Three perspectives on Inclusion: Biases, The Divide between ‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ people & ‘Flipping it to Test it’
Three perspectives to help you understand the art of inclusion
Welcome to our newsletter!
Here you will find three perspectives to further your understanding of inclusion.
A perspective from our founder:
“Inclusion is not about being a good person or a bad person.
It is about acknowledging that we all are biased, and if we are not careful, our biases can lead us to unintentionally exclude others.
It is tempting to look at people who we deem as ‘bad people’, and deflect the blame for exclusion onto them.
But it is important to remember, we are all at risk of emulating their behaviour through our own actions.
Labelling people as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ will not help promote inclusion.
But reflecting on our own actions and the things we can do as individuals to ensure that we are including everyone who we interact with, most certainly will.
So, the next time you hear about a clear example of exclusion, think to yourself:
Could I be unintentionally imitating this form of behaviour in my own life?”A perspective from our research findings this week:
In her TED Talk titled Are you biased? I am, Kristen Pressner spoke about her experience of realising a bias she has towards women leaders:
“Not long ago, within the same week, two members of my team asked me to take a look at their compensation.
My first reaction to the man's request was something like, "Yeah, I'll look into it." My first reaction to the woman's request was something like, "I'm pretty sure you're good." Day or so later, I'm sitting at my desk, hard at work, and I somehow connected what up until then I'd seen as two separate events.
I had two very different reactions to basically the same request, and I thought, "Huh, what's up with that? Might I be biased and not even know it?"“
She discusses the flip-it-to-test-it method and its fundamental role in acknowledging our own biases.
She ends her TED talk wby asking the audience:
“what if you’re missing an opportunity to see the world differently?”
A perspective from you:
In future editions, we hope to use a perspective from you - our valued subscribers.
If you want to contribute any perspectives that you have as to how people can better promote inclusion in their everyday life, please contact us via the contact form on our website:
www.thealanproject.com.au/get-in-touch
Here is a prompt to get you thinking: I feel included when…
That is all for this week. Please let us know if you have any questions, and don’t forget to spread the word about this newsletter so we can continue to reach as many people as possible.
Have a wonderful week :)
