From Diversity and Inclusion to belonging

(originally posted on LinkedIn)

At the heart of collaboration is "diversity and inclusion"; so it’s core to my values and professional work.

​Not surprisingly the 15th March 2019 events in New Zealand have brought the conversation to the surface and it’s an area I've been getting a few calls about.

For me, as a diaspora, a Persian Kiwi, with experience living and working across countries, this is also a deeply personal conversation.

So have you ever wondered why despite some effort and investment, it feels like we’re treading water?

In today’s Australian Financial Review article “Companies wasting millions on diversity programs”, the author notes that recent research from BCG showed that despite policies and investments
"...only  11% of women, 14% of people from different ethnic backgrounds and 18% of LBGTIQ employees felt they had benefited from the schemes. More than 30% said they had experienced discrimination.”

So maybe we need to change the focus from numbers & tangibles.

Maybe with a deeper focus and intentionality on listening to the stories and capturing the messages we will begin to see changes in the cultural paradigms and a move towards a culture of belonging.

It’s like the difference between being invited to the party & asked to dance!

It's time to go beyond Diversity and Inclusion and talk about "Belonging".
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