How to achieve Connected Leadership through Effective Inclusiveness

1. Diversity, Inclusiveness and
Leadership
Dr. Elijah Ezendu
FIMC, FCCM, FIIAN, FBDI, FAAFM, FSSM, MIMIS, MIAP, MITD, ACIArb, ACIPM,
PhD, DocM, MBA, CWM, CBDA, CMA, MPM, PME, CSOL, CCIP, CMC, CMgr

2. Diversity focus on acceptance and respect of
differences in race, gender, language,
nationality, age, educational background,
professional inclination, religious belief, political
belief, sports volition and other philosophies as
well as physical conditions.

3. Diversity can be identified within the context of
the following:
•Social Diversity
•Information Diversity
•Value Diversity
•Physical Ability Diversity

4. Notable Areas of Differences
• Age
• Race
• Gender
• Communication Flair
• Learning Flair
• Thinking Flair
• Financial Background
• Educational Background
• Professional Affiliation
• Ethnicity
• Physical Ability
• Work Experience
• Job Function
• Management Status
• Work Location
• Marital Status
• Family Status
• Religious Beliefs
• Political Beliefs
• Languages

5. Homogeneity Versus Diversity
Homogeneity focus on ensuring defined
similarities among workers in an organisation,
while diversity promotes recognition and
understanding of differences among workers in
order to support mutual coexistence, which is a
performance driver.

6. Exploratory Engagement
What is inclusiveness and how does it promote
social cohesiveness in your organisation?

7. Inclusiveness provides equitable conditions and
schemes for appropriate course of action
towards achievement of diversity goals.
If diversity is a corporate imperative,
inclusiveness turns out to be indisputable
necessity.

8. How to Achieve Inclusiveness
• Policy
• Aligned Practices
• Training
• Advocacy
• Required Competence
• Rewarded Behaviour
• Shared Value
• Networking
• Continuous Review & Improvement

9. From Diversity to High Performing Organisation

10. Why Diversity?
Key pointer anchors in promoting identification
of differences in people and understanding basis
of the resulting uniqueness as listed below:
•Freedom
•Choice of Inclination
•Exclusive Right
•Ethical Coexistence
•Inherent Peculiarities
•Legal Compliance

11. Diversity and Leadership
Effective leadership must identify the
importance of creating appropriate
environment for unencumbered followership
through practice and advocacy of inclusiveness
as well as elimination of bias which can cause
disconnect between workers.

12. Perspectives in Practice of
Diversity
• Legal Compliance
• Reaction to Stakeholder Demands
• Dogmatic Stereotype Devoid of
Understanding
• Scalar Policy
• Ethical Culture
• Leadership Thrust
• Fused Ethical Culture and Leadership Thrust

13. Exploratory Engagement
List some of the action points of leadership in
promoting diversity and inclusiveness.
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14. “Culture refers to many characteristics of a
group of people, including attitudes, behaviours,
customs and values that are transmitted from
one generation to the next.”
- Matsumoto, Culture and Psychology

15. Issues in Cross Cultural Values
• Individualism
• Collectivism
• Power Distance

16. Promotion of feasible and equitable cross
cultural values facilitates development of
effective cross cultural identity which cuts
across individual identity, social identity and
global identity of an organisation.

17. Features of Multicultural Organisation
• A culture that fosters and values cultural
differences
• Pluralism as an acculturation process
• Full structural integration
• Full integration of the informal networks
• An absence of institutionalized cultural bias in
human resource management systems and
practices
• A minimum of intergroup conflict due to the
proactive management of diversity
Source: Cox, The Multicultural Organisation

18. Leadership of cross cultural teams requires
understanding of cultural differences as one
moves from one place to another.
The success of building and harnessing the
competitive advantage of cross cultural teams
depends on how well an organisation integrates
sensitivities of local cultures into its cultural
framework.

19. Features of Leadership Thrust for Diversity
• Symbolism
• Exemplary Action
• Organisation-Wide Integration
• Holistic Acceptation
• Connected Practices
• Leadership Advocacy

20. Poorly Managed Diversity

21. Effects of Poorly Managed
Diversity
• Weakens Cohesiveness
• Lessens Functionality
• Reduces Inter-Worker Effectiveness
• Decreases Performance
• More Interpersonal Conflicts
• Higher Staff Turnover
• Greater Communication Breakdown

22. Well-Managed Diversity

23. Effects of Well-Managed Diversity
• Enhances Collaboration
• Improves Creativity
• Facilitates Innovation
• Facilitates Cost-Effective Employee Relations
• Promotes Employee Retention
• Enhances Sustainable Development
• Promotes Expertise Sharing
• Promotes Flexibility
• Reduces In-fighting & Disputes
• Promotes Socially Balanced Workforce
• Builds Critical Mass for Global Focussed Culture
• Boosts Performance

24. Factors that Promote Implementation of
Diversity Initiatives
• Identification of Reason for Diversity Initiative
• Alignment of Diversity Initiative with Corporate Objectives,
Strategies and Operating Culture
• Establishment of Cross-Functional Committee for Diversity Initiative
• Establishment of Sub-Committees that cut across every
organisational level.
• Development of Workable Strategic Plan for Implementation of
Diversity Initiative
• Promotion of Shared Value and Understanding
• Top Management Buy-in
• Organisation-Wide Training
• Appropriate Change Management System
• Executing Diversity Initiatives as Set of Projects with The Right
Project Management Framework

25. Recognition of Diversity and Practice of
Inclusiveness provides for development of
interpersonal bonds with enhanced connectivity
for working together, thereby creating high
performing teams within an organisation.

26. A collection of high performing teams give rise
to collaborative synergies across functions and
processes, thus bringing about a Competitive
Advantage in Workplace and Talent Harmony.

27. Connectedness, Convergence and Corporate
Team Accord facilitates attainment of High
Organisational Agility for exceptional
performance.

28. Connectedness, Convergence and Corporate
Team Accord develops and strengthens both
synchronous and asynchronous structural
reinforcement across the social bond joining top
management and the remaining workforce of an
organisation.
For that reason, Effective Inclusiveness gives rise
to Connected Leadership

29. Dr Elijah Ezendu is Award-Winning Business Expert & Certified Management Consultant with expertise
in Interim Management, Strategy, Competitive Intelligence, Transformation, Restructuring, Turnaround
Management, Business Development, Marketing, Project & Cost Management, Leadership, HR, CSR, e-
Business & Software Architecture. He had functioned as Founder, Initiative for Sustainable Business
Equity; Chairman of Board, Charisma Broadcast Film Academy; Group Chief Operating Officer, Idova
Group; CEO, Rubiini (UAE); Special Advisor, RTEAN; Director, MMNA Investments; Chair, Int’l Board of
GCC Business Council (UAE); Senior Partner, Shevach Consulting; Chairman (Certification & Training),
Coordinator (Board of Fellows), Lead Assessor & Governing Council Member, Institute of Management
Consultants, Nigeria; Lead Resource, Centre for Competitive Intelligence Development; Lead
Consultant/ Partner, JK Michaels; Turnaround Project Director, Consolidated Business Holdings Limited;
Technical Director, Gestalt; Chief Operating Officer, Rohan Group; Executive Director (Various Roles),
Fortuna, Gambia & Malta; Chief Advisor/ Partner, D & E; Vice Chairman of Board, Refined Shipping;
Director of Programmes & Governing Council Member, Institute of Business Development, Nigeria;
Member of TDD Committee, International Association of Software Architects, USA; Member of Strategic
Planning and Implementation Committee, Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria;
Country Manager (Nigeria) & Adjunct Faculty (MBA Programme), Regent Business School, South Africa;
Adjunct Faculty (MBA Programme), Ladoke Akintola University of Technology; Editor-in-Chief, Cost
Management Journal; Council Member, Institute of Internal Auditors of Nigeria; Member, Board of
Directors (Several Organizations). He holds Doctoral Degree in Management, Master of Business
Administration and Fellow of Professional Institutes in North America, UK & Nigeria. He is Innovator of
Corporate Investment Structure Based on Financials and Intangibles, for valuation highlighting
intangible contributions of host communities and ecological environment: A model celebrated globally
as remedy for unmitigated depreciation of ecological capital and developmental deprivation of host
communities. He had served as Examiner to Professional Institutes and Universities. He had been a
member of Guild of Soundtrack Producers of Nigeria. He's an author and extensively featured speaker.

30. Thank You