The Value of Men Leaning into Inclusion and Diversity

For way too long, Inclusion and Diversity has been viewed by men in power as something that benefits others. (This is especially true if you are a straight cis gender white neurotypical man without disabilities). However if we can show that inclusion and diversity benefits almost everyone, then we have a chance of creating workplaces that are inclusive, equitable and diverse.

So we conducted an in-depth survey into the success stories from men who have actively “leaned into” Inclusion and Diversity and the results are fascinating. Here are six key takeaways from our research:

• 97% of the men surveyed said that engaging in inclusion and diversity had made them a better leader and human being.
• 80% of the men reported benefits for their business, including a more harmonious workplace, fresh ideas and different perspectives, greater engagement with stakeholders and more profitable business.
• Key triggers for these men getting involved in I&D were previous experiences of being excluded (that is being in the “out-group”) and being the father of girls.
• The Inclusive leadership traits these men had made most progress on included cognisance of bias and commitment to I&D, while they felt they needed to do more work on their cultural intelligence and ability to express vulnerability.
• From our perspective, 50% of the respondents were simply doing the bare minimum that we would expect from men leaning in (however this is still far more than the men who are not leaning in at all), while only 16% were actually doing enough to be regarded as Agents of Change. 
• The biggest challenges these men faced included fear of saying the wrong thing and judgement from other men.

You can download a copy of the full report HERE. The report includes some highly practical tips to how your organisation can engage men in inclusion and diversity as well as a Men Leaning in Matrix which will help your employees who identify as men understand where there are and what more than can do.

We will also be exploring some of the key themes at our annual Masculinity in the Workplace event which takes place virtually on 22nd November. More details and registration HERE. Hope you can join us.