Capitalising on Inclusive Culture: How Leaders Can Enable Innovation
An inclusive organisational culture can drive innovation for leaders, business executives, and companies. Key steps can help establish and encourage inclusive culture and leadership.
The numbers speak clearly when it comes to inclusive organisational culture and innovation. A Deloitte report shows that inclusive cultures are six times more likely to be innovative.
There are many reasons why this is the case. For one, inclusive cultures provide greater psychological safety. This concept, first introduced by Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson, relates to workplace environments where employees feel safe to take risks, voice their opinions, and admit mistakes without fear of punishment or judgment.
Inclusive cultures can also encourage a shared purpose, a core organisational driver covered by authors such as Simon Sinek and Daniel Pink, which has a powerful influence on positive behaviours.
However, awareness of the importance of inclusion in the workplace is just half of the equation. To unlock your teams', department's, or organisation's innovative potential, leaders and executives must start with a simple truth: innovation is about people. It’s about the game-changing ideas they can create by coming together in diverse and inclusive teams.
Inclusive culture: The role of leaders and business executives
Leaders and executives are pivotal in encouraging and supporting inclusion and drive innovation.
It may relate to many different aspects of their roles and extend to examining personal value sets and leadership styles.
Other ways include addressing factors like team composition. For example, teams characterised by diversity in culture, ethnicity, age, and experience often generate ideas that spring from varied and sometimes unrelated inspirations.
A notable example is Wegmans' introduction of cauliflower rice, an idea borne out of one employee's journey and brought to fruition due to the organisation's inclusive ethos.
Research indicates that a broader mix of perspectives leads to more effective decisions, as they benefit from a rich tapestry of thought. This diverse thinking, as highlighted in James Surowiecki’s “The Wisdom of Crowds”, challenges conventional norms and propels teams to aim higher, leading to innovative outcomes.
Furthermore, employees within diverse teams often feel empowered, valuing the intellectual challenge and impact of their contributions.
Developing as an inclusive leader
By enabling employees and teams to encompass and share experiences and perspectives, you, as a leader, can help swiftly and efficiently bring innovative ideas to life. The broader collaboration ensures the rapid implementation of these innovations, enabling organisations to navigate the dynamic business landscape adeptly.
This may sound easy – or tricky - depending on your situation. In either case, there are steps that business executives and leaders can take or focus on to hone their skills as inclusive leaders, including:
· Show clear commitment to DEI:
o Prioritise diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) beyond mere statements.
o Identify and address root causes of DEI issues in processes, policies, and historical structures.
o Ensure alignment of words, actions, and hiring practices with inclusivity values.
· Embrace vulnerability:
o Recognise the significance of humility, even amidst success.
o Openly admit mistakes and seek assistance when needed.
o Understand personal strengths and weaknesses.
o Foster environments where others feel safe to be vulnerable, share ideas, and highlight issues.
· Be aware of bias:
o Acknowledge that everyone has inherent biases.
o Proactively confront personal preferences and their impact on perceptions and actions.
o Recognise and address biases within the organisation, industry, and broader society.
o Lead by example, promoting open discussions about biases and their implications.
· Promote collaboration and diverse thinking:
o Value the unique thought processes that a diverse team brings.
o Foster an environment where diverse thinking is encouraged and harnessed.
o Rely on data and scientific insights rather than assumptions.
Leaders must "walk the walk" in each case and fully commit to inclusivity. In some cases, this may require mindset shifts and the development of both leadership and organisational culture toward being more inclusive.
How leaders can encourage an inclusive, innovative culture
In cases where the focus is on furthering an inclusive, innovative culture, there are also several steps and initiatives that leaders can implement:
· Promote psychological safety.
o Ensure team members feel they can freely express ideas.
o Regularly acknowledge and recognise individual contributions.
o Avoid public criticism and discourage negative behaviour.
· Avoid groupthink
o Diversify hiring to bring a range of perspectives.
o Rotate team members to break up habitual groupings and cliques.
o Promote collaborative efforts where teams support and build on each other's ideas.
· Prioritise honesty and self-reflection
o Establish trust by fostering open communication.
o Reflect on personal relationships within the team to ensure unbiased inclusivity.
o Seek and act on feedback from team members.
· Cultivate curiosity
o Encourage a learner mindset.
o Invest time in understanding individual team members' experiences.
o Establish norms for giving and receiving feedback.
· Champion collaboration
o Empower team members to participate in decision-making.
o Treat conflict as a learning opportunity, not a setback.
· Embrace continuous learning
o Recognise gaps in understanding and work to bridge them.
o Encourage the team to share knowledge and experiences for collective growth.
· Model authenticity and vulnerability
o Admit mistakes and demonstrate humility.
o Use moments of uncertainty to connect and build trust with the team.
Global Perspectives works actively to develop inclusive, innovative organisational cultures, mindset shifts and leadership evolution.
See more about strategies to develop inclusive cultures in our free DEI reports and website.
