How to Put together an Inclusive Culture: The Foundation of Belonging
Inclusive organizations have more productive and happy teams. But how do such organizations come to be?
We are familiar with the sensation of belonging—of being included—and, naturally, we want all team members in our organizations to feel the same way. We intuitively understand that this is the proper way to run an organization; we also know from neuroscience that when people feel excluded, biochemical alarms similar to those associated with physical pain are activated in the brain—not a situation conducive to employee well-being and performance.
“I had felt excluded, particularly when my manager was evasive regarding the requirements for promotion. They were deceiving me, and there is no dignity in it.”
Apart from the right thing to do and promoting improved individual and team performance, inclusive teams benefit businesses by attracting and retaining the most varied and talented people. However, despite the apparent benefits, most companies fail to cultivate attitudes of inclusion among the majority of their employees.
Live Training Classes for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging for Remote Teams
Unsurprisingly, firms struggle to identify the specific improvements necessary to encourage greater inclusion across their varied employee bases. As a result, we at Woods Kovalova Group surveyed 4900 individuals across various industries and demographic backgrounds, in five countries, at all levels of seniority and organizational size to ascertain what factors contribute to employees feeling included. The most striking finding is that most employees, regardless of color, gender, or sexual orientation (including straight white men), do not feel included.
The good news is that, despite the clamor in the corporate world about what inclusion truly means, it turns out that the majority of people, regardless of their identities or experiences, describe what inclusion looks and feels like in very similar ways. Our data-supported opinion is that the experience of inclusion is nearly universal and consists of a few unique components that people across populations value. When asked to characterize the characteristics of an inclusive company, the diverse group of persons we questioned agreed on the following: A diverse organization is one in which individuals are heard, appreciated, and supported.
When asked what inclusion means to them, employees across all demographics respond that it means being treated with dignity, bringing their authentic selves to work, contributing, and feeling connected to others—all of which are consistent with our definition of inclusion.
We define inclusion as a sense of belonging within your company and team, being treated with dignity as a person, and being encouraged to engage fully and offer your unique perspective to work each day.
Ready To Talk?
We partner with visionary leaders that want to shape the future, not flee it. When we collaborate, we achieve incredible achievements. Contact Us.
Overview
Jim Woods is the President and CEO of Woods Kovalova Group's Denver, London, and Kyiv offices and head of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Practice. He works exclusively in the banking sector with senior executives and leadership teams to create a significant and sustainable impact in DE&I to create the kind of inclusive environment that allows companies to attract, retain, and get the best out of their employees and serve their communities. Better.
Experience
Jim has more than two decades of experience driving change in the banking industry around performance, growth, and innovation. He's designed and led complex transformation initiatives in companies linked to globalization, demographic changes, sustainability, shifting business models, and new technologies.
Earlier in his career, Jim served in the United States Navy, taught fifth-grade math and science, including university human resources and leadership. Also, Jim has taught at Villanova University. He has authored six business books on DE&I, and leadership.
Education
Capella University, MS in Organizational Development and Human Resources