OWP liVe Report

64 Don’t just invite people to the party, ask them to dance

D E E P D I V E

INA TOEGEL IMD Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change

Companies too often think that they are embracing diversity just by ticking a few boxes, but they have to go further to become truly inclusive. "Some companies only talk about diversity. But we really need to get themto the next step, which is inclusion,” observed Professor Toegel. Echoing thewords of inclusion strategist, thought leader and author VernaMyers, whichhave gone viral on socialmedia to powerful effect, Professor Toegel said: “You can see diversity as being invited to the party and inclusion as being invited to dance.” During anOWP liVeOpenOfficeHour session, she and co-presenterMisiek Piskorski discussedLGBT and inclusion infirms, taking the temperature on current company culture and exploring the impediments of a fully inclusive future. Legally thingsmay be evolving but even some establishedmultinationals have an outdatedmindset. This isn’t helped by push

back frommanagerswho are reluctant to talk about it, or a lack of proactivity in individual employees forwhom it isn’t a direct pain point.

As such, the focus should be taken off engagingwith resistors. “Energies should be invested instead in bringing the fence sitters into the group of allies,” Professor Toegel said. “I knowplenty of straightmale colleagues whowould love to talk about [diversity and inclusion] but it’s not on their radar sowe need to bring them into the conversation,” said one participant. Allies are the perfect facilitators. 2. Is the diversity issue being put in the right category? Another reason these conversations don’t even get started in some organizations is the bracket the topic is put into. Instead of seeing diversity and inclusion solely as a businessmatter, it isworth framing it as a civil rights or human rights one. Gender represents a 50:50 split in theworld whereas LGBTQdirectly applies to 5-7%, and thatmakes a big difference in terms of howyou start the conversation, one participant said.

MISIEK PISKORSKI IMD Professor of Strategy and Innovation & Dean of South East Asia and Oceania

However, the session provided an opportunity to pool ideas on questions that need to be asked by all organizations to gain ground on inclusion and diversity. “Legally things may be evolving but even some established multinationals have an outdated mindset." 1. Dowehave enough allies, anddo they represent a good cross-sectionof employees? Abig part of the conversation should be dedicated to how to recruitmore allies and build a criticalmass of them in any given organization. Here are three of themainones: