Building an Inclusive Organization audiobook cover - Leveraging the Power of a Diverse Workforce

Building an Inclusive Organization

Leveraging the Power of a Diverse Workforce

Stephen Frost and Raafi-Karim Alidina

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Corporate CultureManagement & Leadership

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Building an Inclusive Organization
The Case for Diversity & Inclusion+
Overcoming Unconscious Bias+
Addressing the Gender Pay Gap+
Leadership & Data Gathering+
Actionable Culture Change+
Industry-Specific Challenges+
Empathy & Personal Connection+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 10
What do the authors mean when they refer to 'Diversity 101'?
  • A. A comprehensive, mandatory training program for all new employees.
  • B. A surface-level, box-ticking exercise that relies on tokenism without changing the decision-making structure.
  • C. The foundational step of gathering demographic data before implementing policy changes.
  • D. The expectation that minority employees will seamlessly assimilate into the existing company culture.
Question 2 of 10
According to Noel Burch’s 'Ladder of Cultural Competence,' what characterizes the final stage of 'unconscious competence'?
  • A. You realize you have deeply ingrained biases but have no idea what to do about them.
  • B. You are completely unaware of your internalized prejudices and blind spots.
  • C. You are constantly and deliberately implementing strategies to counteract your biases.
  • D. Dealing with your internalized prejudices has become second nature and no longer affects your work performance.
Question 3 of 10
Why do the authors argue that men in leadership need to start worrying about the gender pay gap?
  • A. Because they are legally required to sign petitions regarding pay disparities to avoid corporate lawsuits.
  • B. Because the gender pay gap reflects a corrupt, opaque company culture that stifles innovation and deters fresh talent.
  • C. Because paying women less directly decreases the overall profit margins of the company.
  • D. Because men are typically the sole administrators who process payroll and distribute salaries.
Question 4 of 10
What does the Tour de France tradition of giving a 'red lantern' to the last cyclist illustrate about building teams?
  • A. That underperforming employees should be publicly identified to motivate the rest of the team.
  • B. That teams should prioritize hiring individuals with identical strengths to ensure consistent performance.
  • C. That different, less obvious qualities like perseverance and stamina complement a team's overall success.
  • D. That adding friction to a team usually results in a failure to meet the company's core objectives.
Question 5 of 10
What is 'minority stress' as described in the book?
  • A. The pressure minority employees feel to constantly adapt to the dominant culture and reassure others they pose no threat.
  • B. The anxiety business leaders experience when trying to meet strict diversity quotas.
  • C. The statistical decrease in productivity when a workplace attempts to integrate too many different cultures at once.
  • D. The financial strain placed on companies when they implement structural diversity interventions.
Question 6 of 10
What potential danger do the authors associate with standard unconscious bias workshops?
  • A. They are too expensive and time-consuming for most small businesses to implement effectively.
  • B. They often lead to reverse discrimination against majority groups in the hiring process.
  • C. They can create complacency, leading people to believe they have solved their biases without changing their actual behavior.
  • D. They encourage employees to openly share and validate inappropriate stereotypes in the workplace.
Question 7 of 10
Which of the following is recommended by the authors as a structural intervention to make meetings more inclusive?
  • A. Allowing only minority employees to speak during the first half of the meeting.
  • B. Rotating the meeting chair and appointing a 'devil's advocate' to challenge the group.
  • C. Eliminating all meeting agendas to allow for more organic, free-flowing conversation.
  • D. Requiring all attendees to submit their ideas anonymously before the meeting begins.
Question 8 of 10
Why are cultural and creative industries particularly difficult to transform regarding diversity and inclusion?
  • A. They rely heavily on freelancers, chaotic hiring processes, and patronage rather than standardized recruitment.
  • B. They are heavily regulated by government censorship boards that restrict diverse hiring initiatives.
  • C. They require highly specific technical degrees that minority candidates rarely possess.
  • D. They are deeply rooted in archaic, hundreds-of-years-old academic rituals and strict hierarchies.
Question 9 of 10
How do big tech companies often incorrectly justify their lack of diversity?
  • A. By claiming that diverse teams are less innovative and slow down product development.
  • B. By stating that their algorithms automatically filter out diverse candidates for efficiency.
  • C. By blaming a 'pipeline problem,' arguing that minorities lack the necessary skills and education.
  • D. By arguing that their user base is predominantly white, so their staff should reflect that demographic.
Question 10 of 10
What actionable advice do the authors give for building empathy and getting 'buy-in' for diversity initiatives within an organization?
  • A. Mandate a strict penalty system for employees who use non-inclusive language.
  • B. Publish a weekly newsletter highlighting the financial benefits of diversity.
  • C. Require all majority-group employees to take a comprehensive written exam on unconscious bias.
  • D. Ask team members to share personal experiences of a time they felt excluded or like they didn't belong.

Building an Inclusive Organization — Full Chapter Overview

Building an Inclusive Organization Summary & Overview

Building an Inclusive Organization (2019) offers a roadmap for leaders to create organizations that truly celebrate diverse perspectives in the workplace. The authors show that to become truly inclusive, workplaces need to work hard to overcome unconscious bias, create divergent teams where people challenge each other, and implement policies to create a psychologically safe environment for all. 

Who Should Listen to Building an Inclusive Organization?

  • Hiring managers who want to learn how to turn good intentions into action
  • Leaders wanting to make their companies more innovative and inclusive
  • Anyone who has suffered systematic discrimination and wants to understand how the system works.

About the Author: Stephen Frost and Raafi-Karim Alidina

Stephen Frost is the CEO of consulting firm Frost Included, and author of The Inclusion Imperative: How Real Inclusion Creates Better Business and Builds Better Societies. He teaches inclusive leadership at the Harvard Business School, and works as a consultant for companies all over the world. 

Raafi-Karim Alidina graduated from Harvard with a Master’s in Public Policy. He was a Research Fellow at the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School, and now works as a consultant for Frost Included, advising companies on diversity and inclusion strategies.

 

© Stephen Frost & Raafi-Karim Alidina, 2019. This Summary of Building an Inclusive Organization is published by arrangement with Kogan Page.

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