McLean & Company

McLean & Company partner with organizations to create a workplace that meets today’s needs and prepares organizations for the unknown future.​

Everything we do is backed by data and best practices, so you can make informed decisions and know exactly what to do next. Our memberships are designed to provide what you need to drive the organization forward – from full-service assessments to practical action plans, impactful training, and more. ​

Visit our website to learn how we can help you create a workplace where everyone thrives.

Executive Counselor

Lambton College

As Director People and Organizational Development I was responsible for the delivery of the following corporate services: Organizational Development, Employee Relations and Strategic Workforce Planning in support of the College’s strategic directions and operational priorities.

Director - People & Organization Development (CHRO)

London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC)

As Transformation Lead for the Continuous Improvement Initiatives across LHSC – I was responsible for supporting the startup and long term success of the Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Centre of Excellence. In this role I led the Centre of Excellence Team responsible for the the following outcomes:

1. Culture Transformation Leadership: Overall CQI transformation program management,  culture change leadership strategy, monitoring progress and sustaining the corporate improvement initiatives and the CQI management system.
2.     Knowledge Development: Maintain and evolve CQI approach and infrastructure  ensuring consistency.
3.     Leading Corporate Improvements & Coaching Support: Lead corporate CQI initiatives and develop organizational improvement capability through training & coaching. In addition, manage and support projects and provide coaching for project events and the CQI Management System.
4.     Training and Development: Develop and deliver training to all staff and support train the trainer initiatives.

Transformational Change Strategy Executive Lead - Continuous Improvement of Care

Responsible for building and leading the team of HR professionals who provided solutions-based talent management consulting services including, leadership strategy development, change management, organizational design, leadership recruitment & compensation, succession management and performance management. 

-Guided the consulting team that redesigned and implemented a standardized set of staff competencies and a new performance development process for 12,000 employees in a workplace with multiple collective agreements 

-Executed an organization-wide talent management strategy – 350 leaders are systematically evaluated and development/succession plans were created for each individual on an annual basis

-Directed the process and systems redesign to generate “Talent Management Metrics” enabling senior management to have line of sight on the necessary analytics to support the continuous improve the talent management strategy  

-Coached a team of consultants, specialists and project leaders to successfully deliver performance development and talent management programs, recruitment and management compensation services for our 350 leadership clients. 

- Trusted Advisor to the CHRO &  members of the senior leadership team on matters related to talent strategy

Senior Manager -  Talent Strategy & Organization Development

I was responsible for orchestrating the execution of a comprehensive culture change strategy designed to significantly change the patient and family experience.

In 2014, I was honoured to receive the London Health Science Centre President’s Award for Leadership for successfully leading the change management strategy.

Change Strategy Executive Lead, Patient Experience London Regional Cancer Program

GetKeepGrow inc.

Chief Talent Officer

GoodLife Fitness

Provided strategic leadership to a team of HR/OD professionals to execute the re-alignment of HR and organizational effectiveness services and programs in support of the business strategy and emerging talent requirements. (6,000 employees across Canada) Developed and directed the execution of a comprehensive human resource strategy. Provided strategic HR council to the CEO/COO/CFO and senior leadership teams. Transformed the HR function into a consultative, results-driven, customer centric service delivery team.

Director - Human Resources & Organization Effectiveness (CHRO)

Fanshawe College

Adjunct Professor Human Resources

Ontario Government

Recognized with the Ontario Public Service Award for Human Resource Management Innovation.

Senior Consultant, Organization Development/HR Strategy, Attorney General of Ontario

Mayne Nickless North America

Regional Senior Manager

Mayne Nickless North America 

Major Account Manager

National Operations Manager

A strategic human resources leader & leadership coach with over 25 years of bringing people-focused solutions to the most niggly business challenges to achieve results. With experience across the spectrum of HR practices, David’s specialities include:  talent management, executive coaching, process improvement, organizational change and transformation and leadership development.

Dave cofounded “get keep grow inc” a  Canadian employee engagement and retention professional services corporation.




Please note views and opinions expressed are my own and do not represent the views of my employer

David McLean

The most essential skills for 2030?:
They’re not just technical. They’re strategic.

 Jeroen Kraaijenbrink shared this helpful original post and infographic:

This chart from the World Economic Forum shows what employers expect to matter most by 2030.

In the upper-right quadrant—skills that are both core today and expected to grow in importance—we see:

-> Analytical thinking
-> Resilience, flexibility & agility
-> Leadership & social influence
-> Motivation & self-awareness
-> Creative thinking
-> Systems thinking
-> Curiosity & lifelong learning

These aren’t niche capabilities. They’re the core drivers of strategy in action.

Yes, technological literacy, AI and data skills matter too. But the bulk of what’s rising isn’t just technical—it’s about how people think, adapt, lead, and execute in a changing world.





