inclusion a huge priority. This is a significant disconnect that
needs to be acknowledged, as almost always the lack of inclusivity
is directly related to a lack of employee engagement.
The future of HR is inclusion because employees want to feel
that they work for a fair and inclusive employer. They want to feel
like they belong and they’re not going to be disadvantaged because
of any aspect of their identity.
“CULTURE EATS STRATEGY FOR BREAKFAST”
When conducting an inclusivity assessment, the organizational
culture itself often can be one of the biggest barriers to inclusion.
What is the culture of your organization? Not your stated mission,
vision and values – what is really going on? What are the
unwritten rules?
Do you have a culture of conformity? Are people expected to
conform to one way of thinking and behaving in order to be successful?
Do you have a “good news culture”? Are people expected
to sugarcoat everything and not share bad news? Do you have a
change-averse culture? Are people shot down when they suggest
new ideas, innovations, or process improvements? Do you have a
culture of fear? Are people afraid to speak their minds?
These are some of the many aspects of organizational culture
that can be a barrier to employees feeling included and engaged.
If organizations do not take strong action to change the aspects
of their corporate cultures that discourage diversity and inclusion,
then any diversity and inclusion strategy or initiative is unlikely
to have a high degree of success. As Peter Drucker famously said:
“culture eats strategy for breakfast.”
MOVING INTO THE FUTURE: CERTIFIED INCLUSION
PROFESSIONALS
Today, diversity and inclusion (D&I) as a profession is where HR
was 20 years ago. In the early ‘90s, a group of HR professional associations
recognized the need to have national standards on the
competencies and skills required by HR professionals in Canada,
and created a national standard for the CHRP.
Now, in collaboration with HR and D&I professionals from
different sectors across the country, the CCDI is developing a certification
for D&I professionals in Canada. There are many people
doing D&I work in Canada’s workplaces. Most of them are in HR
roles. But there is no standard in Canada for what a D&I professional
is.
The majority of the people who attend CCDI’s D&I learning
events and webinars, or who enroll in the Centennial Certificate in
Leadership and Inclusion (which was actually developed to target
middle managers) are HR professionals. Why? Because HR professionals
want to make a difference in the lives of their employees.
Because HR wants their employees to feel engaged and included.
Because no other single function has the greatest impact on the
people in your organization as HR does.
The future of HR is inclusion because organizations cannot be
effective unless they have included, and therefore engaged, employees.
n
Cathy Gallagher-Louisy leads the Canadian Centre for Diversity and
Inclusion (CCDI)’s Research and Knowledge Services portfolio. The
CCDI has become the trusted advisor for all issues related to diversity,
inclusion, equity and human rights management within Canada’s
workplaces.
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HRPATODAY.CA ❚ SEPTEMBER 2015 ❚ 23