14 Resources to Learn More About Creating a Culture of Inclusion
In a world where diversity enriches our interactions, creating a culture of inclusion is not just a moral imperative—it’s a strategic advantage. This article delves into practical strategies for fostering an inclusive environment, inspired by the wisdom of field experts. Discover actionable tips to transform well-meaning rhetoric into meaningful change.
- Reevaluate Communication for Cultural Relativity
- Implement Incremental Changes for Inclusivity
- Practice Active Allyship
- Emphasize Empathy and Active Listening
- Understand Cultural Differences in Communication
- Commit to Real Change
- Create Psychological Safety
- Balance Fairness and Warmth
- Make Inclusion a Daily Practice
- Understand the Biology of Belonging
- Reflect Diversity in Marketing
- Embrace Inclusion as Leadership Value
- Acknowledge and Address Biases
- Prioritize Empathy in Leadership
Reevaluate Communication for Cultural Relativity
As the Founder and CEO of Zapiy.com, fostering a culture of inclusion has been a top priority for me, and one resource that profoundly shaped my perspective is the book "The Culture Map" by Erin Meyer. While the book primarily explores cultural differences in communication and workplace behavior, it offers invaluable insights into understanding and respecting diverse viewpoints, which is at the heart of building an inclusive culture.
One key takeaway that resonated deeply with me is the concept of "cultural relativity" in communication and feedback. Meyer emphasizes that what might be considered direct and transparent in one culture could come across as abrasive in another, and vice versa. This insight pushed me to reevaluate how we communicate internally at Zapiy.com and adapt our approach to better suit a team with diverse backgrounds.
For example, we implemented a practice of asking open-ended questions during feedback sessions rather than assuming a one-size-fits-all approach. This small change encouraged team members to share their perspectives more openly, without fear of judgment or misunderstanding. It also helped me and my leadership team become more intentional listeners, ensuring that everyone's voice is heard and valued.
My advice to others is to invest time in resources that challenge your assumptions about inclusivity and help you see the world through others' eyes. A culture of inclusion isn't just a set of policies; it's about creating an environment where people feel truly seen, respected, and empowered to contribute.
Implement Incremental Changes for Inclusivity
One book I highly recommend to any leader interested in creating an inclusive culture is Alida Miranda-Wolff's "Cultures of Belonging." What I appreciated most about this book was the author's firsthand perspective as someone who struggled in a non-inclusive workplace and how it affected her ability to contribute fully. This perspective is valuable because it personalizes the need for inclusivity and grounds it in a real-world context.
The book offers many valuable insights, but one of my biggest takeaways was that creating an inclusive culture doesn't require an immediate, large-scale overhaul. Instead, consistently making incremental changes can be just as effective—if not more so—than attempting a full-scale transformation. Smaller initiatives tend to gain buy-in more easily than sweeping changes, and this approach allows organizations to implement meaningful improvements with immediate impact while fostering a larger cultural shift over time.
I've seen this play out firsthand at Advastar, where adopting this mindset has led to noticeable cultural improvements. Miranda-Wolff's emphasis on steady, actionable progress makes this advice especially practical for leaders looking to integrate DEIB principles in a sustainable way.
Practice Active Allyship
A podcast that resonated with me on the topic of inclusion is called "Leaders of Color." It features insightful conversations with diverse leaders across various industries, and it really opened my eyes to the unique challenges and experiences of people from underrepresented backgrounds.
One key takeaway that really stuck with me was the importance of active allyship. It's not enough to simply be "not racist" or "not sexist." True allyship requires actively working to dismantle systems of oppression and create a more equitable and inclusive environment for everyone.
This resonated deeply with me because it challenged me to go beyond simply avoiding discriminatory behavior. It pushed me to actively seek out opportunities to amplify the voices of marginalized groups, challenge biases within my own company, and create a more inclusive and equitable workplace for all of our employees.
Emphasize Empathy and Active Listening
One resource that deeply impacted my understanding of creating a culture of inclusion is the podcast "How to Build Bridges, Not Walls" by Brené Brown. It emphasized the importance of empathy in fostering understanding and respect in diverse teams. The key takeaway was the practice of active listening—truly hearing others without preconceived judgments.
