Importance Of Glocalization in an Inclusive Workplace

Given that diversity has always been at the heart of Indian culture, it is not uncommon to discover a naturally varied workforce in Indian organizations. As a result, even though several large and small countries in the developed world have been working on developing diverse and inclusive workplaces over the last four decades, India did not see a pressing need to address diversity issues. However, this meant that concerns such as inclusion and exclusion, groupism, and unconscious prejudice, while present in a diverse work group, were overlooked.

DEFINING DIVERSITY

The term diversity is frequently used to describe the makeup of work groups. At its most fundamental, variety is defined as demographic disparities. The emphasis on diversity focuses on the composition of work groups around factors that generally distinguish one individual from another, most notably observable demographic characteristics such as gender, race, ethnicity, or age, or non-observable attributes such as education or socioeconomic status.

Diversity has been defined as “the diverse ideas and approaches to work that individuals of various identification groups provide. While demographic diversity may be a visible lead indicator, diversity of thought is seen as the end game.

DEFINING INCLUSION

Changes in the diversity discourse have resulted in a shift away from disputes over affirmative action and toward a more comprehensive focus on the concept of inclusion. The inclusion literature is still evolving, and there appears to be little agreement on the construct’s conceptual roots.

It has been claimed that if just 10% more employees feel included, the company’s work attendance will increase by over one day each year per employee. According to a an analysis, employee perceptions of inclusiveness contribute to 43% of team citizenship behavior in India. When employees believe their organization is devoted to and supportive of diversity, and they feel involved, they report improved business performance in terms of their ability to innovate, responsiveness to changing customer needs, and team collaboration. They say that in order to fully realize the promise of diversity, companies must realign their focus on inclusion rather than just diversity. In other words, in addition to diversity, an additional effort is required to focus on inclusion.

The combination of diversity and inclusion can sometimes lead to the misconception that they are related and similar. It is suggested that, while diversity may be attained by recruiting various people in an organization, inclusion is a process that requires a shift in the thinking of all employees. While achieving diversity is a technical and difficult problem, feeling inclusion is an adaptive and complex problem. Inclusion is a process, while diversity is an outcome. In the end, a varied organization in all locations and settings will have a similar look and feel. An inclusive organization can only be achieved by the emergent contextual involvement of all employees, hence each inclusive organization will look and feel unique.

INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE DESIGN

Non-traditional employees are not expected to simply conform to dominant norms in inclusive businesses.

The concept of a climate of inclusion has been described as one in which identification group status is independent of access to essential resources, allowing heterogeneous individuals to form cross-cutting links.

One way that organizations and leaders contribute to less inclusiveness is by professing to be gender, racial, or culturally neutral.

As a result, it stands to reason that organizations establish employee resource groups, sometimes known as affinity groups or corporate resource groups, which are essentially established networks that offer a friendly atmosphere for minority or under-represented groups. Attempts to establish inclusive workplaces must take into account individual variations, needs, and perceptions, as well as focus on creating structures, systems, and processes that make people feel valued and treated equitably.

DRIVERS OF INCLUSION

Employee inclusion perceptions have been connected to the organizational environment, which is defined by fairness and a diversity climate.

Research also indicates that in such an environment, employees are more ready to speak up and participate fully, and discrimination and harassment are less prevalent.

According to some studies, feelings of inclusion are related to procedural fairness and the leader’s appreciation of members’ efforts.  Employee inclusion has also been connected to an atmosphere of open communication and transparent recruiting, promotion, and development. The drivers of inclusiveness are merit-based practices and policies, senior leadership behaviors, manager behaviors, and work-life balance.

Inclusion necessitates respect and acceptance, empathy, listening skills, dignity, trust, decision-making authority, and access to information on an interpersonal level. When employees view others through the lens of simplistic preconceptions, they create and sustain differences rather than trying to integrate and overcome them. Blindness to other people’s social identities can also be harmful in a diverse work environment.

LEADERSHIP STYLE AS A DRIVER OF INCLUSION

Leaders can foster inclusion by demonstrating their conviction in and commitment to diversity via their actions, by establishing chances for debate about differences, and, when necessary, by changing the standards for acceptable behavior.

Empirical study has demonstrated that when leaders solicit and value employee input, it helps to establish work environments with a high level of psychological safety. Both inclusive leadership and inclusive practices can be seen as antecedents of inclusion. An inclusive leader is defined as one who visibly champions diversity and related initiatives, seeks out and values employees’ contributions, demonstrates a collaborative leadership style, has the ability to manage conflict, embodies merit-based decision-making, possesses cultural competency, and creates a sense of collective identity.

SOME OF THE BEST PRACTICES AT EDUBRIDGE

• Gender Diversity
• Women in Leadership
• Generational Diversity
• Hiring of People with Disabilities
• Barrier-free Communication
• Accessible Information Systems
• Barrier Free Infrastructure

It is essential for businesses to have a diverse and inclusive workplace in order to be competitive in today’s global market. Edubridge is proud to have a workforce that reflects the rich tapestry of our society. Our commitment to inclusion means that women are welcome and appreciated here. We believe that diversity is one of our greatest strengths, and we are constantly striving to make our workplace even more welcoming for everyone.