Inclusive Circle of Virtue

There is currently a prominent dialog in the press about women leaving technology in droves. In addition there is a lively national debate about how to improve the US education system. Reading up on both topics has stimulated similar thinking on both topics that involve insider-outsider circle propagation, or virtuous versus vicious cycles.

Waaa?

Let's talk terms. Inclusiveness is a term that has touchy feely attached to it, but merits attention because being inclusive means beginning from the perspective that there is a place for everyone and everyone informs the conversation and improves the group. It does not mean removing all standards or that everyone 'wins'. Exclusivity has been the norm for centuries for clubby types and became the measurement bar for all things desirable with the advent of marketing. We all love to possess an exclusive item, yet nothing hurts like being excluded.

I happened to think about what it means to be automatically included in a group, at school at work, wherever. It means that individuals can assume they are part of a unit and that their interests do matter, at some level. It does not mean that the individual directs all things for the group. More on that idea anon. For leaders inclusion raises the necessity to consider the interests of diverse groupings of individuals and raises the bar required to satisfy the larger group.

Exclusive models do not absolutely require diversity of members within a group and tend to dictate behaviors that reinforce homogeneity for the group. This model means the best minds and strong feedback loops apply to in depth thinking over long periods of time for highly evolved results. Groups that rank exclusivity highly create models that support the group and monolithic ideals over individuals and varied goals.

Neither model is good or bad by definition, each brings strength and balance. Each can also support random reinforcement of pernicious patterns that erode the value of the group over time.

In both classrooms and small workforce group level setting occurs early in the formation of the group. To reinforce an inclusive approach in a work setting socialization across the group is taken as a requirement for the group to function. In the classroom a give and take approach that allows for different view points rather than a fully top down structure helps, though leadership from a teacher will necessitate some control from the top. Peer pressure can help in both environments.

For inclusive groups, the success or failure of every individual reflects on the success of the group as a whole. In schools that means the least productive student has to be brought to the standard of the cohort, within a range defined by the cohort. Work environments that are financially driven might allow for more diversity of ability with different compensation and benefit schemes to support the range.

In work settings that support exclusive practice hiring directs an outcome to identify and include only the ready-set-go personnel in today's fast paced, success oriented environment. In the short term this seems fine for best in class companies, but there are longer term consequences to this approach that apply to growth and maturity attainment.

In the educational environment exclusivity leads to elite programs, schools and tracked systems that limit upward mobility for less well equipped participants while supporting the already verdant support system available for the top performers. If it is our educational system we look to for our future workforce leaders, this appears to be weak model.

The exclusive model ensures that the best of the best continue to excel which is good for improvement of all things. However it means that a large group never jumps from one track to the next. Over time this leads to an inability to change or innovate, group think and eventual stagnation tends to follow without an extreme event to cause radical change. Instead of incremental improvement for the whole that occasionally allows for a large leap, cynicism and cronyism becomes the norm. We can do better.

Parents, teachers and leaders in the business space set rules that support or change the status quo. It is time for the larger group to take a stand and participate. Newcomers need to broadcast new thinking and produce new models of behavior to break us out of elitist and talent stifling behaviors.