A group of marketing professionals at a large firm had a tight deadline to meet, and all week they gathered in the conference room for brainstorming discussions. The group mostly comprised young men in their late 20s, who had recently earned advanced degrees in marketing. Denise, a recent hire, felt out of place in the group - not because she wasn’t as qualified to be there, but because she was the only woman, and nearly twenty years older than everyone else.
Throughout the meetings, none of the other group members invited Denise to speak, and when she did present an idea, they dismissed it quickly. She grew frustrated and eventually stopped contributing to the conversation - which was too bad, because her idea ended up being the one that would have been the most successful.
Welcoming all perspectives
The example above shows the harm of non-inclusive behavior: not only did the group miss out on a potentially winning project because the suggestion came from a voice that deviated from the majority, but Denise felt demoralized by the experience.
Gallup expert Ella Washington describes inclusivity as “a culture that values the unique perspectives and contributions of everyone.” In particular, this means ensuring that we listen to the voices of those who are typically marginalized - including people from a diversity of races, ethnicities, sexualities, gender identities, ages, religions, and abilities.
As an individual, being inclusive means welcoming all of the perspectives and experiences out there - especially the ones that don’t look like your own. For example, a straight, white, able-bodied parent who is helping to organize an event for their child’s school might recruit parents of color, LGBTQ parents, and parents with disabilities to participate on the committee.
Communities and community infrastructure can be inclusive as well, from workplaces that ensure a diversity of voices on their leadership team to parks that are designed to accommodate both able-bodied visitors and people with physical disabilities.
The value of diversity
On the surface, it’s easy to see why diversity has its benefits. The more voices you listen to, the more information you gather and the more well-rounded your own perspective can become.
Global organizations have known this for some time: a diverse group of people will bring a wider range of skills and ideas to the table, leading to higher creativity and the probability of more innovative solutions to problems.
Simply gathering a diverse group of people doesn’t necessarily guarantee inclusivity, however. A truly inclusive environment will not only make space for a diversity of perspectives, but listen to and value them all equally.
Inclusivity and personal wellbeing
Inclusivity can benefit groups, but can it also influence personal wellbeing? Signs point to yes.
UK organization Do Something Better ran an online survey of over 1,100 employees of a global company to learn about inclusive working practices and individual outcomes. They found that:
“The more inclusive a person is, the better their wellbeing.”
Let’s break that down, using the organization’s definition of wellbeing: employees who strived to be more inclusive were better able to cope with problems, found it easier to talk to people and make decisions, felt valued and happy, believed that life has meaning, were in good physical health, and had strong close relationships. (Imagine if Denise’s younger colleagues knew this!)
The correlation was so strong, in fact, that one of the study’s authors put it this way: “Someone with high inclusiveness was very unlikely (only 3% chance) to have low wellbeing.”
(Just a few) ways to become a more inclusive person
Remember, becoming a more inclusive person is more than just trying to meet people who aren’t like you. It’s about setting aside your own biases and worldviews and deeply listening to the experiences of others, while ensuring that everyone has enough “air time” to share. Here are some ways to practice this in your own life:
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Discover your unconscious biases.
Everyone has biases - even the most well-meaning people. Psychologists Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald suggest that our minds have two systems: reflective and automatic. Your reflective (conscious) mind likely believes that people from other races deserve equal opportunities. However, your automatic (unconscious) mind is influenced by a lifetime of cultural messages and may have absorbed toxic stereotypes that cause some under-the-surface uneasiness about equality. In other words, even people with the best intentions can act in harmful ways because of their conditioning.
It’s important to begin to pay attention to this type of automatic thinking so that you can challenge it when it comes up. You can begin uncovering your automatic mind by taking Implicit Association Tests, which are free (with registration) at Harvard’s Project Implicit. -
Seek out diverse perspectives in the content you consume.
Have you ever taken a look at your bookshelf, Netflix queue, social media follow lists, or news sources to see what types of voices you spend your time listening to? Do they all look and sound like you? Try to add some diversity to this so that you are bringing in a wider variety of perspectives. For example, if you are white, you may choose to only read books by people of color for a few months, or if you are cis-gendered, you could follow a few trans activists on Twitter. This is an excellent way to learn about the lived experiences of marginalized populations and open your own worldview. -
Talk to more people.
There are plenty of ways you can interact with a broader network of people. Meeting other parents at your child’s school, taking a class or joining a book club, asking a new colleague to lunch, or simply walking your dog in a public space and saying hello to everyone you meet can create opportunities to connect with people you might not have met otherwise. New York Times columnist Frank Bruni found that walking his dog in Central park encouraged “spending time in public spaces that are open to everyone and well situated and appealing enough to guarantee that people from all walks of life cross paths.” -
Pay attention to your language.
Embedded in our speech are the subtle ways we hang on to divisive and outdated ways of thinking. For example, calling someone a “female professor” implies that professors should be men. Addressing a group as “you guys” isn’t gender-inclusive and can make female-identifying members of the group feel excluded or uncomfortable. Learning to adjust your language to ensure inclusivity, without blaming yourself or feeling ashamed, is a key step to creating an environment in which all people feel safe and comfortable.
Where to learn more
Becoming a more inclusive person doesn’t happen overnight - it’s a process of paying more attention to your reactions and interactions with others, as well as learning to more deeply listen to the voices of others, especially marginalized communities. Here are some links where you can learn more.
Community inclusivity:
- Assessing your community’s inclusiveness
- Parks for Inclusion policy guide
- Diversity, equity, and inclusivity resources for classrooms (and individuals, groups, and communities!)
- University of Minnesota Office for Equity and Diversity
Personal inclusivity:
Banaji, M.R., Greenwald, A.G. (2013). Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People. New York: Random House.
Bruni, F. (31 August 2019). Dogs will fix our broken democracy. New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/31/opinion/dogs-democracy.html.
Charlton, N., Pine, K.J., Fletcher, B. (2016). Diversity and inclusiveness, wellbeing and openness to change: The effects of a Do Something Different program in a global organisation. Diversity and Inclusiveness White Paper. Retrieved from http://dsd.me/business/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2016/08/Diversity-an….
Gallup Called to Coach Webcast. (28 May 2019). Diversity and inclusion: Bottom-up as well as top-down. Retrieved from https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/266405/diversity-inclusion-b….