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Greetings!
Where has the time gone? I had hoped to write
this newsletter last month but have been very busy.
Nevertheless, I am excited about the next series of
newsletters we are going to write. We have completed
our series on attributes of a difference maker and
have elected to write about the topic of inclusion.
Dr. Roosevelt Thomas said that "diversity is a
journey and not a destination." I would agree with that
and also say that I think the same thing is true about
inclusion. I'm intrigued by this topic for I believe it has
been around for a long, long time. Why then, is the
word "inclusion" all of a sudden having so much
press? What are the tenants that are similar to and
different from diversity? We hope to explore this topic
in depth from several different perspectives.
Personally inclusion has been with me since I
was a child. As a blind Japanese person I learned
very early the difference between exclusion and
inclusion. I have learned how to be engaged with this
topic at all levels of life both personally and
professionally. It wasn't until I reached college that I
realized that there were lots of people who had to
struggle with needing to feel included.
The late Will Schultz, in many of his writings
asserted that inclusion was the first phase of a
relationship that needed to be addressed. He said
that inclusion deals with matters of significance and
insignificance. The extent to which someone felt either
significant or insignificant was a deciding factor in
how successful they could become in building and
maintaining effective relationships at any level
whether personal or professional.
For the purpose of our newsletter, we will divide
this topic into three different segments. Today,
segment one will be devoted to defining what
inclusion is. We will cite definitions from several
different colleagues. Segment two will focus on the
five dimensions of inclusion. Particular attention will
be devoted to people with disabilities as I believe
there is still a disconnect between members of this
group and other groups within the diversity
conversation as well as the world at large. And
segment three will focus on exploring the impact of
collective identity; attributions of individuals because
of the groups they represent.
Steve
What Is "Inclusion"?
During my sophomore year in
college, I was walking through the snack bar and
noticed all the different groups of people conversing
with one another. How does that happen I wondered
to myself? How do different individuals hook up to talk
with each other and how do they determine what to
talk about. I guessed they must have something in
common to discuss.
During that time in my life my
disability was the detractor for me to engage in dialog
with others. Looking back I have to assume some
responsibility for my inability to connect. It was at that
moment, however that I decided that whatever I did for
work would need to have a component of helping
people to connect with each other.
Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, an expert
on issues of death and dying once said, "If you are
trying to find direction for your life, go to the deepest
corner within yourself and you will find your purpose."
I went to the deepest corner of my life and found that
disability, diversity and inclusion were cornerstones in
helping me define my purpose in life. As the diversity
movement began we saw organizations struggle to
comply with the legislated mandates. Over time
diversity moved from compliance to education to
business imperative and is now shifting toward
creating an inclusive environment for all people.
Since inclusion is relatively new on
the scene definitions are still being formulated. Here
are a few from some of my colleagues:
Judith Katz and Fred Miller of the Kaleel Jamison
Consulting Group define inclusion as "a sense of
belonging, feeling respected, valued and seen for who
we are as individuals; there is a level of supportive
energy and commitment from leaders, colleagues
and others so that we individually and collectively can
do our best work."
Dr. Bernardo Ferdman, professor at Marshall
Goldsmith School of Management defines
inclusion on two basic levels - individual and
collective; both are important for creating conditions in
which everyone has the opportunity to be authentic,
appreciated, and to feel safe, valued, engaged and
excited in the workplace.
The Institute for Inclusion says inclusion is
engaging the uniqueness of the talents, beliefs
backgrounds, capabilities and ways of living of
individuals and groups when joined in a common
endeavor. Inclusion is engaging in diversity to create
a culture of belonging in which differences are valued
and honored.
Dr. Roosevelt Thomas says inclusion is
creating an environment that allows everyone to
contribute to his or her potential (note, Dr. Thomas
also thinks about diversity in this way).
Our definition of inclusion is "to belong to, to
be a part
of, to not be discount."
It is important to note that some
individuals and groups may be asking for inclusion in
different arenas. It infers that to be included means I
will or we will get exactly what we want. I want to dispel
this as a myth of what it means to be included. I think
what inclusion does is to allow for the conversation to
occur. You may or may not get what is wanted or
desired. However, conversation is a very good first
step. I think that is where we are now in "the work" as
Robert Hayles would say.
Why write about inclusion? There are
several reasons. First of all, it's very personal and I
think that it is important for those from education and
research to understand that there is still a gap
between theory and behavioral practices that are
necessary to truly create inclusion among different
groups of people.
Secondly, we need to bridge the gap
between sectors to demonstrate that the construct of
inclusion is more of a universal attribute that is
needed if we are going to get along with one another.
And third, to share some thinking by
others in the field who are now embracing this as a
topic to be dealt with. Subsequent news letters will get
into some desired behaviors and suggestions for
creating inclusion in different domains.
News Briefs
The first and second quarters of this
year have been devoted to lots of travel to many
different places. Issues of diversity and inclusion
continue to be the main staple of our work, although
we are embarking on some different aspects of
diversity. Generational differences along with religious
differences get top billing for some of the new
learnings this year.
Next month I will be teaching a three
day course on Engaging in the Difficult Conversations
at the Summer Institute for Intercultural
Communication. It's an honor to be asked to do this
and I look forward to some new learnings as we will
be exploring different cultural models on how to
approach conflict and having the difficult
conversations.
So until next time stay the course and continue to
be a difference maker.
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Steve Hanamura
With over 30 years of experience, Steve Hanamura is
a nationally known speaker, consultant and trainer. He
is widely sought after in the areas of leadership
development, building effective teams, leading
diversity initiatives and managing generational
differences. With a national client list spanning
Fortune 500 companies to regional not-for-profit
institutions, Steve is highly regarded for his unique
perspectives and distinct training techniques.
As president of Hanamura Consulting, Inc. he is
committed to making a difference in the lives of
individuals and organizations. His goal is to assist
organizations to work together to build constructive
relationships by understanding how we must draw
from the past and work in the present so we can plan
and build for the future.
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