Why inclusion changes the decisions you make

A diverse team creates value only when different perspectives can influence what happens next.

You can bring together people with varied backgrounds, experiences and expertise, and still hear from the same few voices.

You can have inclusive policies while important opportunities continue to circulate through familiar networks.

And you can invite people to contribute while everyday behaviours make it difficult for them to do so.

When I work with leaders and teams, I’m interested not only in what an organisation says about inclusion, but in what people experience. Who gets heard? Whose judgement is trusted? Who receives opportunities? And what happens when someone offers a different view?

That is where inclusive leadership becomes visible

Why does inclusive leadership matter?

Inclusion is about creating the conditions in which people can contribute their knowledge, question assumptions and do their best work.

For many of the scientific, research and engineering environments I work with this is particularly important. Progress often depends on bringing together different disciplines, challenging established thinking and recognising connections that no individual expert could see alone.

Different ways of thinking can strengthen a team's judgement, but only if those perspectives genuinely enter the conversation.

If hierarchy, specialist language or established relationships prevent some perspectives from entering the conversation, valuable expertise remains unused.

The organisation may also miss risks, make decisions based on incomplete information or continue with an approach that no one feels able to question.

Inclusion is therefore more than a statement of values. It affects the quality of thinking, decisions and innovation.

How can exclusion appear in everyday work?

It isn’t always obvious or intentional.

You may notice:

• The same people doing the talking and influencing most decisions

• Some colleagues being interrupted or their ideas receiving little attention

• Important discussions happening informally, without everyone affected

• Stretch opportunities going repeatedly to familiar people

• Confidence being valued more highly than insight

• People adapting how they communicate or behave to be taken seriously

• Different needs being treated as inconvenient rather than considered

Small experiences accumulate. People may begin to contribute less, stop challenging ideas or decide that progression is unlikely to be open to them.

When people learn that some issues are safer left unsaid, this can also affect the quality of senior-team conversations.

What can inclusive leaders do?

Inclusive leadership isn’t about avoiding difficult conversations or agreeing with every perspective. It means creating fair opportunities to contribute, while maintaining clear expectations and high standards.

Five questions can help.

1. Whose voice is influencing the decision?

Look beyond who attended the meeting. Who contributed? Whose ideas shaped the conclusion? Who holds relevant knowledge but hasn’t been consulted?

Actively seeking a missing perspective can improve the decision, not simply the appearance of inclusion.

2. How easy is it for different people to contribute?

Not everyone does their best thinking in a fast-moving discussion.

Share information in advance where possible. Create pauses before reaching conclusions. Invite written input as well as verbal contributions, and avoid allowing the quickest or most senior voice to set the direction too early.

3. What happens when someone disagrees?

Pay attention to your response when someone questions an established view.

What you do in that moment matters. Curiosity encourages further contribution. Dismissiveness, defensiveness or silence teaches people that challenge carries a cost. Become comfortable disagreeing.

Creating an environment where people can question ideas without damaging relationships is also an important part of psychological safety.

4. How are opportunities allocated?

Consider who receives high-profile projects, development, sponsorship and access to senior stakeholders.

Use clear criteria rather than relying only on visibility, confidence or existing relationships. Ask who may be ready for an opportunity but less likely to put themselves forward.

5. What might your systems and culture be reinforcing?

Individual behaviour matters, but inclusion also depends on how work is designed.

Review recruitment, progression, meeting practices, flexible working, performance measures and routes for raising concerns. Where patterns repeatedly disadvantage particular people, encouragement alone won’t resolve them.

How will you know whether people feel included?

You won’t know simply by looking around the room.

Ask.

Create ways for people to speak honestly, including confidentially where appropriate. Look for patterns in who joins, stays, progresses and contributes. Most importantly, respond visibly to what you learn.

Inclusive leadership doesn’t require you to have every answer. It requires curiosity, humility and a willingness to notice where your intentions and other people’s experiences may differ.

A strong culture allows people to contribute without first having to become more like those already in positions of influence.

Whose thinking could strengthen your organisation if you made it easier to hear?

If your senior team would benefit from more inclusive decision-making, stronger challenge and more open conversations, explore our Senior Team Development and Coaching work, or contact me to discuss what would help your team.

Kate Jennings