Talk by Tina Vinod and me at the Agile India 2023 conference arguing how embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion enhances an organisation's agility.

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Embracing
Diversity, Equity &
Inclusion (DEI)
Enhances Agility
- Tina Vinod (she/her)
- Vishal Prasad (he/him)
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Diversity is the mix
Inclusion is the effort to include
Equity is fairness of outcomes

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Why diversity, equity and inclusion matters?
Some research to back this...
McKinsey 25%
Higher financial performance
when Exec level is more gender
diverse
Monster 83%
GenZ want to work in
organisations committed to DEI
Glassdoor - 67%
Increase in joining a
company if candidate sees
that the org cares about DEI
HBR 70%
More likely to capture new
markets if teams are diverse
Gartner 40%
Gender Diverse teams that are
highly inclusive perform better
than teams that are only diverse
Inclusion enables safe work environments, increases innovation, performance,
loyalty, revenue, accountability, engagement and improves employee experience
Forbes 66%
Better decision making when
teams are highly diverse

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So what is the relationship between
Agility and Diversity, Equity &
Inclusion?
Are they not world’s apart?

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● People First Approach
● Collaboration & Collective
Ownership
● Emphasis on Continuous
Improvement
● Flexible & Adaptive to Change
● Empathy
Key commonalities
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However, there are Agile
practices that can
unconsciously and
consciously exclude
underrepresented and
marginalised groups

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Re-examine our practices
through the lens of DEI
● Creating inclusive hiring practices
● Investing in DEI awareness and training
● Addressing bias and microaggressions
● Equal pay & opportunity
● Reverse mentoring
● Objective performance reviews
● Data driven DEI decisions
● Framing policies and programs to support
under-represented groups that drive equity

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Personal
User
Manuals
* Examples shared by Steven Samson-Jones
Jones and Chris Stone on LinkedIn

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An intentional
approach to
integrating DEI
practices is essential
for successful Agile
enablement
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Adopting Diversity, Equity and
Inclusion for Holistic Agility.
They belong together!

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© 2021 Thoughtworks
The Thoughtworks ‘Why’
Having DEI as part of your
key purpose and values
help integrate it into every
aspect of the business from
people and engineering
practices to client
relationships and the
products/services you offer

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Operationalising DEI
● Councils and Reporting Structure
● Executive Sponsorship
● Goals and actions
● Investments - Budgets & Team
● Brand - Business and Employer
● Clients and Markets DEI
Markets, Clients,
External
Stakeholders
Employee
Engagement,
Experience and
Communities
Internal Functions and
Departments (eg. HR,
Mktg etc.)
BUSINESS
STAKEHOLDERS
DEI
Global Council
DEI
Regional Heads

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Agile cannot be a
mindset unless it’s
inclusive

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Vapasi - Bringing women technologists back to work
Diverse Talent & Perspective | Collective Ownership | Innovate | Retention | Employer Brand | Equity

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The role of an Inclusive Leader in
enhancing Business Agility

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Leaders should be
inclusive and care
about equity as a
strategic imperative
Leaders should
build a diverse and
empathetic
leadership teams
Leaders should
engage with dissent
and accept different
perspectives
Leaders should be
exec. sponsors and
lay the governance &
operational structure
for DEI

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Leaders who drive affirmative
action matters
● Diversify the talent pool
● Promoting equal and equitable
opportunities
● Build psychological safety
● Positive employer brand which can
which can increase customer
loyalty and attract top talent.
● Help build product and services
that are equitable

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Make safety a prerequisite for Agile
Teams
* Reference - https://modernagile.org/

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Inclusive and equitable teams
strengthen belonging and
encourage advocacy of DEI
- Your teams need to be reflective of the world
outside (gender, age, generational,
experience, backgrounds , abilities etc.)
- Ensure inclusive ways of working and rituals
- Build psychological safety as default
- Provide accessibility for all
- Learning, awareness & sensitisation
- Invest in a culture of cultivation
- Encourage feedback practices focused on a
growth mindset

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Inclusive Teams Build Inclusive Products

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Inclusive Teams Social Contract
1. SCHEDULE &
MEETINGS
Best practices,
Personal
boundaries and
context
4. NORMS OF
ENGAGEMENT
Inclusive,
welcoming,
respectful & fun
3. COMMUNICATION
PRACTICES
Tools, patterns and best
practices.
2. BUILDING A
CULTURE OF TRUST
Supporting each
other, Feedback,
Empathy &
cultivation
An exercise for teams and individuals to relook at existing ways of working and
help define collectively ‘new inclusive ways of aspirational behaviours and social
norms to enhance connect, empathy, engagement, collaboration and more

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“At the core of healthy team relationships
is trust and respect.”
― Jim Highsmith

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Thank You
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Starts as
something
small
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Gets Bigger
Becomes a norm, a
practice, a bias
The Snowball Effect
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Is not challenged or
questioned and leads
to Systemic inequities
Every small influence or experience can reinforce
stereotypes & bias which can have big
consequences