The Inclusive Innovation Playbook

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The Three P's of Inclusive Innovation

Inclusive People

At the heart of inclusive innovation are diverse and inclusive teams. Inspired by inclusive leaders, these are teams who think and act inclusively. They are adept at using the differences between people to create better solutions for everyone.

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Research shows that diverse teams are smarter.⁠

They focus more on facts, they process those facts more carefully and they are more innovative.

Inclusive people relate better to each other in order to elevate everyone.

Creating inclusive innovation teams requires the right culture and mindset with a focus on three key elements:

Inclusive leadership

Inclusive culture

Diverse participation.

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Image showing the 'People' components of the 3 P's model.

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Drilling down into the People component of the Diversily 3 P’s model for inclusive innovation we can see the key elements required.

Inclusive Leadership:

Advocacy & Accountability: Leaders with vision and commitment to make it happen.

Empowerment & Feedback: Leaders who fulfil collective potential by bringing out the best in everyone.

Authenticity and Humility: Leaders who are genuine, transparent, and not afraid to be vulnerable.

Inclusive Culture:

Psychological Safety: Create an environment where people feel comfortable being different, being vulnerable and expressing dissenting views.

Equity and Fairness: Promote fairness and equity in all aspects of the organisation; mitigate bias, address systemic inequalities and give people what they uniquely need to thrive.

Belonging and Community: Celebrate diversity and create spaces where everyone feels valued and respected.

Diverse Participation:

Diverse Leaders and Teams: Foster diversity in leadership and teams to enhance creativity and problem-solving by leveraging different perspectives, backgrounds and experiences.

Diverse Collaborators and Feedback Sources: Seek input from diverse and representative stakeholders to gain valuable insights and perspectives.

Participatory Techniques: Ensure everyone has a voice and opportunity to contribute through inclusive meeting facilitation and decision-making processes.

Diverse and inclusive teams are strengthened through:

Allyship and Empathy: Cultivate support, understanding, and advocacy for individuals from all backgrounds.

Continuous Learning and Growth: Embrace a mindset of lifelong learning and improvement, challenging assumptions and addressing biases.

Celebration of Diversity: Recognise and value the unique perspectives and experiences that each individual brings to the table.

Conduct a self assessment.

Read on to learn more about the key ‘People’ elements in the Diversily 3 P’s model.

Give yourself a score out of 10 for each area.

Identity your priority areas for change.

Inclusive teams are purpose driven and create a positive impact

They take a more rounded approach, optimising for people and planet, as well as profit. They cater for the needs of the historically underserved, and are intentional about avoiding and addressing negative consequences of their actions, products and services. They create solutions that solve pressing problems and aim to leave the world in a better state, than the one they found it in.

Inclusive teams take a people first approach

They consider their people to be their most precious assets, and not just resources to get the work done. They embrace the whole person, celebrating difference and creating belonging with shared values. They create safety for authenticity, risk-taking and healthy debate. They show empathy, curiosity and humility, and are not afraid of uncomfortable conversations or expressing their emotions. They allow for personalisation, encouraging people to contribute in ways that suit them best.

Inclusive teams leverage diversity to co-create better solutions

They are optimised for collective intelligence. They think better and work smarter. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. They take advantage of diverse perspectives, skills and backgrounds. They involve the people they serve in creating solutions to better meet their needs. They collaborate across organisational silos and boundaries to achieve more together. They are autonomous, self organising and participatory. The leaders role is to set the stage so everyone can shine, they are not the main act.

Develop Inclusive Leaders

Inclusive leadership is critical for inclusive innovation because it sets the tone and the direction of the organisation, and it shapes the culture and the practices that will be used to create products and services.

Inclusive leaders actively strive to create an environment where diversity and different perspectives are valued, and where everyone has an equal opportunity to participate, grow and succeed.

This allows the organisation to tap into a wider range of perspectives and ideas, resulting in more inclusive and equitable products and services that meet the needs of diverse users and communities.

Inspire Advocates & Create Accountability

Inclusive leaders articulate a clear vision for diversity and inclusion, demonstrating genuine commitment through their actions, decisions, and resource allocation. They advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion both within and outside the organisation. They take proactive steps to address inequities and hold themselves and others accountable for creating an inclusive environment.

