Measuring Inclusive Leadership

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) isn’t a box you can tick. Whereas diversity is something that can be measured in a team or group by taking stock of the visible and invisible aspects of people – like skin color, gender, religion or educational background – inclusion is not a static end state or one-off solution: it can fluctuate over time.

While an organization or individual team might have an inclusive culture today, there is no guarantee it will remain like that. As diverse teams do not flourish without inclusion, building inclusive teams is vital and managers should uphold continuous efforts towards inclusive leadership development.

Sustained inclusive leadership is key to realizing the benefits of DE&I, which include increased creativity and innovation, better decision-making, improved productivity and greater workforce well-being^1,2, as well as addressing societal pressure on the organization (e.g., labor market demands³ and changing EU regulations around pay equity⁴).

What does inclusive leadership look like? It has been defined as “a set of leader behaviors that are focused on facilitating group members feeling part of the group (belongingness) and retaining their sense of individuality (uniqueness) while contributing to group processes and outcomes”⁵. Fortunately, these leadership styles can be developed over time⁶ and at Deloitte we have introduced the six signature traits of inclusive leadership to help guide leaders what behaviors and mindsets highly inclusive leaders demonstrate.

Deloitte’s Inclusive Leadership Framework

After researching what leaders, who are perceived to be inclusive, were saying and doing, Juliet Bourke⁷ identified six signature traits: commitment, courage, cognizance of bias, curiosity, cultural intelligence and collaboration. Each is equally important and contains both mindset and behavioral components:

Commitment – Inclusive leadership starts with an explicit commitment: You tell people why DE&I is important to you personally and demonstrate support for DE&I efforts in the organization. Speaking up respectfully when you sense something does not support inclusion and prioritizing time in meetings to discuss what can be done to better support inclusion also demonstrate commitment. Having the right intention is not enough, it is also about actively building inclusive teams. Not speaking up can imply DE&I is a low priority, especially for people not working with you on a daily basis.

Courage – Talking about our differences and acknowledging to others that we make mistakes can be uncomfortable and requires courage. Communicating a sense of authenticity and human fallibility can create deeper connections with others and create space for personal growth.

Cognizance of bias – One thing is for sure: everyone has biases, and even more important: we cannot get rid of them. Highly inclusive leaders are aware of these biases and are able to apply mitigating strategies in their day-to-day practices. Besides reflecting on our own biases, it is also about making tweaks in processes that help mitigate biases in decision-making processes, stressful situations and changing, uncertain environments. For example, by setting the expectation in the team to call it out and challenge each other for potential stereotypes or assumptions that might have been made.

Curiosity – Highly inclusive leaders show openness to new and different ideas or experiences. This openness is driven by a genuine desire to understand how others view and experience the world rather than convincing someone of your standpoint. Asking questions, being empathetic and inviting disagreement or alternative viewpoints are key behaviors that characterize curiosity.

Cultural intelligence – As the world is becoming more and more interconnected, highly inclusive leaders are aware of the differences and similarities between cultures and are deeply motivated to understand other cultures. Most importantly they are effective in adapting their communication style in intercultural settings. Rather than getting frustrated, they make diversity work.

Collaboration – Besides creating teams with different perspectives, highly inclusive leaders remove ‘first speaker advantage’ in meetings and empower team members to make decisions on challenges in their work. Above all, they create a culture of trust where concerns can be raised in a safe environment and learning is constantly stimulated.

Strengthening Inclusive Leadership

To grow in your inclusive leadership development, you need to measure yourself against the six signature traits. Deloitte’s Inclusive Leadership Assessment (ILA) is a tool for leaders to gather feedback from colleagues on your perceived leadership style. Combined with a self-assessment, a personal report is generated with insights into the alignment of the self and others. This is important, since only one third of leaders can correctly assess their own inclusive leadership⁸. The results of the ILA signal what a leader can focus on to develop more inclusive leadership in their daily behaviors. Together with an accredited ILA coach, you interpret the results and form a personal action plan based on your strengths and development areas.

Staying the course is hard

Committing to inclusive leadership is hard work and it is not always the easiest path to take. But when done right, inclusive leadership will pay off immediately in team efforts and performance. Inclusion is a verb: something you do rather than be. When a group becomes more and more diverse, inclusion is a skill that consciously needs to be activated. When building inclusive teams, you have to intentionally make sure that people feel part of the group and that you value their uniqueness when contributing to the team.

Leaders ought to invest in inclusive leadership development to ensure that they remain effective in leading diverse teams. The Inclusive Leadership Assessment of the six signature traits can provide leaders with insights into how they perceive themselves and how others around them perceive them. We often judge ourselves on our intentions, but others judge us on our behaviors. Highly inclusive leaders are aware of this and are able to integrate constant checks with others into their daily behaviors: in their way of thinking, speaking, measuring and prioritizing diversity, equity and inclusion in organizations.
 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Consulting Services

Deloitte’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) consulting services support transformations by taking a systemic approach to help organizations access and engage a more diverse workforce; build inclusive leadership capabilities; foster a culture of belonging; and embed equity and inclusion across every business function. Our proven track record and published thought leadership position us to take bold action alongside our clients, and our proprietary tools and methods are informed by research and on-the-ground experience with the world’s leading organizations to provide differentiated DEI solutions, experiences, and insights for our clients.

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References

1. 3 Benefits of Diversity in the Workplace (Forbes, 2021)
2. Greater Progress on Diversity and Inclusion Essential to Rebuild Productive and Resilient Workplaces (International Labour Organization, 2022)
3. Deloitte Global 2023 LGBT+ Inclusion @ Work (Deloitte, 2023)
   EU Action for Equal Pay (European Commission, 2020)
4. Inclusion in the Workplace: A Review and Research Agenda (Randel, 2023).
5. Effective Leadership Styles (Sethuraman & Suresh, 2014)
6. The Six Signature Traits of Inclusive Leadership (Deloitte Insights, 2016) 
7. Why Inclusive Leaders are Good for Organizations and How to Become One (Bourke & Titus, 2019)