The Power of Inclusion – Introduction
This will be the first is a series of xx posts (a work in progress) on “the power of inclusion”.
Ian Graham
I am curious to know how you will distinguish inclusive from diverse organisations. You are saying that a diverse organisation is one where people are seen in categories.
You define an inclusive organisation as one where people are respected for who they are as an individual.
I do not define diversity that way. To me, diversity is a descriptor of the degree of difference exists amongst the participants. A less diverse organisation will have greater levels of similarity amongst the participants, and a more diverse organisation will have greater degrees of difference between the participants.
The way that respect is distributed is not, to me, a function of the organisation’s diversity. I think that what you are referring to is what is called in New Zealand “political correctness.”
Perhaps this will help clarify. My humble take is that an organization can be both inclusive and diverse. Inclusion should in fact foster diversity because differences are welcome and encouraged. The natural outcome of a truly inclusive organization will be diversity.
The starting point for diversity is how we are different.
The starting point for inclusion is more holistic and welcoming.