Four key questions to ensure your inclusion strategy is driving organisational success

Corporate inclusion, equity, and diversity have come a long way in the last decade. By 2024, we’re no longer asking organisations whether they have an inclusion strategy – the assumption is that we all have. The key consideration now is whether these strategies are really working for you and your organisation.

Corporate inclusion is now essential for long-term success, as companies face growing pressure from employees, customers, and investors to foster diverse, inclusive workplaces. For an inclusion plan to work, it must align with strategic objectives and integrate into the company’s core operations and communications.

So here are four key questions you should be asking to assess, understand and achieve a truly aligned inclusion strategy:

What are the key strategic objectives of my organisation?

For an inclusion strategy to really work, it must be fully aligned with your organisational objectives. For many organisations, these will include things like growth, profitability, market leadership, innovation, and sustainability. Depending on your organisation’s purpose or mission, you’re also likely to find objectives around customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, or expanding into new markets.

Understanding these priorities is crucial to making sure your inclusion strategy contributes meaningfully to the company’s success. For example – if your organisation is focused on innovation, then your inclusion strategy should leverage diversity of thought to foster creativity and problem-solving.

How to do it:

Ask:

• What are the company’s top three strategic objectives?
• What metrics will demonstrate success?

How do the elements of the inclusion strategy support strategic business outcomes?

Once you know your organisation’s strategic objectives, it’s time to check that your inclusion strategy is aligned. Each element of your inclusion strategy needs to support one or more of your strategic business outcomes. This isn’t hard to do, but it takes a bit of time, patience and strategic thinking.

An example of this could be taking a strategic objective to increase operational efficiency. How could inclusion help? Well, a supportive and inclusive culture would improve engagement, reduce turnover and cut recruitment and training time and costs.

How to do it:

• Set measurable goals to track inclusion’s impact on business success. This should include both qualitative and quantitative metrics.
• Make sure the whole leadership team understands how the inclusion initiatives support the business outcomes, using metrics to track success.

Is the inclusion strategy embedded into Strategic Communications?

If the answer is ‘no’ then you may be in trouble. For any inclusion plan to be effective, it needs to be woven through your strategic communications plan, reinforcing the company’s commitment to inclusion both inside and outside the organisation.

Internal Communications:

Your people need to know you’re serious about this. Leaders should talk loudly and often about inclusion initiatives and be clear about how they are connected to the strategic objectives of the whole team.

External Communications:

Externally, use all your channels to showcase the value of inclusion. Share diversity reports, use media coverage and make the most of any recruitment campaigns. Demonstrate that inclusion is a core part of your success, attracting both investors and a diverse range of talent

How to do it:

• Stress test your communications strategy and make sure it fully supports all elements of the inclusion strategy
• Check your corporate language is inclusive and accessible
• Publish your inclusion strategy and how it supports your business ambitions

Who is accountable for the success of your inclusion strategy?

If your answer here isn’t ‘the Board’ or ‘The Leadership Team’ then you might need to think again. Leadership accountability is essential to the success of any inclusion strategy, regardless of who wrote it or is in charge of implementing it. While operational management, HR or communications teams often handle the daily tasks, the leadership team should be driving and promoting it. Having a board-level sponsor is crucial to keep inclusion a priority and ensure it stays aligned with the company’s goals. This sponsor can champion diversity initiatives, help secure resources, and hold everyone accountable for progress.

How to do it:

• Send this article to your leadership team to encourage them to understand the importance of inclusion in the workplace of 2024 and their crucial part in delivering it!

We spend over half our lives at work, so everyone deserves to bring their authentic selves to the workplace. Feeling comfortable in our own skin helps us shine and do our best. Creating an inclusive environment where individuals can be themselves is essential for happiness and a positive workplace.

If you would like to discuss your company’s inclusion strategy, contact Sarah McKee.