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Implementation and accountability for inclusion practices live with the team, where real-time interaction happens and real work gets done. What the authors call Inclusive Teaming is not about having a diverse team. In fact, there is evidence that diverse teams can underperform homogeneous teams if inclusion is not a habit.
Therefore, Inclusive Teaming is not defined by a team with differences, but by a team that actively and productively manages those differences — a team that is in the behavioral habit of inclusion. The authors have identified a set of patterns of behavior that impede Inclusive Teaming: Detractor Patterns. While teams may be keen to identify Detractor Patterns, this is not enough.
The work of Inclusive Teaming is remedying them with the appropriate Amplifier Patterns. In our work as coaches, every time Kimberley was clearly the facilitator of a section at a team offsite, at least one team member would direct their question or comment to Shea. We’re colleagues and peers who frequently trade lead and support roles in events we facilitate, and we’re explicit about who is in which role.
So, each time this occurred, it left Kimberley questioning whether the team was intentionally disrespecting her position of authority because she is Black and Shea is white. As the microaggressions we experienced moved from exception to pattern, we saw the opportunity to shift the arena of DEI development from individuals to teams — because teams can be a significant driver of sustainable change.
Our position is that implementation and accountability for inclusion practices live with the team, where real-time interaction happens and real work gets done. What we call Inclusive Teaming is not about having a diverse team. In fact, there is evidence that diverse teams can underperform homogeneous teams if inclusion is not a habit.
Therefore, Inclusive Teaming is not defined by a team with differences, but by a team that actively and productively manages those differences — a team that is in the behavioral habit of inclusion.
Source: Make Inclusive Behaviors Habitual on Your Team
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