safe is similar to social distancing to prevent the spread of a pathogen. It doesn’t create the “socialness” that holds the potential to shift the contexts that contribute to systemic inequities. What it does do, unintentionally, is reinforce the invisible barriers that hinder connection and relatedness across humankinds. There is no agreed-upon evidence that this works across a variety of environments. [There is evidence to the contrary.]
This doesn’t make it wrong, but it requires that we explore its actions to assure that the construct serves our organizations and communities.
Organizational statements or even the formation of programs don’t necessarily move people toward a more significant ability to learn and grow their collective impact. They may affirm a defined group’s confidence in their individual or collective standing in an organization for some time. However, such assurance is likely temporary if it is constructed for one group without intentional actions that invite perspectives for the purpose of sustaining the group’s aspirations. Ambitions that are often related to the reparations (or at least reconciliation) of some sort for systemic disparities. You cannot maintain a systemic change without the collective action of many stakeholders working in solidarity.
Thinking that it is possible to go it alone from the perspective of a particular humankind is erroneous and ironic.”
💡A Quote
“Heroes didn't leap tall buildings or stop bullets with an outstretched hand; they didn't wear boots and capes. They bled, and they bruised, and their superpowers were as simple as listening, or loving. Heroes were ordinary people who knew that even if their own lives were impossibly knotted, they could untangle someone else's. And maybe that one act could lead someone to rescue you right back.”
― Jodi Picoult, Author
📚A Book
Photo Credit: Amazon.com
Us and Them: The Science of Identity by David Berreby
➕A Podcast
“The Contact Hypothesis” | The Opinion Science Podcast
I hope this was helpful. . . Make it a great day! ✌🏿
In this episode of the ‘Reconstructing Inclusion’ podcast, Amri chats with Dr. David Livermore, founder of the Cultural Intelligence Center, and author of the book, Digital, Diverse & Divided: How to Talk to Racists, Compete With Robots, and Overcome Polarization. He shared insights into the profound importance of cultural intelligence (CQ) in our increasingly diverse and digitized world.