Inclusive Diversity is a Business Strategy, No Longer an HR One – Arundhati Kanungo

Inclusion is the buzz when it comes to politics, education or culture. But to be a true inclusive entity, organizations also need to incorporate inclusion as part of business strategy.

Inclusion is relative and takes different meaning – condition to context and people. To some, inclusion may enlist workplace hiring practices and team building dynamics, whereas to others it may go beyond workplace to also include the process. Inclusion needs to be included not just in the decision-making process but also in our solutions and services.

The root of the word inclusion and its antonym exclusion, rather what is not inclusion, is claudere, Latin for “to shut”. So, exclusion (ex-clusion) is to shut out and inclusion (inclusion) is to shut in. We all, sometime or the other, have experienced different ways of feeling shut out. Be it in societal dynamics or literal access to a building or accessibility in a software solution. Embracing differences is the foundation of integrity to any inclusive solution, initiative or workplace. When we design keeping accessibility in mind, we reach a broader group of people, thereby making a greater difference.

In this blog, I would explore on how we should consider accessibility in every venture, be it in people, culture, infrastructure and even solutions that we deliver, thereby reiterating “Inclusion as part of Business Strategy”.

There is a long-time debate on Inclusion vs Mainstreaming. I personally feel that inclusion in business does matter. Inclusivity is a very strong binding bond and is most needed for organizations that embrace diversity. MNCs have employees from multiple nationalities and cultures, who bring together their diverse views, opinions, thoughts and work style. For a company to perform at its best, the employees must feel free to bring their true selves to work, as only when the authentic self takes over will productivity enhance and innovation flourish. So, inclusion is very critical in scenarios where a diverse mix of culture, race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability all come together for achieving a common cause. The culture of inclusion is what makes an organization a great place to work and enables it to provide solutions to customers to tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges. When employees are free to express who they are, the engagement level and creativity enhances and when we collaborate with others who have diverse points of view, it spurs great ideas and innovation.

Looking forward is futuristic. We are already building an inclusive experience for our customers. Our culture and focus on inclusivity are helping us innovate to create products to build a better tomorrow. We have significant strengths to bring out innovations for a better tomorrow, but we need clarity on who we are building it for so that it benefits all categories of people.

As businesses run globally, their workforce and customers are spread across all geographies. The challenge businesses face is ‘how to address the varied needs of customers’ while remaining true to their values and purpose. Similarly, with inclusion the question is, ‘how do we enable people to bring their authentic selves to work every day and use their unique perspectives to solve business problems thereby benefitting customers and driving profits’. The connecting thread between business and inclusion is people. What we need to do is enable people by providing them the right culture, environment and a common purpose to work towards that we can solve some of the most challenging business problems of the world.We have a huge responsibility to ensure that the products that we build meet the diverse set of needs of varied users across the globe. Understanding different perspectives and ideas and using that to build products, gives us our competitive advantage and ensures our relevance in a continuously changing world.

It is often said that “Globalization = Diversity + Inclusion + Localization”. The world is more connected and interdependent today, than at any given point in human history – be it in economies, cultures, people, investment, etc. Thanks to technological advancement, it has become easier to exchange ideas across borders and learn from each other. That is the beauty of globalization – this diversity of ideas and perspectives coming together to solve common problems that the world is facing. In business, this also means working with customers across the world and finding ways and means to help them grow and develop in their unique market units. And this requires an understanding of their requirements, business models, economic and social structures to deliver our best.

I do agree, that globalization is an opportunity to grow, adapt and evolve but there is no one-size-fits-all and localization is extremely important if we need to run businesses and meet our customers’ expectations.

Keep everyone in mind when building products and build it as collaboratively as possible. The world is big and hugely diverse, and so how we perceive the world many not be what another person in another geography will. Also, practice empathy by putting yourselves in the place of the user. Only such relentless focus on our customers will accelerate the success of an organization.