When everyone is held accountable for diversity, equity and inclusion, it promotes a culture of action and encourages team members to take proactive steps. This can include speaking up against bias or advocating for more inclusive practices.

Leadership commitment is crucial to creating an inclusive culture that supports inclusive innovation. Leaders should set the tone and lead by example, making it clear that inclusive innovation is a priority and that everyone has a role to play in creating inclusive products and services.

Accountability for diversity, equity and inclusion should be a shared responsibility among all team members, which leads to a more positive, productive, and welcoming workplace for all. When individuals feel responsible for driving change and see themselves as part of the solution, they are more likely to take ownership of the process and commit to making it work.

Advocacy is a critical accelerator for success in inclusive innovation. To drive meaningful change, we need champions who will sell the benefits of equity and inclusion and actively drive the change, despite the complexity and challenges that may arise.

These champions need to be passionate about creating a more inclusive world and committed to making a difference. Whether you're a leader within your organisation or an individual looking to make a difference, advocacy is key to overcoming the resistance to change. By becoming a champion for change, you can help inspire others to join the cause and drive progress towards a more inclusive and equitable future for us all.

Traditional organisational structures may not be fit for purpose in today's rapidly changing world. New ways of working require a new approach to accountability. By establishing the right organisational structures, governance and encouraging individual responsibility, you can create a culture of ownership and accountability that drives real change.

Empower Everyone & Encourage Feedback

Inclusive leaders empower individuals from all backgrounds to contribute their unique perspectives and talents. They create opportunities for growth and advancement, fostering a sense of belonging and value among all team members. By actively seeking feedback from diverse sources, they foster a culture of continuous improvement where people feel empowered and stronger together. They provide support and resources for team members to help them succeed and feel comfortable in their roles as inclusive innovators.

An empowered team has a clear vision, they know what needs to be achieved and they are trusted to make it happen with authority to make decisions and take control. This also means revisiting how meetings are run, how decisions are made and how feedback is given with diversity and inclusion in mind.

Inclusive leaders foster open communication and create an atmosphere of trust and safety so that everyone feels comfortable speaking their thoughts and opinions. They actively seek out and incorporate feedback from diverse users and stakeholders.

They encourage active participation from all team members, regardless of their background or experience. They foster curiosity, without judgement and provide opportunities for team members to share their perspectives and ideas. If unfamiliar ideas are met with follow-up questions instead of negativity, this will inspire more people to share and contribute.

The team need to know that inclusion is a priority for the business for them to embed it into their everyday actions and product roadmaps. This includes providing training, support, guidance and resources to help team members understand the business case for diversity and inclusion, as well as the social and economic impact of creating inclusive products. It is also important to create space and acceptance for teams members to raise concerns, such as features that may conflict with their values.

Inclusive leaders inspire people to become allies and advocates for inclusion and ensure everyone is equipped with the knowledge, not just to understand why inclusion matters, but how to make it happen.

It is also important to provide necessary accommodations for team members with disabilities, or other support needs, in order to help them thrive.

Reward Authenticity and Humility

Inclusive leaders demonstrate authenticity by being genuine, transparent, and vulnerable in their interactions. They acknowledge their own biases and limitations, fostering an environment of trust and openness. Humility allows leaders to recognise and learn from the diverse perspectives and experiences of others, promoting inclusivity and collaboration.

To change our mindset to become more inclusive, first we need to become aware of the limitations of our current beliefs. Being open to identifying the beliefs that are no longer serving you, or those around you, is the first step.

Build an Inclusive Culture

An inclusive culture is one where everyone feels valued, respected, and supported.

Inclusive innovation teams need to encourage the development of core skills such as empathy, active listening & conflict resolution as well as encouraging inclusive behaviour and allyship amongst the team.

Establish Psychological Safety

Psychological safety, where team members feel safe to make mistakes, take risks and be vulnerable, without fear of judgement or retribution, is a crucial ingredient for success. This fosters open communication, trust, and collaboration. It is in fact the greatest driver of team success.

Create Equity and Fairness

Inclusive cultures promote fairness and equity in all aspects of the organisation, including hiring, promotion, and resource allocation. They actively work to mitigate bias and address systemic inequalities.

Foster Belonging and Community

Inclusive cultures foster a sense of belonging and community among all employees, celebrating diversity and creating spaces where everyone feels valued and respected.

Encourage Diverse Participation

To innovate inclusively it is vital to involve diverse individuals throughout the innovation process.

Build Diverse Leaders and Teams

Encouraging diversity in leadership positions and teams brings a variety of perspectives and experiences to decision-making processes. This enhances creativity, innovation, and problem-solving capabilities.

Engage with Diverse Collaborators and Feedback Sources

Engaging with diverse collaborators and feedback sources provides valuable insights and perspectives that may otherwise be overlooked. This includes seeking input from customers, community members, and other stakeholders with diverse views.

Use Participatory Techniques

Using participatory techniques, such as inclusive meeting facilitation and decision-making processes, ensures that everyone has a voice and opportunity to contribute. This promotes inclusivity and ownership of outcomes.

Stronger Together

Diverse and inclusive teams are strengthened through:

Allyship and Empathy

Continuous Learning and Growth

Celebration of Diversity

Promote Allyship and Empathy

Cultivating a culture of support, understanding, and advocacy for individuals from all backgrounds it at the heart of inclusive innovation. This involves actively listening to and empathising with others' experiences, as well as using one's own privilege and influence to support marginalised groups.

Self-awareness means understanding one's own biases, values, and privilege and how they shape the way we see the world and the people around us. This means examining and challenging one’s own prejudices.

Raising self-awareness helps team members to better understand how their own experiences and perspectives shape their interactions with others, and how these interactions can impact the design and development of products and services.

This results in a more empathetic and inclusive approach to innovation, which can lead to more successful and equitable products and services.

This means helping team members to actively seek out and understand the perspectives and experiences of diverse users and communities.

It requires curiosity to learn from and listen to (not judge) people who are targets of oppression. This provides valuable insights into the needs, preferences, and pain points of diverse users, and helps team members understand the real-world context in which the products and services will be used.

It also requires the development of cultural competence to create products and services that are inclusive and equitable for all users, regardless of their culture, language, or background.

Encourage Continuous Learning and Growth

Embrace a mindset of lifelong learning, adaptation, and improvement in the pursuit of greater diversity, equity, and inclusion. This involves challenging assumptions, seeking out diverse perspectives, and actively working to address biases and systemic barriers.

Leaders and team members at all levels, need to continuously build their mindset, skillset and toolset in order to innovate inclusively. It isn’t a case of rolling out training to tick a box. You need to develop allies, who understand the why, the what and the how of inclusive innovation and are personally motivated to change their behaviour and to create solutions that make the world a more inclusive place.

Organisations should provide ongoing education and training for all employees on the importance of inclusive innovation and how they can contribute to the organisation's efforts. This can include training on inclusive design and development practices, accessibility, and user research with diverse groups. It’s not a one and done job. Training is not just about sharing knowledge, but cultivating the right mindset for teams to take pro-active action, not just blindly follow processes.

Embracing a growth mindset can help teams cultivate an environment of continuous learning and improvement when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion. This means being open to learning from people with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, as well as being open to feedback and willing to learn how your own biases may be affecting your decisions and actions. People with a growth mindset acknowledge and learn from mistakes and are willing to take risks to try new approaches.

It is also important to continuously evaluate and improve the team's inclusivity and diversity. This includes regularly measuring and tracking diversity and inclusivity indicators, and taking action to address any issues that are identified.

Celebrate Diversity

It is important to recognise, value and celebrate the unique perspectives, experiences, and identities that each individual brings to the table. This includes promoting diversity in all of it’s forms and creating opportunities for individuals to share and celebrate their cultural heritage and differences.

Conclusion

By focusing on these key elements, organisations can create inclusive innovation teams that are better equipped to create products and services that meet the needs of diverse users and communities, driving both profit and impact.

Inclusive innovation is not a passive pursuit - it requires continuous action and effort to achieve success. This is a journey that requires a commitment to ongoing learning, adaptation, and improvement. We cannot rest on our laurels or become complacent in the face of progress. Instead, we must remain vigilant and committed to taking action at every turn. This means being open to new ideas, embracing change, and always looking for ways to improve. By taking action and driving progress, we can create a more inclusive future for ourselves, and for generations to come.

If you’d like support embedding inclusion into your people, products and practices,

Contact Diversily⁠

to find out how we can help.

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