Being an inclusive leader is difficult. Embedding an inclusive leadership culture is even more so because the employment relationship is authoritarian in nature when it matters the most on a bedrock which is economic and transactional in nature. Inclusive cultures which encourage plurality to flourish go against the grain. As a law firm leader and a beneficiary of management failure in driving clients for my successful employment litigation practice I know there are key pinch points during a business cycle where the effort in coaching and training inclusive leaders tends to go out the window. It is at these points that there is a comfortable reversion to authoritarianism. Identifying this risk enables a deliberate effort to be inclusive in key decision making moments.
What is authoritarianism?
Authoritarianism is rarely used to describe business culture or leadership. Words such as 'hierarchical', 'autocratic' and 'toxic' tend to describe management, but I find these inadequate to describe the systemic culture within which most organisations operate, be they public or private sector, charity or NGO. A reversion to an authoritarian status quo is the safety net for most leadership teams. Often, a few nuggets of inclusive leadership in the lead up to key decisions being announced become an authoritarianism enabler, making the business decision more palatable.
Authoritarianism in this context has the following traits:
highly centralised decision making and control rather than local governance
centralised communication and control of messaging controlling freedom of expression and dissent
implementation of processes to maintain order and limit discussion
using propaganda to create legitimacy for the process and appeal to the senses
Those familiar with authoritarianism in its political context will recognise these characteristics. It may operate through a charismatic leader, or a C-suite or senior management team that operate with one voice and in the image of the leader at key points notwithstanding the diversity of voice within the team. This is distinct from having a unified vision. This is about how the vision or decision is implemented. The systemic effect is to create an authoritarian culture.
Authoritarianism risk areas
No matter how 'inclusive', 'collaborative' and 'democratic' the culture is professed to be, authoritarian leadership traits will surface during key points in the business cycle, such as redundancy rounds, changing a policy or terms and conditions, the departure of senior employees, reward discussions, or a merger/takeover. In my experience of listening to such announcements and decisions, they were often met with people rolling their eyes or averting their gazes as knowing looks passed around the room between peers. Tumbleweed moments.
Emotional intelligence
Achieving a collective mindset and a behavioural approach for 'inclusive leadership' requires leaders to develop emotional intelligence. Goleman’s model from 1995 was based on the premise emotional competencies are not innate traits, but rather learned skills that may be developed and improved. He described the following essential elements or abilities:
knowing one’s emotions;
managing emotions;
motivating oneself;
recognising emotions in others;
and handling relationships.
He refined four dimensions, subdividing these characteristics into 20 behavioural competencies. The end-game is that time spent on developing the right decision-making process will pay large dividends in both the quality of solutions, as well as the level of acceptance and trust gained.
Human dignity
I also advocate for processes and behaviour based on human dignity, which is distinct from human rights and of which there is little discussion on 'Linked In' and in management literature. More to follow. Essentially, understanding a respect for human dignity allows us to place a universal moral frame on organisational processes and reshape them.
“everything has either a price or a dignity. Whatever has a price can be replaced by something else as its equivalent; on the other hand, whatever is above all price, and therefore admits of no equivalent, has a dignity” (Kant, 1785)
It takes energy, deliberate and consistent effort to create an inclusive culture, and that starts with leaders paying much more attention to what they say and do on a daily basis and making adjustments to their behaviours.
Inclusive leadership traits
A survey of 4,100 employees, interviews of those recommended as highly inclusive leaders and a review of academic research led to the following six traits or behaviours that were found to distinguish inclusive leaders from others:
Visible commitment: They articulate authentic commitment to diversity, challenge the status quo, hold others accountable and make diversity and inclusion a personal priority.
Humility: They are modest about capabilities, admit mistakes, and create the space for others to contribute.
Awareness of bias: They show awareness of personal blind spots as well as flaws in the system and work hard to ensure meritocracy.
Teams with inclusive leaders are 17% more likely to report that they are high performing, 20% more likely to say they make high-quality decisions, and 29% more likely to report behaving collaboratively.
Curiosity about others: They demonstrate an open mindset and deep curiosity about others, listen without judgment, and seek with empathy to understand those around them.
Cultural intelligence: They are attentive to others’ cultures and adapt as required.
Effective collaboration: They empower others, pay attention to diversity of thinking and psychological safety, and focus on team cohesion.