Inclusive Leadership, Global Impact provides a welcome guide for leaders who seek to make real progress with inclusion because they see it as both the right thing to do and also as good for their business. This approach, now in use by many companies around the world, is based on the authors' combined experience of more than fifty years working with corporate audiences and applying academic research. Its approach is:
- Practical: Readers learn how to move from knowledge about unconscious bias and even "bias fatigue" to everyday inclusive actions, and from better interpersonal relationships with other team members to more innovative teamwork and broader organizational initiatives.
- Global: An ironic flaw of many approaches to diversity, equity, and inclusion is that they impose on other countries models and terminology based on a particular set of historical and cultural experiences. Drawing upon examples from several world regions, including the Global South, this book provides a framework that embraces local knowledge for understanding and addressing the various ways that marginalization occurs.
- Timely: The book outlines major trends in the current inclusion landscape, with advice not only about risk mitigation and competitive advantage but also how organizations can enhance their commitment to equity in response to the Black Lives Matter movement and the concerns of other marginalized groups.
- Accessible: There are actions that each person can take to support inclusion. Rather than advocating methods that involve "blaming and shaming," the authors outline how to build broad voluntary participation, create psychological safety, and evoke empathy in ways that support sustained employee engagement.
- Systemic: Individual actions are important but insufficient. The five organizational levers for greater inclusivity described in this book have been borne out by decades of research and practical experience; leaders who learn how to evaluate their current systems and use these levers will be better equipped to drive real change with measurable outcomes.
Leaders at various levels, whether they are working with a diverse domestic team or with colleagues based in different countries, will find relatable examples, anecdotes, advice, and useful recommendations for converting positive intentions into effective action steps.
The authors demonstrate how global inclusion initiatives can be combined with local insights to develop, retain, and engage valuable employees, mitigate a range of legal and other risks, and position organizations for a new wave of innovation and growth propelled by a truly inclusive work environment.
Previously published as Inclusive Leadership: From Awareness to Action.
