5 Signs on Why Inclusion Initiative Might Fail
By: Lee Jing Jenn
Tags: Unconscious Bias, Respect, Bias, Diversity, Inclusion

Here are the 5 signs where inclusion initiatives are marching on towards failure:

1. When inclusion initiatives become mandatory

Inclusion shall not be forced upon or enforced in any system. It takes away the chance for every individual to think through and make a conscious decision on the matter itself. In definition, inclusion means all individuals are treated fairly and respectfully, have equal access to opportunities and resources, can contribute fully, and voice out their opinion freely. If inclusion effort is being enforced, it will completely defeat the purpose of the idea at its very core.

Anything forced is not worth fighting for, even inclusion and diversity. Oftentimes, it creates resistance and will eventually backfire. Biases are there in every each of us, deeply rooted, and they cannot be outlawed or out regulated. It has to be willingly understood, agreed upon by each individual. Inclusion initiatives are meant for a good cause, please do not make them some autocracy initiatives in disguise. This message is for all parties that are carrying out the efforts in which the idea is not meant to be enforced or even worse manipulated.

2. When inclusion becomes just another metric for Key Performance Index (KPI)

In the workplace, especially the HR department, inclusion has become one of the meaningful metrics in the Key Performance Indicator, often comes in tandem with Employee Recruitment and Retention. Most of the time, they are just about Employee Recruitment and Retention, nothing more.

D&I (Diversity and Inclusion) initiatives are viewed as a burden and costs to the organization and usually, they are carried out only by the HR Department. This is why HR is often viewed as a cost center and not a profit-driving department. As a result, inclusion initiatives are never a priority for the company and they have become just a metric for HR to be crossed off from the to-do list. How impactful do you expect them to be?

We shall never drive D&I activities by just scratching the surface, but rather the awareness has to grow from the center of the organization. It has to be one of the core values that influence growth within the company and ripples out externally into the marketplace. Inclusion initiatives bring endless positives only if they are understood and implemented right. Otherwise, they are indeed a burden, and will eventually be removed.

3. When inclusion fails to address the biases

What is the core meaning behind the driving of inclusion? What does inclusion actually solve?

Have you heard about comments like these before? For instance, women are not good at science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM). HR positions are meant for women and Engineering positions are meant for men. This guy is too old to be hired. He is not old enough to be promoted. Engineers are born nerdy. The sales guys are always cunning. He is too fat to handle the job, and etc.

They are just one small tip of the iceberg about the common biases that exist in the workplace or within our society. Oftentimes, they appear to be too sensitive to be discussed openly and publicly because of the risk of being judged and labeled. Biases and prejudices can appear in many different forms. such as skin color, genders, age, body size, race, etc. you name it. Think you are not biased? Think again.

People are usually not aware of their biases. They are implicit bias or unconscious bias. However, having biases does not make a person good or bad. It is the judgemental mind that identifies and differentiates good or bad, right or wrong that actually develops the bias. Biases are accumulated throughout our lifetime. They can come directly from the conversations, comments, opinions from others, our very own experiences, or indirectly from the stereotypes picked up from the media. The good news is we can take steps to address our biases from conversations with different ethnicity, or self-awareness that can be developed through practices and training. This is where inclusion shall come into play.

It is never easy to face our own biases and acknowledge their existence. The fear of getting labeled and judged, the fear of confrontation are the stumbling blocks that inclusion initiatives need to address directly. Inclusion solves nothing if we fail to tackle our own biases head-on. If inclusion means avoiding biases, failure is just inevitable.

4. When inclusion becomes the responsibility of others

When inclusion becomes the sole responsibility of others, it is meant to fail. Here is this conversation (may sound a little exaggerated to you, doing it here just to strike a point) that may ring a bell to you.

Scenario 1:

Guy A when he is invited to Christmas party and responded. “Hey, I do not wish to join the Christmas celebration because I am not Christian. Why do you even invite me on this occasion? Maybe you can show some respect.”

Scenario 2:

Guy A when he is not invited to Christmas party next time. “Why you never invite me to the party? Just because I am not Christian?! You must invite me at least out of courtesy.”

Does this conversation sound familiar to you? Guy A is playing the victim game with inclusiveness as the perfect excuse. Inclusion can be the source of toxicity with a toxic person who never intends to own any responsibility in life.

By the way, the scenarios shown above are nothing related to religion.

5. When inclusion is meant for recognition rather than respect

Lots of leaders nowadays are driving inclusion initiatives for recognition rather than respect, and this has to stop. Inclusion is not food to feed the ego.

It does not matter if this comes from the national government or company management. These initiatives are usually meant for compliance and reputation. Reaching out to the leaders here, please start listening to people whose respect you desire to earn and appreciate the uniqueness of people you claim to value so much.

Only by earning the respect from others, inclusion can grow into influence and impact the nation or company positively. On the flip side, it is destined to fail.