Leaders

I regularly see promotions for an event, activity or project that has a label of ‘inclusive’ but on closer inspection it is only for one demographic. For example, having a dance that is only for people with a disability isn’t inclusive; in fact it is the opposite of that. It doesn’t mean it can’t be meaningful to those people but it isn’t inclusion. At its simplest inclusion isn’t about a mere presence of diversity. Rather it is when everyone feels truly welcome and can contribute equally and feel valued. That is true whether it’s on a corporate Board or at a local sporting club.

Taking the time to understand inclusion and truly work towards it is increasingly vital at every level; Government, community, business, local communities. We live in a global and richly diverse world. Western Australia is now more diverse than ever before. Most people know there are many benefits and opportunities for embracing diversity but what is less well known is that you don’t get the benefit or positive experience of diversity unless you understand inclusion. Research over the past 4 – 5 years shows very clearly that having a diverse team in your workplace benefits productivity and innovation, but it equally shows that you get none of those benefits if you don’t spend time building a truly inclusive environment. This is as true of communities as it is of companies. We are currently living through divisive times, when many leaders and public figures are actively driving communities apart. As such it is more important than ever to focus on the elements that bring us together.

After finishing my UWA degree 20 years ago, I spent time travelling the world. After a year travelling through Asia, the Middle East and Europe, the abiding learning I got from that wonderful time was how similar we are as people. Clearly there are many cultural differences but deep down as human beings we have many similarities. I brought this thought with me when I began to work formally in trying to help build a more inclusive society.

There are many examples of the power of inclusion but I’ll share one story of how it changed the lives of one family across the globe. Sayeed is a young man who was born in Afghanistan. Following multiple bombings, Sayeed’s parents decided to borrow money and send him to Australia in the hope of a better life. He was only 14 at the time. Having spent three months on the journey Sayeed finally ended up in community housing in Clarkson (Perth). He decided to join a cricket club in an attempt to get to know people. Despite many barriers, including language, Sayeed was embraced by the club. Over the course of the next few years with the support of his teammates, he was able to finish school, find his own place to live and get a job. He has managed to help his parents buy their own home and he now ‘gives back’ by volunteering for a variety of community organisations. His life has been changed, not because he was given hand outs (he wasn’t) but because he was socially accepted by his teammates. They simply treated him as their cricket playing ‘brother’; all of which gave him the confidence and support network he needed to make his own way. Feeling accepted and valued is life changing for all of us and that is the simple power of social inclusion.

Perhaps the simplest way to start working towards a society that embraces difference and constructively engages all people is to consider something fundamentally human – relationships. Once you have a personal relationship with another person, very often other ‘labels’ drop away. The reality is that we connect with other people over our similarities and not our differences. We can embrace diversity by understanding the benefit and positive outcomes but to get further than that we need to make an effort. We need to be willing to engage with people on some level, so we can discover what similarities we have. Research conducted with staff from universities in the US investigated the behaviours which most upset them in the workplace. It wasn’t bullying, harassment or many of the other things we hear about regularly – it was being excluded. Not being part of teams or meetings they felt they should have been involved with, not being invited to coffee with the boss like some others, generally not being valued equally. In our business we often hear a wide variety of excuses such as, ‘we don’t have the time or resources to think about that’. However, at a government, corporate or community level the costs are far higher if you don’t think, and act, in an inclusive manner.