Photo Credit: Cassie Josephson
There is change afoot in my organization. I feel a renewal that is coming from allowing space for not just diversity, but also for inclusion in the workplace. You may wonder, what is the difference between diversity and inclusion? In its simplest form, diversity is the recognition of differences in people. Inclusion is the active welcoming, embracing and bringing-in of those who embody these differences. The change I sense in my workplace is the inclusion of diverse people.
I am very fortunate to be the Program Manager for my organization’s Culture and Inclusion Committee. Our mandate may seem predictable – to foster a culture of inclusion, that supports diversity, and validates all employees. This sounds fine and dandy, and I am sure we all agree that this is a good thing. But what does it really mean? As Edgewalkers, we grapple with this question, seeking wise counsel from leaders who practice inclusion.
Communities of practice are meant to roam free. Such communities attract Edgewalkers
Over the years, our Culture and Inclusion Committee members have tried to place a lot of objectives into our workplan that are program related. I have experienced all too often that as soon as we try to wrap program parameters around a community of practice, the community begins to die a slow, painful death. Communities of practice are meant to roam free. Such communities attract Edgewalkers. This is, after all, where we flourish – in unhindered communities of practice.
In 2013, our corporation was experiencing significant downsizing, known as the Deficit Reduction Action Plan, or DRAP, as it became unaffectionately known to many of us. If you were a part of the practitioner team back then, you will recall that under the tutelage of our esteemed leader, Bob Chartier, we responded with a short-list of engagement tools that we called the “Six-pack for Hard Times”. Bob was and still is a man who gets in the face of the corporate giants, so although it seemed a crude title, it was fitting.
It seems just as fitting as our response to the senior leaders who requested that we facilitate a teambuilding workshop for their employees. They discovered that we named the workshop “Teambuilding is Not a Workshop”. Did we deliver a workshop that would promote teambuilding? You bet we did – by teaching the employees how to change the conversation in their workplace and bring about change with or without the senior leaders. This was not hard to do, because the senior leaders did not bother to show up to the workshops.
Those same senior leaders still ask for teambuilding workshops. The employees who participated in the workshops have mostly moved on to organizations where they feel valued.
Over time, I realized that the only senior leaders who were asking for teambuilding workshops were the ones who were not acknowledging the value of their people. Senior leaders who were embracing the diverse nature of their people had no need for teambuilding workshops.
I have learned from Bob that we spend far too much time trying to be cautious and politically correct, sometimes at the expense of the people we think we are helping.
Give me an example of how you respect diversity.
For years, this was my closer question in interviews for hiring. I used to hope for the best, but often settled for mediocrity. Some of the answers baffle me to this day. But for each respondent, the answer was sincere and heartfelt. “I don’t notice people’s differences. I don’t notice that her skin is a different colour” (referring to my fellow-interviewer sitting next to me). Or, “I don’t kill bugs. Well, unless they’re in my house. And unless they bite.” Sincere, heartfelt, but not quite what I was looking for. Part of the challenge is how we choose to define diversity.
When we wrap a way of being inside of the parameters of a program, we kill it with guidelines and policies before it even has a chance to blossom
When we wrap a way of being inside of the parameters of a program, we kill it with guidelines and policies before it even has a chance to blossom. We cannot have a Pink Shirt Day in our schools and think we have solved the issue of bullying. We cannot have an annual diversity event and expect that we have changed the culture of our organizations. We cannot fly a Pride flag but look down on those who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. Pink Shirt Day, diversity events, or flying Pride flags are not by any means bad ideas. But they cannot be a checkmark in a box, a deliverable on a performance review. These are nothing but equity detours that skirt the real issues facing our schools, workplaces, places of worship, and communities. The critical issue at hand is not that our schools, workplaces, places of worship, and communities are suffering. No, even more critical is that real people, often vulnerable and already broken, are stuck in the middle of battles that are roped with red tape, policies and programs designed in feeble attempts to embrace and include the very same people. The result is entire cultures of people who have been trampled by those they trusted to not trample them.
I have high hopes for my organization. I am proud to say that at middle and senior management levels, a common understanding is shared about the importance of walking the talk. Our leaders are unashamed to embrace personal differences as fully as embracing change, and they are demonstrating with poise and grace how to do so. They are looking to positive leaders who do the same, and we look to our leaders to learn from them. And so it goes, the nature of leadership starts with being good followers of good people.
Such is the nature of Edgewalking.
One senior leader, who I am proud to say, is a mentor of mine, and often unapologetically goes on the record to say that he will err on the side of inclusion. What does that mean? It means there is room for me. There is room for you. There is room for all of us. To be who we are. To be people of our own colour, race, ethnicity, gender or non-gender, religion, socio-economic status, age, physical ability, political beliefs, ideologies – I think you get the picture.
I am finding that as we figure out the simple yet complex concepts of diversity and inclusion, our organization is changing. I believe that diversity and inclusion are the key to effective organizational change.
Diversity and Inclusion
We can all likely agree that in the past few decades many organizations recognize the importance of embracing diversity. A diverse workforce or establishing goals for representation from equity groups has been all the rave. Yet, I have seen Indigenous People hired onto teams only to experience scrutiny from others for their unique perspectives in some areas that could, quite frankly, do well to be overhauled. The result has been that those individuals have left either on their own accord, or in some cases, have been escorted out of the building because they have not “fit the mold.” We cannot hire a diverse workforce and then expect everyone to think and do the same things and have the same ideas. We must embrace diversity and inclusion. We need to hire people of diversity and embrace them for their diversity. We all need to feel valued, so that we have something to contribute. Including diverse ideas provides unique solutions to our problems. When we include those who have fresh and different ideas, we create the space for change to happen.
Dissention and Dissection
When I create teams, I look for people from different experiences, backgrounds, and education. I am not interested in having people come on board a project because it is part of their position or because they were voluntold. I am interested in people who are passionate about the cause, and who are not afraid to share their perspective, no matter how differing it may be. I seek dissention and dissection.
Dissention and dissection are both necessary to initiate change. Disagreement without analysis is just yelling for the sake of yelling. Such people are the chihuahuas of the organization, talking to be heard, because they feel small and unheard. But those who embody dissention and dissection, are also those who understand the value of differing opinions.
Edgewalkers, we must create the space for the potential to emerge in our communities and on our teams. Create the space for dissention and dissection to take place with respect and integrity. When we do this, we light a fire under change-agents who will initiate change for the greater good. In the process, they will follow our lead. We must therefore ensure we are also following positive leaders.
After all, being an Edgewalker is all about first being a good follower of wise leaders.
Donovan Mutschler, MA
For more information on the content or processes included in this article contact Donovan Mutschler at donovan@edgewalkers.ca.
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