Acknowledgment: original post reposted here and infographic by Jeroen Kraaijenbrink  



#chro #hr #ceo

“If you can define the problem differently than everybody else in the industry, you can generate alternatives that others aren’t thinking about.” - Roger L. Martin, The Opposable Mind: How Successful Leaders Win Through Integrative Thinking

The following is an original post by Jeroen Kraaijenbrink: 
 
The most powerful ideas are born in paradox.
Between creative and logical thinking. 
Not “either-or” but “both-and.”

When solving complex problems, we’re often told to “be creative.” Other times, the advice is to “be logical.” But the real challenge is that both are necessary and that they often pull in opposite directions.

Creative thinking (divergent) asks us to open up possibilities.
It pushes us to explore, question assumptions, and imagine without limits.

Logical thinking (convergent) asks us to narrow down.
It pushes us to test, synthesize, and focus on what is feasible.

Too much creativity without logic, and ideas remain fantasies.
Too much logic without creativity, and solutions are incremental at best.

The paradox is that real progress requires holding both modes at once. First expanding the field of vision, then zooming in with sharp focus.
It’s not “either-or.” It’s “both-and.”

That rhythm—divergence and convergence—is how possibility becomes progress.

Do you apply both types of thinking in balance? Or do you overemphasize creative or logical thinking?

Acknowledgment: Visual: Timothy Timur Tiryaki, PhD  

===
Announcement: Jeroen Kraaijenbrink is about to launch the Big 5 of Strategy—a research-based framework that helps people build the core strategic competencies needed to thrive in today’s fast-changing world. The assessment goes live in two weeks, but you can already join the hundreds of people already on the waiting list at big5ofstrategy.com to be among the first 1000 participants.

Do you want to build an elite team?
And create meaning at work?

What follows is a repost of an original post by Oliver Aust  

It's not magic. It's the power of rituals.

Rituals can help you build a team that’s more connected, engaged and driven.

A team that feels meaning. 

This week on Speak Like a CEO, I speak with renowned psychology professor Michael Norton of Harvard Business School. 

Michael is the author of The Ritual Effect, and he shares how smart leaders use rituals to shape their organizations from the inside out.

Here are 7 powerful insights:

🔹 1. Beyond the Surface: Rituals aren't just about fun activities; they forge a shared identity, purpose, and values that define your company's DNA.

🔹 2. More Than Habits: Rituals are imbued with emotion and meaning, creating a sense of connection and purpose that habits simply can't match.

🔹 3. The Power of "We": From team chants to company-wide traditions, rituals create shared experiences that bind people together and foster a powerful sense of belonging.

🔹 4. From the Bottom Up, Not Top Down: The most effective team rituals arise organically, reflecting the team's unique culture and values. Empower your people to create them!

🔹 5. Meaning in the Everyday: Discover how rituals can transform your workplace culture, injecting meaning into daily routines and making employees feel more connected to their purpose.

🔹 6. The Ritual Advantage: Learn how rituals can enhance team performance, improve communication, boost morale, and even reduce employee turnover.

🔹 7. Craft a Culture of Connection: Discover how to create an environment where meaningful rituals can flourish, strengthening your team's bond and driving organizational success.

His insights are pure gold for all leaders who are serious about creating a workplace where people feel valued, connected, and inspired.

🎧 Tune in to the full episode (link in comments).



📌 And follow Oliver Aust  for more strategies on leadership and communication.

Providing integrated solutions that cover all areas of employee experience, including: talent management, total rewards, HR technology, communication and change management, employee engagement and culture research, assessments, workforce planning, and people analytics.

Contact me to learn how we personalise communications through our Embark software and use data science for EX analytics.

Senior Director, Employee Experience and Engagement

Improving employee engagement and org. performance through research and talent & reward solutions.

Director, Talent & Rewards (London)

Towers Perrin

Research and people analytics in order to improve org. effectiveness and performance.

Principal, Organisational Insights (New York)

ISR (International Survey Research)

Employee insights, climate and culture measurement to diagnose and improve org. health.

Executive Director, Culture & Leadership Consulting (London and Chicago)

University of Edinburgh

School of Geosciences: Research, teaching and mentoring.

Lecturer (Economic and Political Geography)

Engagement & EX | Leadership | Culture

I advise all sorts of companies on how to improve employee experience and engagement. You can read about my work in my book "Employee Experience (EX) Leadership" and on my blog https://exleadership.com/

I am especially interested in using EX insights to solve business problems, such as simplifying the way people work and encouraging collaboration and innovation.

Areas of focus / projects include:

- Employee listening, surveys, and feedback
- Culture change and culture-strategy alignment
- EX insights such as personas, journeys, and moments
- Employee engagement
- People analytics
- Design thinking
- Business transformation and behaviour change
- Embedding vision and values
- Building a compelling employee value proposition (EVP)
- Total rewards preferences and optimisation
- Talent management strategies
- Leadership development and team alignment
- Predictive workforce analytics
- