The Key to Inclusion Audiobook
The audio book of our most recent publication ‘the Key to Inclusion’ is out now! Get your copy at any of the following retailers:
Soon to be available on Amazon Audible and Spotify.
To mark this exciting moment, we are offering you the chance of winning a free audio book code. All you need to do is sign up using this link. Good Luck!
The book was authored by my talented Included colleagues and I really enjoyed listening to it in audio form. Here are some of my key take aways from the first chapter: Cognitive Load (Stephen Frost and Deidre Golden).
Three take aways from Chapter 1:
Cognitive Load
- Recognise cognitive load as a barrier to inclusion. Cognitive load refers to the amount of information our working memory can process at any given time. When people are experiencing high cognitive load (i.e they have a lot on their plate), they may view diversity, equity, and inclusion as “simply unnecessary work”. People with high cognitive loads are less likely to be receptive to new ideas or to adapt their behaviour, they are focusing on just getting through the week, day, hour… When this is our reality, we are more likely to rely on biases, such as affinity bias and confirmation bias, which can lead to less inclusive decisions. Do you recognise this in yourself? I do! How do you create the space to ensure your decisions are not unduly influenced by bias? Well one way is take away 2… (read on):
- Encourage self-reflection and thinking time. I loved hearing this, it felt like a challenge (because it is hard to do) and a validation (because my best self really wants to do it!). As leaders we should model and encourage our colleagues to take time for self-reflection and thinking. By creating space to process information and reflect on our own biases, we all make more informed and inclusive decisions. This can include scheduling “email-free” time and discouraging weekend work. I recently blocked out a couple of hours to do a deep dive into a topic of interest, it was hard to prioritise the time but I did it ‘out loud’, partly to model the behaviour, but also for some accountability. I found that this approach had a double benefit. 1) I got the research done and 2) feedback was that it encouraged others to prioritise reflection time too. Win-win.
- Frame inclusion as a method to solve problems and reduce cognitive load. If we see DEI as an intrinsic part of the business, rather than a separate initiative, it can help reduce cognitive load. This sounds counter-intuitive, but when we think about it for a moment we know that inclusive practices can help teams make better decisions and be more productive. This, in turn, can help to create a more positive and supportive work environment, which can also reduce cognitive load. I think the challenge for leaders, and those advocating for this work in the current climate, is that these gains can seem quite far off. Dive into the book (audio or print!) to access some of the case studies and data points that demonstrate the impact. You can then use these insights as you are building the case either for yourself to prioritise the reflecting time (because sometimes we nee to convince ourselves to do the work!), or for your business to develop system level approaches that reduce cognitive load across the board. Happy listening!
The next two chapters are Inclusive mindset by Irfan Arif and Building Cultural Intelligence by Rob Neil and Lydia Cronin.
Look out for my reviews in upcoming newsletters!
~Rob Adediran
