Michelle King’s blueprint for true diversity and inclusion

Michelle King is a leading expert in organisational inequality and culture. While King acknowledges that there is increased attention to diversity and inclusion in companies, she also notes that in the past two years, there has been increased fatigue and backlash. This is partly because many initiatives do not work. They focus on changing outcomes without addressing the underlying problem. Hiring more people from diverse or underrepresented groups does not guarantee that individuals will feel valued. “It is important for people to recognise that it is not just about making organisations look diverse. We must genuinely value differences. Unfortunately, that requires many of today’s leaders to change. So for me, it is fundamentally a matter of culture and leadership. Creating an environment where differences are valued requires behavioural change.”

Cultural change

According to King, cultural change in organisations starts at the top. The behaviour of managers often lies at the root of the problem. King notes that it is surprising how many diversity and inclusion strategies fail to address this. “There is a lot of inequality in the workplace because if you were to close your eyes and imagine the ideal job or the ideal leader, you envision a white, heterosexual man from the middle class. But even more importantly, you imagine someone who behaves dominantly, assertively, aggressively, competitively, and exclusively to get ahead. Research by Bain showed that this is still the norm in 95% of organisations. Time to change that norm. It’s about leaders getting a clear picture of what the organisation’s strategy is. What kind of behaviour do we need to realise that?”

Diversity and inclusion are all about cultural transformation. “If the right behaviour is applied, diversity, inclusion, and equality are the result,” King emphasises. Research by Accenture shows that women in inclusive work environments are four times more likely to advance to senior positions because organisations value differences and offer equal opportunities for men and women to grow.

A 2020 study by Catalyst found that 46% of employees’ experiences of inclusion are the result of their leaders’ behaviour. King says that leaders decide who joins an organisation and whether those individuals will feel valued.

King argues that current initiatives are not working because leaders continue to exhibit outdated behaviour that leads to discrimination and inequality. For example, many leaders are unable to have difficult discussions, provide feedback, coach, or delegate. ‘Command and control’ no longer works. King says we need to empower leaders to manage the ‘how’ of work, especially when it comes to team collaboration.

Technology

Technology can help achieve diversity and inclusion, however it can also hinder it, says Michelle King. Her second book addresses this topic. “Technology can solve many problems, but if we do not pay attention to the embedded biases built into technology, it can worsen the issues. I believe technology offers enormous potential to make us more aware of hidden and unconscious biases. But the problem is that the people creating the technology are not even aware of this. So, we need diversity around the decision-makers’ table to see more diversity in the products they develop.”

About Dr. Michelle King

Dr. Michelle Penelope King is a globally recognised expert on inequality and organisational culture. As formerly Netflix’s Director of Inclusion and the acclaimed author of The Fix, Michelle will dive into her latest research on how workplaces function and how they can be transformed to work for everyone.

Don’t miss her insights on creating workplaces that work for everyone! Join her keynote.

Want to know more? You can read the full article in the September issue of HRmagazine.