Driving Sustainable Inclusion Success Across Your Organization

Marsha Wesley Coleman

Contributed Advisory by Marsha Wesley Coleman,
Organizational Development Practitioner and Executive Coach
Friends Services Alliance

“We are the ones we are waiting for.”

June Jordan

In my role as an organizational development practitioner, I’ve observed that no matter what type of change that an organization is trying to make, the ones that withstand the test of time are propelled by people who are passionate about effecting change and whose organization and leadership team support them.

No change effort goes without someone being committed to making the changes necessary, no matter how many challenges and how complex that change might seem.

As organizations have directed their energies toward diversity, equity and inclusion programming and after the post-George-Floyd hyperfocus has quieted, they may get to a point where they feel stagnant in their inclusion journey.

When you, as an organizational leader, feel your inclusivity efforts are losing steam, look for these opportunities to reinvigorate your team.

Opportunity 1: Take advantage of existing resources.

Too often, people go into a room with the good intent to establish diversity and inclusion efforts or structures from the ground up. I recommend steering away from this approach.

Ample resources, such as the Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmark Model, are readily accessible and can save time and energy, which will help you stay committed to your endeavor. 

Opportunity 2: Encourage staff to level up.

Organizations often wait with eager anticipation for their employees and board members to “be ready” to embrace workplace inclusivity. However, waiting for people to be fully prepared to embrace these efforts is not the most effective approach.

Move forward and watch as people level up to your new systems.

Your organization may perceive a need for more time before embarking on intentional steps to create an inclusive environment. But, starting with smaller steps, such as using preferred pronouns and anonymous job postings, is easier. Give your staff permission to evolve together.

Opportunity 3: Reframe your inclusion efforts as an exercise in professionalism rather than values.

Your employees have distinct backgrounds and affinities and will always have differing values. While these variations will always persist, organizations can emphasize the significance of prioritizing professionalism over personal values.

Let’s look at preferred pronouns, for example. Some people may not agree that using preferred pronouns is necessary. Still, if your workplace has stated that using them is standard and expected, then they should follow this as a professional standard rather than as a proclamation of a shared value.

When you give yourself the flexibility to adjust how your organization interprets inclusion, you are giving individuals the chance to reconstruct how they participate in these efforts.

Opportunity 4: Dig deeper.

The final opportunity for organizations is to refocus attention from superficial diversity initiatives and focus on deeper issues around equity and inclusion.

For example, a leader may change the posters hanging around the office to include more diverse individuals or expand the type of food offered at a special event.

Is your organization digging deeper into people’s values and thoughts and what is truly important to them? Is your organization giving people opportunities to advance regardless of their background?

By refocusing on these fundamental issues, organizations can create an environment where every individual feels valued and can thrive.

Steering Sustainable Change

My goal, and your goal, should be to foster a learning environment that encourages open dialogue about mistakes and opportunities. Resiliency, as an organization, will help inclusivity efforts blossom and grow.

One person, entity or committee cannot be solely responsible for creating an inclusive environment, but by fostering collaboration alongside marketing, human resources and consultants, you can help oversee organization-wide change.

Each team will bring its strengths and resources, whether through conducting research, training, communicating efforts internally or something else.

Creating an inclusive workplace is not a magical process; it needs to occur like any other change you make. Analyze how your organization has successfully rolled out similar initiatives such as a new piece of technology, revamping hiring processes or switching to a hybrid work environment.

Those efforts took great care, thought, time and resources. Creating an inclusive workplace should be treated similarly.

As a leader, you have a chance to impact your organization’s inclusivity journey. By seizing opportunities such as utilizing existing resources, empowering staff growth and delving deeper into what equity and inclusion really mean, you can create long-lasting, meaningful shifts in culture. 

We are the generation who has the power, resources and the responsibility to make the changes we know should happen.

We are the ones we are waiting for. 

Marsha Wesley Coleman is an organizational development practitioner and executive coach at Friends Services Alliance.

Communication Intelligence magazine
Contributed Advisory
April, 2024