Understanding practices which foster inclusion: views from the top

• Date: 26 February 2024
• Pages: 1053-1069
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-10-2022-0292
• Published date: 26 February 2024
• Author: Christine de Largy,Deirdre Anderson,Susan Vinnicombe

Understanding practices which

foster inclusion: views from the top

Christine de Largy, Deirdre Anderson and Susan Vinnicombe

School of Management, Cranfield University, Bedford, UK

Abstract

Purpose –This study aims to deepen our understanding of how inclusionary practices are used within

organizations and how they satisfy specific inclusion needs.

Design/methodology/approach –We adopt a qualitative research design, reporting on data from semi-

structured interviews conducted with 15 diversity and inclusion (D&I) directors/leads and using a thematic

approach to analysis.

Findings –Our study expands understanding of inclusion practices, showing that they are not uniformly

implemented and that practices may satisfy both needs to belong and differences valued, with interviewees

prioritizing belonging. Well-being and career development are seen as important inclusion practices

demonstrating support and appreciation of difference, thus as inputs, not outputs, of inclusion challenging

existing assumptions. Inclusionary practices are malleable, and their impact depends critically on the leaders

involved and their commitment to EDI.

Originality/value –Our study shows how practices satisfy inclusion needs and that the implementation of

practices varies depending on the leaders involved.

Keywords Inclusive organization, Inclusion practices, Leadership, Belonging, Valuing uniqueness

Paper type Research paper

The inclusive workplace

Organizations are increasingly focusing on initiatives to foster equality, diversity and

inclusion, going beyond diversity to cr eate a workplace where people from many

backgrounds are valued. Organizations accrue benefits through increasing diverse

representation to improve performance (Sabharwal, 2014) and see it as morally right

(Ferdman, 2014), yet diversity across many dimensions remains elusive. Literature has

tended to focus on diversity management and exclusion prevention (van Eck et al., 2023), but

this approach assumes that anti-discrimination practices will lead to recruitment and

retention of under-represented groups, such as women, ethnic minority and neurodiverse

groups. In recent years it has become widely recognized that diverse representation alone is

insufficient; without inclusion the benefits of diversity will not be realized (Sabharwal, 2014;

Nishii, 2013). It is through inclusion that retention (Nishii, 2013) and career advancement of

under-represented groups improves (Shore et al., 2018), leading to longer term increase in

diverse representation. The literature on the i nclusive workplace is expanding but

understanding how inclusion is fostered is less distinct (Roberson, 2019). Providing a more

comprehensive understanding of inclusion, will help organizations determine how to foster a

more inclusive organization.

This research aims to contribute to the literature through building a greater

understanding of organizational practices which foster inclusion. Using a qualitative

approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 diversity and inclusion (D&I)

leads, senior professionals responsible for the equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) agenda

within a range of organizations. We begin with a review of the extant literature on the

inclusive organization and inclusion practices. We then describe how the interview data were

collected and analyzed, along with the findings. Finally, we discuss the findings within the

context of the literature and indicate implications for theory and practice.

Organizational

practices

fostering

inclusion

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The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

https://www.emerald.com/insight/2040-7149.htm

Received 26 October 2022

Revised 28 June 2023

9 November 2023

Accepted 14 December 2023

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

An International Journal

Vol. 43 No. 7, 2024

pp. 1053-1069

© Emerald Publishing Limited

2040-7149

DOI 10.1108/EDI-10-2022-0292

Model of the inclusive workplace

Workplace inclusion is a nascent field of research (Chen and Tang, 2018)withthewords

diversity and inclusion sometimes used interchangeably. It is more helpful to consider

diversity and inclusion as distinct, yet inter-related concepts (Roberson, 2006). Diversity

recognizes differences and inclusion focuses on diversity as a resource, where everyone

can bring their “whole selves”to work (Nishii, 2013). In their seminal paper Shore et al.

(2011) conceptualize inclusion as the degree to which an employee perceives they are an

esteemed member of the group, satisfying both their social need for belongingness and the

individual need for having their uniqueness valued. This indicates that everyone in the

workplace seeks a balance between satisfaction of belongingness and uniqueness needs,

but some may seek more of one than the other, which may also vary over context. Other

studies have sought to broaden the conceptualization of inclusion as more complex, where

people may feel included and excluded at the same time by different organizational

practices. This suggests a multi-faceted process that can shift over time (Cassell et al.,

2020). In the research reported here, we assume that inclusion is a positive concept

(Adamson et al.,2021),enabling organizations to leverage the advantages of a more diverse

workforce, through greater creativity, improved role performance (Shore et al., 2011;Mor

Barak et al., 2016) and organizational performance (Sabharwal, 2014).

In contrast, viewed through a critical lens the concept of inclusion is contested and

remains elusive. Van Eck et al. (2023) suggest it is probably impossible for inclusion to be

free of contradictions and conflicts. Organizations may present themselves as inclusive

but inclusion efforts may be insufficient to address historically embedded hierarchies

between groups (Ortlieb and Sieben, 2014). Inclusion efforts may even “preserve existing

power asymmetries because the terms of one’s inclusion are still defined by members of the

power-wielding elite”(Dobusch, 2021, p. 380). Some argue that inclusion is superior to and

replaces diversity (Adamson et al., 2021). These scholars call to move beyond a linear or

static model of inclusion or exclusion (van Eck et al., 2023) and move to a multi-layered

approach (Adamson et al.,2021;Cassell et al.,2020).

Nonetheless, there is common ground between mainstream and critical scholars, who

see exclusion prevention and inclusion as interdependent in the inclusive organization. Van

Eck et al. (2023) from a critical perspective, conclude that inclusion and exclusion-

prevention practices are complementary, not oppositional. Fostering an inclusive

organization requires both anti-discrimination practices, to remove barriers faced by

under-represented groups and practices aimed at inclusion (Sabharwal, 2014), to retain

diversity (Shore et al., 2018). Shore et al. (2018), describe a two-stream model of the inclusive

workplace where management orients to both exclusion prevention and inclusion

promotion practices as interdependent. It is important to take-into-account that

organizations are not either exclusive, or inclusive, inclusion is “ong oing”(Byrd, 2022).

Organizations can assess their levels of maturity using a D&I maturity model such as the

one presented in a Deloitte report (Bourke and Dillon, 2018). This proposes four levels of

D&I goals and actions working towards greater and more embedded inclusion from legal

compliance, then Human Resources and program led, followed by leader led. Transition to

thefourthlevelisledbythewholeorganizationwhenD&Iisfullyintegratedintothe

strategy, “employee and other business processes”. Given the importance of integrating

inclusion into organizational processes and practices we now explore the treatment of

inclusion practices in the literature.

Identifying inclusion practices

Many inclusion practices are referred to in the literature, although their exact characteristics,

purpose, or rationale for using one over another remains unclear. For example, D&I training,

EDI

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