7 01 / 24 PERSONALquarterly Lynn Shore: Inclusion can occur in many ways, including through the organizational climate, the leader, and the workgroup. An inclusive climate can have far-reaching effects by setting the stage for supporting inclusion at all levels of the organization. Studies show that such a climate is associated with greater employee commitment and innovation. Leaders who are inclusive promote employee experiences of psychological safety, voice, and impact on decision-making. Inclusive workgroups enhance employee performance and creativity. Indications of inclusion progress should include organizational surveys or focus groups with an emphasis on employee perceptions of inclusion in decision-making, feeling psychologically safe, and receiving dignity and respect from their manager and coworkers. In addition, organizations should keep records of voluntary turnover trends, and whether certain identity groups, such as those who are minoritized, have unacceptably high rates of turnover. Inclusion can be a challenge in diverse teams because differences in perspective can take more time to consider and to understand. However, research on creativity makes clear that sharing different perspectives before making decisions can be very beneficial. Leaders play an important role in emphasizing the value of different backgrounds and perspectives. They also need to be aware of and seek to address exclusionary treatment such as ignoring some people’s contributions to the group’s success. Inclusion of all group members is an actionable goal. Creating an environment in which people feel they are esteemed members of the workgroup and organization (belonging) while being able to authentically share their perspective (valued for their distinctiveness) is doable and should be a key element of the organization’s culture. For some organizations this will be aspirational, while others operate to support inclusion through the philosophy and actions of their leaders. PERSONALquarterly: Do all organizational members and groups like inclusion efforts equally? And is inclusion still ‘exclusive’ for certain groups (e.g., regarding individuals on the autism spectrum or those with mental health issues)? Lynn Shore: There is fear among some individuals that organizations operate in a “zero sum game” environment in which recruitment of members of minoritized groups lowers opportunities for members of traditionally powerful groups. True inclusion should “grow the pie” as members of the organization are given the opportunity to more fully contribute and experience appreciation at work. A key element of inclusive organizations is to promote learning. When an employee differs from the majority, managers and coworkers who they work with can create an experience of inclusion through learning about those differences and treating them respectfully. DR. LYNN M. SHORE Professor, Management Academic Department Partners for Excellence Fellowship E-Mail: lynn.shore@colostate.edu Lynn M. Shore - CSU College of Business (colostate.edu) Lynn M. Shore is the Partners for Excellence Professor at Colorado State University. She has been a Visiting Scholar at Ghent University, University of California, Irvine, London School of Economics and Political Science, and Chinese University of Hong Kong. Lynn studies the employee-organization relationship and work force diversity and inclusion. In the area of employment relationships, she has studied Perceived Organizational Support, psychological contracts, Leader-Member Exchange, and international aspects of employment relationships. Lynn’s work on diversity and inclusion focuses on making workplaces more inclusive by creating inclusive climates, and helping leaders become more inclusive. Lynn’s work has appeared in elite scholarly journals such as AMJ, AMR, JAP, Personnel Psychology, JOM, and JOB. Lynn served as Associate Editor of Journal of Applied Psychology and has held many leadership roles in the Academy of Management. She has also worked with a variety of organizations in efforts to enhance employees’ experiences at work. © 2016 COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
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