Inclusive leadership is imperative for creating cultures, schools, teams, and organizations that drive equitable outcomes for historically marginalized and minoritized people. The inclusive leadership development model is a four-part, iterative, reflective, and reflexive framework for developing into an inclusive leader.
Inclusive Leadership Development Components
Part 1: Individual
An inclusive leader understands the social and political context that creates their identity and how it influences and biases their perception of and outlook on the world.
What it does not look like
- "I'm just here to do a job."
- "I'm tired of having to be 'politically correct.'"
- "I don't have culture."
- "I am not biased."
Planning Prompts
- In what ways are we collectively encouraging one another to reflect on how social and political contexts create and inform our identities?
- In what ways are we inviting dialogue that collectively expands social consciousness and explains how our identities bias our perceptions and outlooks on the world?
Strategies
- Examine your positionality.
- Incorporate reflection activities into your day
- Create a culture of feedback
Part 2: Lens
SYSTEMIC THINKING
An inclusive leader considers how systems of oppression and advantage influence their decisions and impact their team.
ETHICAL DILEMMA OF BIAS
An inclusive leader investigates how interpersonal and institutionalized bias produce an ethical dilemma that one must address.
What it does not look like
- "Women aren't interested in tech careers."
- "They just don't succeed in that type of role."
- "They didn't ask for more." (pay gap)
Planning Prompts
- How can we use root cause analysis to reveal inequities our marginalized people face?
- How are we considering institutional barriers that marginalized and minoritized people face in the workplace and actively working to remove obstacles and supplant them with support?
- In what ways are we establishing guardrails that attempt to protect us from biased decisions, policies, and practices?
Strategies
- Expand knowledge and awareness.
- Push yourself and others to think about the issues systemically.
- Root cause analysis as a tool to understand issues of inequity.
Part 3: Practices
Human-Centered Approach
An inclusive leader works from an asset- or strengths-based mindset, recognizing the value and celebrating the beauty of diversity. They intentionally lead with empathy, curiosity, and open-mindedness to strengthen the dignity of all humans around us.
Accountable Lifelong Learner
An inclusive leader reflects on personal and institutional actions and is committed to learning more about what they do not know, including other ways of knowing and doing. They are personally accountable for mistakes, failures, and mishaps (rather than deflecting, avoiding responsibility, and claiming good intent).
What it does not look like
- "That's not how we do it."
- "That's not what we meant."
- "Don't be so sensitive."
Planning Prompts
- How are we shifting mindsets to value and elevate different ways of knowing and doing?
- How are we celebrating differences rather than suggesting people hide and avoid them?
- How are we practicing visible accountability for mistakes, failures, and mishaps?
Strategies
- Incorporate activities that encourage curiosity (and respect) of other ways of knowing and doing.
- Emphasize empathy and accountability as a crucial skill for your team culture.
Part 4: Outcomes
CULTURALLY INTELLIGENT COMMUNICATION
An inclusive leader is attentive to which voices, values, and ways of knowing and doing are present, missing, or silenced. They actively and empathically listen and search for cues to bridge gaps among diverse people.
INCLUSIVE COLLABORATION
An inclusive leader actively and equitably engages diverse perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds to enrich the collectively shared environment and balances the assumed norms to allow for more authentic engagement.
What it does not look like
- Someone repeats or rephrases what was said by someone else and gets credit for it.
- "They didn't say anything, so they must be fine."
- "They always go along with what we usually do, so it's not a big deal to operate as we always have."
Planning Prompts
- In what ways are we actively listening to marginalized voices and striving to incorporate their ideas?
- How are we evaluating and refreshing our team norms so that more people authentically engage?
Strategies
- Ensure culturally intelligent communication and inclusive collaboration are metrics for evaluations.
- Prompt regularly with: Whose voices are either missing or silenced? Why? What can/will we do?
- Host small group listening sessions.
Origin of the Inclusive Leadership Development Model
I developed the ILD model as a teaching tool for Engineer Inclusion clients. While the model’s origin is from an engineering leadership context, it is helpful for anyone who aims to develop inclusive leadership practices.
The ILD model aligns three frameworks:
- Engineering habits of mind (1)
- ABET student outcomes (2)
- Inclusive leadership traits (3)
- Katehi, L., Pearson, G., & Feder, M. (2009). The status and nature of K-12 engineering education in the United States. The Bridge, 39(3), 5-10.
- Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (2020). Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs, 2020 – 2021, General Criteria for Baccalaureate Level Programs, Criterion 3. Student Outcomes. https://www.abet.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/EAC-Criteria-2020-2021.pdf
- Bourke, J., & Espedido, A. (2019). Why inclusive leaders are good for organizations, and how to become one. Harvard Business Review Digital Articles, 2-5.
The alignment yields four components:
- Understanding the self
- Developing a DEI lens
- Establishing DEI practices
- Desired DEI outcomes
This conceptual model provides a method for teaching inclusive leadership that aligns with standardized engineering outcomes and makes visible a pervasive hidden curriculum that perpetuates disparities within engineering.
UPCOMING PUBLICATION
Inclusive Leadership Development for Engineers
NEW PUBLICATION
Inclusive Leadership Development for Engineers
Citation: , , & (2022). Inclusive leadership development for engineers. In M. R. Kendall & C. Rottmann (Eds.). New Directions for Student Leadership: No. 173. Student leadership development in engineering (pp. 119– 128). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/yd.20483
This chapter presents a standards-aligned, strategy-driven leadership development model for equipping engineering students with skills to appreciate differences in the workplace and to collaborate and lead inclusively.