This resonates with my experience in business development, where listening to diverse client perspectives often unveils opportunities for innovation. The podcast also highlighted that inclusion starts with small, consistent actions, like making space for all voices, which reflects my approach to leadership. I've learned that inclusion isn't just a policy; it's how we interact with one another daily. By applying this mindset, I've been able to build stronger, more collaborative workplace environments.
Understand Cultural Differences in Communication
One resource that significantly influenced my understanding of creating a culture of inclusion is the book "The Culture Map" by Erin Meyer. It opened my eyes to how communication styles, leadership perceptions, and decision-making processes vary across cultures. A key takeaway for me was the importance of being aware of these differences to foster inclusivity and collaboration.
Coming from a background where I work with diverse teams at Omniconvert, this insight was invaluable. It helped me create environments where all voices are not only heard but genuinely valued. It reminded me that inclusion begins with empathy and the willingness to adapt. Building such a culture isn't about rigid policies but fostering understanding and trust between people with varied perspectives. This approach aligns perfectly with my focus on elevating customer relationships because true inclusivity starts internally, within the team.
Commit to Real Change
I genuinely think that I have learned a lot in creating a culture of inclusion in Jennifer Brown's book "Inclusion: Diversity, The New Workplace & The Will To Change." It provides valuable insights into how organizations can create a truly inclusive environment by addressing biases, embracing vulnerability, and committing to change at both individual and organizational levels.
The key takeaway that resonated with me is the idea of "the will to change." It means that building an inclusive culture isn't just about recognizing diversity but also being committed to making real change. Both individuals and organizations need to challenge their biases and actively work towards inclusion, creating a space where everyone feels valued and supported.
Create Psychological Safety
The book "The Culture Code" by Daniel Coyle has been an invaluable resource for fostering inclusion. One key takeaway is the importance of creating a sense of psychological safety-where team members feel valued and secure enough to share their ideas without fear of judgment. Applying this, we started team meetings with open-ended questions that encouraged everyone to contribute, regardless of their role. This simple shift made quieter employees feel heard, improved collaboration, and uncovered creative solutions we might have missed. Inclusion thrives when everyone feels their voice matters.
Balance Fairness and Warmth
One resource that profoundly enhanced my understanding of creating a culture of inclusion is the book "Inclusify" by Stefanie K. Johnson. This book delves into how leaders can cultivate inclusive environments by balancing fairness and warmth, addressing both diversity and belonging. What resonated most with me was Johnson's emphasis on the dual leadership styles of authenticity and adaptability. She argues that to foster inclusion, leaders must stay true to their values while also being flexible enough to meet the diverse needs of their team members. This balance ensures that all employees feel valued and empowered, which in turn boosts engagement and productivity. Applying the insights from "Inclusify,” I implemented more thoughtful hiring practices and established regular feedback sessions to ensure everyone's voice was heard.
Additionally, I promoted team-building activities that celebrated diverse backgrounds and perspectives. The key takeaway from this book is that inclusive leadership is not just about policies but about the genuine, everyday actions leaders take to make everyone feel respected and included. This approach has not only improved team dynamics but also driven our organization's success by leveraging the full potential of a diverse workforce.
Make Inclusion a Daily Practice
This article explained how companies that focus on inclusion tend to outperform their competitors in problem-solving. One thing that stood out was the importance of making inclusion a daily practice rather than just a policy. Small changes, like rotating who leads meetings and ensuring diverse perspectives are part of decision-making, improved our team's collaboration.
Understand the Biology of Belonging
A research article about the flip side of oxytocin stopped me in my tracks. When a group of people is strongly bonded through oxytocin, they are more likely to attack another person or group that is outside of them and increase the amount of friction between groups.
Most people talk about oxytocin being the love and bonding hormone, yet we ignore this side of it that says the closer we are bonded, the more we protect our crew.
The biology of belonging is critical to understand for the future of DEI work, and knowing that there are biological factors that can prevent integration, acceptance, and inclusion gives us another area to focus our attention on that doesn't require any shaming, blaming, or otherwise.
