Inclusion

Inclusion is a difficult and controversial concept that is often used in traditional U.S. based diversity training initiatives.  It commonly refers to an environment where differences are minimized and employees are perceived as equals operating on a common platform.

In contrast to traditional diversity training which emphasizes race and gender, intercultural diversity training does not necessarily advocate for inclusion and in some scenarios, it is simply an unrealistic and unattainable goal.  Intercultural training emphasizes the differences inherent amongst cultures and does not attempt to minimize them.  In highlighting differences, it gives individuals the conceptual tools to begin considering adaptation.

Inclusion is often encouraged by companies establishing sets of organizational values.  These values are then promoted and reinforced in various ways and tied to behaviors.  The challenge that global companies have is identifying values that will mean the same thing to every employee in different offices around the world.

Intercultural training and consulting are ways to explore whether or not inclusion is a realistic goal or if there needs to be a shift from one regional center to another.  Performance management is also a tool one can use to try and establish some degree of common behaviors – a challenging endeavor considering the tremendous diversity of business behaviors in the world.