Turning Social Movements Into Tangible Change For A More Inclusive Future

National Inclusion Week: #ThePowerOfNow

Turning Social Movements Into Tangible Change For A More Inclusive Future

In the summer of 2020, provoked by the death of George Floyd, the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement brought people together in protest for the equalisation of the treatment of Black people and people of colour. Originally focused on police brutality, the conversation expanded to all areas of society, including the workplace.

This focus on DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) continued into 2021, with Inclusive Employers #NationalInclusionWeek2021 campaign reaching almost 57 million Twitter users, compared to 16 million for its 2020 counterpart.

But to what extent have these movements affected real organisational change and have they had a lasting impact on the lived experience of ethnic minority employees?

In today’s society where corporate social value is increasingly scrutinised, the relationship between online social movements and organisational brand is somewhat complicated. Organisations who fail to recognise the gravity of social movements risk isolating their customer and employee base, while those who acknowledge them but do so in an unfavourable way risk doing more damage to their brand than good. There lies a thin line between those organisations whose approaches are praised, and those whose approaches are criticised. The distinction between the two is usually found in the gap between what the brand says they care about and the perceived reality of the actions they take. At the forefront of any social campaign must be an emphasis towards driving tangible change, in order to avoid allegations of tokenism and ‘lip-service’.

Research by Ipsos indicates that since the BLM movement in 2020, some tangible change has been achieved. 41% of British workers feel as though the death of George Floyd impacted the way their company handles race-related matters. The same can be said for 57% of those from an ethnic minority background. However, only 43% of workers say this commitment has continued.

Similarly, research conducted in partnership with the advocacy organisation Reboot found that 47% of ethnic minority workers had seen their employer take some kind of action against issues of diversity and racism, an increase from 40% in 2020. However, 46% of ethnic minority individuals also believe they have less of a chance of becoming a CEO of a large company than their white counterparts.

These figures show some progress towards achieving more inclusive work environments, but the indication of a loss of momentum and the persistence of inequality at the most senior levels is a cause for concern. The events of 2021, undoubtedly pushed DEI up the corporate agenda, but there is clearly more work to be done. In order to maintain momentum and utilise the power of these successful social movements, organisations must translate their commitment into action plans for tangible change. This requires transformational cultural change and ultimately means fundamental alterations to organisations’ behaviour, process and structure.  

This week marks National Inclusion Week 2022, the theme of which is #ThePowerOfNow. Having trained over 2,500 leaders in DEI in the last year alone, Green Park’s Diversity, Inclusion, Culture and Ethics (DICE) consultancy is well positioned in understanding the impact an inclusive work environment can have on the culture of an organisation. They also understand the necessity of long-term stakeholder engagement in ensuring DEI initiatives are implemented successfully; the recent social movements calling for greater equality have helped boost engagement across all managerial levels. So, we asked our DICE team for their top recommendations on how to turn social movements into tangible change for a more inclusive future.

------------------------------------------

8 Tips To Harness #ThePowerOfNow And Create Tangible Change For A More Inclusive Future

Having worked across a range of sectors, some elements consistently allow for success when implementing organisational change. The following elements can be applied to any facet of inclusion.

1. Demonstrate Change From The Top

A key way in which managers and senior leaders can create change is to role model inclusivity and allyship from the top. This is a vital step in making a positive change to the culture of an organisation. If employees see those around them, particularly above them, demonstrating and championing inclusivity, they are more likely to replicate these behaviours, as it is seen as something that is key to respect and success within the organisation. It is also vital employees see leadership buy-in to initiatives in line with such change. A great example with clear results for engagement is the executive sponsorship of employee networking groups.

2. Take On A Different Perspective

For individuals who have experienced exclusion, marginalisation, and unfair treatment all their lives, these issues are incredibly prevalent and inescapable. However, individuals without lived experience of such issues may not understand the scale and intensity of the need for change. As such, a useful exercise is to take on a different perspective. Doing this independently can be challenging, therefore, it may be beneficial to implement initiatives such as reverse mentoring schemes, which encourage individuals to share their experiences and world view with each other. 

3. Understand That Each Journey Is Unique

The DEI journey is one that is highly personal and unique, both to varying organisations, individuals and employee groups. Changes introduced that have successfully improved the employee experience for one group, may not have the same success with another group, or a particular intersection of a group. A thorough DEI assessment should be carried out prior to the implementation of large-scale DEI activities that take intersectionality into consideration and can help identify and prioritise where and how improvements can be made effectively for different diversity strands. Similarly, it is often necessary to look inwards and explore your own understanding and experiences in the DEI space. Reflect on the areas of diversity and inclusion you know less about and are less comfortable with.

4. Intentionally Educate Yourself

The way in which you educate yourself about DEI topics is highly important. It often becomes the case that colleagues from an underrepresented background are left to educate others, but this should not be the case. It is a huge task for individuals to take on and can be upsetting, intimidating and time consuming to explain personal experience and feelings to others. Additionally, when educating yourself, it is important you are aware of the original creators of ideas. Not only can you ensure the credibility of the source, but when sharing best practice and publishing DEI content it is important to credit the originator of the ideas, especially those from diverse backgrounds, whose efforts in this space are often undermined.

5. Across the Employee Lifecycle

It is important DEI is something that is implemented throughout the entire employee life cycle. This demonstrates an understanding of the integral nature of inclusivity in fostering greater diversity. In action, this means supporting underrepresented candidates from the initial stage of the recruitment journey to the embedding of DEI practice in the onboarding process and all further employee engagement and HR practices. For example, ensuring the inclusivity of workplace engagements, such as avoiding an emphasis on drinking alcohol for team activities outside of work. To increase diversity, a culture of inclusivity must be fostered throughout the entire organisation.

6. Follow Words With Action

A common mistake that arises in organisations’ responses to social movements is when statements are published without any follow-up of planned action to create tangible change. Such lip-service and empty statements are damaging to employee morale and engagement, especially for those individuals who hold such issues in high regard. Seeing their organisation and employers utilise something so important to them in a performative and tokenistic manner can create feelings of annoyance, upset and distrust. To counteract this, organisations can publish statements of support alongside planned changes and strategies.

7. Build A Business Case For DEI

Helping others understand the commercial and cultural benefits of DEI is a key way to bring people on board with new initiatives and ways of working to achieve a more diverse and inclusive organisation. However, the resource needed to implement those changes must also be rationalised and accounted for. Employees will need the time and the tools to implement greater DEI into the organisation. If driving DEI initiatives becomes something employees have to do on top of their existing workload, with no leniency of time allowed and no accountability for success, it is more likely to slip down the list of priorities.

8. Create Safe Spaces For Education

For individuals who have lived experience of issues relating to DEI, and for those that don’t, DEI topics can be difficult to discuss. As such, it is important to ensure colleagues are provided with psychologically safe spaces to have open conversations. This has benefits for everyone involved. Diverse colleagues may feel able to share issues they are facing that other colleagues can support them with. At the same time, colleagues who do not relate to this experience can learn about the lived experience of their colleagues and broaden their perspective and knowledge. Let’s make the uncomfortable, comfortable.

------------------------------------------

Harnessing the power behind social movements to invest in DEI and create tangible change is vital if we as a society, and as organisations, are to truly appreciate and harness the value of diversity. Use this Inclusion Week as an opportunity to stop and reflect, regroup on aims and objectives, and forge new paths in the DEI space.

For more information on our Diversity, Inclusion, Culture & Ethics Consultancy, click here. 

Written By

Tilly Vadgama

Consultant

• Email