Why do 80% of Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives Fail?

I want to share with you a rather troublesome fact: 80% of diversity & inclusion initiatives fail. Most of us don’t want to hear that. The question is why?

For three decades, diversity & inclusion training has focused on cultivating the awareness and appreciation of differences. With what result? Employees go back to their jobs and not much changes. Why? Because employees are not equipped to apply inclusive behaviors. They simply don’t have the skills.

The traditional approach to diversity & inclusion is to change hearts and minds. We ask people to believe in diversity and inclusion principles hoping they will eventually behave in the proper manner. We call this approach; believe until you behave. It’s not wrong. It’s just not very effective.

Here’s the point: Inclusion is behavioral. Yes, it begins with awareness, understanding, and appreciation, but to “be” inclusive is a matter of skill. It takes practice beyond thinking and believing.

Research shows that if you focus on inclusive skills for business impact, then awareness, appreciation, and respect will follow.

Most inclusive behaviors relate to emotional intelligence skills such as social perception, mindfulness, ego management, and empathy.

Both the leader and employee have to put these skills to the test, and in the process, experience a personal break though that inclusiveness does in fact create measurable business impact.

Our approach is based on a simple premise: behave until you believe or better said behave and you will believe. When leaders put inclusive behaviors into practice, they are able to draw out the discretionary efforts of the team and drive collaboration and performance to stunning new levels.

How about your company? Are you ready to create sustainable business impact through more inclusive behavior? Get started today, give us a call or send us an email. BlueEQ is the most powerful, comprehensive and complete behavioral diversity and inclusion solution available.