Leading Libraries Series: Leading for Inclusion

Challenges to inclusive practice

 

How exclusion develops

This module explores three key factors which contribute to exclusion in workplaces and in society. It will help you to reflect on your own context and to become more aware of your own responses around these important issues. Watch this 25 minute video

 

What gets in the way of inclusion?

There are many different perspectives on what gets in the way of inclusion. This module offers you some lenses through which you can observe and understand where people in the workplace might be excluded.

Try to connect with the experiences of people in your team or group. Some of the lenses may resonate with your personal experience and others may not.

Take a look at a sample of responses given to the question, 'what gets in the way of inclusion?'.

 

Difference, stereotyping and bias

Some of the most important insights from research on exclusion and marginalisation are about the psychological process of 'bias'. The vast majority of us aspire and intend to behave in inclusive ways but we all have to recognise that our actual behaviours and attitudes may be subtly affected by biases about individuals (or even whole groups) who are different from us in some way.

Unconscious bias (or implicit bias) is often defined as prejudice or unsupported judgments in favour of or against one thing, person, or group as compared to another, in a way that is usually considered unfair. As a result of unconscious biases, certain people benefit and other people are penalized.

Bias is a vast subject which we can only touch on here but you can begin by raising your own awareness of how unconscious bias may be showing up:

• in your workplace or service
• in the groups and teams to which you belong
• or even in your own behaviour.

 

In-groups and out-groups

‘People define themselves in terms of social groupings and are quick to criticize and put down others who do not fit.’
Source: Henri Tajfel 1970 onwards

This theory relates to our need, as human beings, to have a sense of belonging. Positive interpersonal relationships help us thrive and being part of a group can give us a sense of safety.

We tend to connect more with the groups that we feel part of and can sometimes be more critical of or put down those who are not part of our group. This behaviour can be very subtle, i.e. not explicit exclusion, especially in the workplace.

Exclusionary behaviours do not have to be large or overt. Small actions can go a long way to making someone feel valued and good about themselves (micro affirmations) or to make someone feel like an outsider and of lower worth (micro inequities).

 

Micro affirmations

Subtle or small acknowledgements of a person's value and accomplishments that can lift their self esteem and improve performance.

Micro inequities

Subtle and often covert events which are hard to prove and often unintentional, occurring when people are perceived to be different. They can diminish self esteem and performance.

 

Covering - the unrecognised impact of exclusion

When a person is on the receiving end of micro inequities, these can be hard to place, but the person knows that they are being treated differently and are not valued as much as people who are in the majority.

In order to fit in and survive, we can lose our difference often without us realising. Often, to fit in, we may end up 'covering' different aspects of our identity as illustrated in the image below.

 

 

These ideas are based on the work of Kenji Yoshino 2006 who identified four areas of covering.

You can learn more about 'covering' in the segment 'The costs of exclusion'.

 

Continue to: Recogising bias