Diversity, Inclusion and… Exploration?
Recently I met with friends and colleagues, taking a moment to think, connect and enjoy breakfast! We were reflecting on how to engage with important narratives about diversity and inclusion when we don’t agree with the terms by which the narrative is being framed.
We live in a world of soundbites and headlines, and many of us scroll through our feeds consuming the headlines but not diving deeper into the content. One narrative that a colleague shared which deserves a deeper dive, and can help us reframe some of the conversations currently raging, is the idea that diversity, equity and inclusion work is inherently innovative and exploratory.
We know where we currently stand, what centuries of capitalism and decades of modern business philosophy have led to (the good and the bad), and we feel the urge for things to grow, evolve and improve – but we don’t yet know what it will look and feel like when inclusion is the norm across society and in our workplaces. There are indicators of good practice, and models to follow but we operate in a world which is unbalanced, using products, services and systems that have mostly emerged from exclusive, rather than inclusive, networks and centres of thought.
This means that our journey towards greater inclusion is still one of exploration. When we see people with different backgrounds, experience and perspectives have the freedom to shape our organisations (bottom-up, middle-out and top-down) we should expect innovation and renewal – as well as challenge and uncertainty.
I can’t wait.
If you feel the same, get in touch and let’s explore together.
