Your organisation’s culture is the sum of everyone within your organisation and everything they think, say and do (and how they think, say and do it). But it’s only when everyone feels that they belong and that their input and ideas are encouraged and embraced – when your organisation is inclusive – that diversity becomes a competitive advantage that improves:
Create a diverse workforce.
Realise its potential with an inclusive culture.
Diversity is a powerful thing. It has long been linked with high performance. When you bring together a diverse group of people with diverse views, ideas and solutions, it’s the foundation of an innovative culture. But the truth is, you can’t harness the power of diversity unless your culture is also inclusive. So, how do you create and nurture a culture that’s both diverse and inclusive?
Inclusion: Unlocking the power of diversity
Business performance
Diversity of knowledge and perspectives encourages creativity, leading to new solutions and innovation.
Customer relations
When your workforce reflects the diversity of your customer base, understanding and meeting your customers’ expectations becomes second nature.
Decision-making
Diverse experiences, mental models and perspectives reduce ‘group-think’ by creating a broader, stronger range of solutions.
Who creates an inclusive culture?
Leaders do. Knowingly or unknowingly, your leaders’ behaviours and the behaviours they encourage or discourage in others are the bedrock of your culture.
So, while a culture of inclusion involves all levels of your organisation, it must be led by senior leaders. Leaders set the tone and messaging around inclusion, which translates into an inclusive environment for your people and, ultimately, your clients.
And to do that successfully and sustainably, your leaders need well developed mental models for diversity, inclusion and belonging.
How we can help you nurture diversity, inclusion and belonging
At Kaya, we have a proven methodology that enables our team to understand the prevailing mental models (beliefs and mindsets) within your leadership group and wider organisation, then design tailored interventions that enable your people to evolve those models.
Our diversity and inclusion workshops and interventions:
- Examine personal mental models on diversity, inclusion and belonging
- Explore the role of leaders in ensuring diversity, inclusion and belonging at interpersonal, team and organisational levels
- Develop the skills necessary to be a capable, inclusive leader
Together, we’re able to shift perceptions, remove psychological barriers and provide the support and tools your people need to create and maintain a diverse, inclusive, culturally aligned workforce.
Check out our diversity and inclusion blog post to learn more about how inclusion unlocks the power of diversity. Learn more about how we use mental models to develop effective leaders. Or contact our leadership specialists to begin creating a culture of inclusion.