Oxytocin works BEFORE our brains create a response to a new person. The work we need to encourage here is twofold.
1. People need to understand that this process happens naturally and they are not bad humans for having an endocrine response that influences their thoughts, feelings, and behavior.
2. Next, people need to understand that as humans, we can notice and rectify those thoughts, feelings, and behaviors - and that THIS is the true work of belonging.
When introducing a new colleague, one of the easiest 'tricks' to use is to make sure that the employees that are closest to one another aren't sitting together. Creating physical distance weakens oxytocin's influence and groupthink.
Next, encouraging new employees to do 'coffee chats' or 'water cooler chats' with other employees 1:1 will go further than trying to integrate them into a group without the group's biological permission. The more you push, the more they'll push back.
Team building comes after personal relationship building if we want to use oxytocin to our advantage and not allow for it to interrupt the process of belonging.
Citation:
Zhang, H., Gross, J., De Dreu, C., Ma, Y. (2019). Oxytocin promotes coordinated out-group attack during intergroup conflict in humans. eLife. 8(e40698). https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.40698
Reflect Diversity in Marketing
Janine A. B. Choo's book, "Inclusive Marketing: A Framework for Marketing with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion," highlights the importance of inclusive marketing strategies. The key takeaway, "Representation Matters," stresses that marketing campaigns should reflect the diversity of the target audience. Consumers are more likely to engage with brands that represent their identities and cultures, making this approach essential in affiliate marketing.
Embrace Inclusion as Leadership Value
Dear DEIB Leader Editor,
I'd like to share insights from a transformative resource that has shaped my perspective on creating genuine cultures of inclusion - the "Future-Ready Leadership" podcast episode on building inclusive teams in a post-DEI landscape.
This episode particularly resonated with me because it shifts the conversation from policy-driven diversity initiatives to people-centered inclusion. The key takeaway that struck me was how authentic inclusion must be embraced as a personal leadership value rather than just an organizational mandate.
Three core principles from the episode that transformed my approach to inclusive leadership:
Moving beyond performative diversity metrics to building real psychological safety
Recognizing that effective inclusion requires customized leadership approaches rather than one-size-fits-all solutions
Understanding that inclusive leadership is a global competitive advantage, not just a compliance requirement
What makes this resource particularly valuable is its timely focus on maintaining inclusive practices even as formal DEI programs face challenges. It offers practical guidance for leaders committed to fostering belonging, regardless of shifting organizational policies.
I am available for further discussion on how these insights can help other leaders build sustainably inclusive cultures.
Best regards,
Dr. Charity Campbell-Kapela
Acknowledge and Address Biases
One resource that had a profound impact on my understanding of creating a culture of inclusion is the book The Person You Mean to Be by Dolly Chugh. It is a powerful guide on how to move beyond good intentions to truly inclusive actions. What stood out most to me was the concept of being a "good-ish" person or someone who acknowledges their biases and actively works to grow, rather than striving for an unattainable standard of perfection. This shifted my perspective from avoiding mistakes to embracing opportunities to learn, even when those lessons are uncomfortable.
Prioritize Empathy in Leadership
The Power of Empathy in Building Inclusive Cultures
One of the resources that has shaped my thinking around inclusion has been Brené Brown's "Dare to Lead." This, in turn, points out the fact that empathy is a cornerstone to building meaningful relationships in different social settings. It also taught me that listening without judgment is a way of building trusting relationships, and being able to have a dialogue is the bedrock of having an inclusive culture.
One of the lessons was learning that vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness. A leader who embraces vulnerability is opening the door for courage and honest dialogue, encouraging everyone involved to have an equal seat at the table.
Implementing these lessons has transformed the way I approach teamwork and collaboration. By prioritizing empathy, I've seen how it strengthens relationships and fosters a sense of belonging. It's a simple yet powerful practice that every organization can adopt to build a more inclusive culture.
All of these lessons have caused a paradigm shift in the way I handle teamwork and collaborations. I've learned that making empathy a priority can build relationships and create a sense of belonging. This is a basic but potent practice that every organization can adopt to build a more inclusive culture.
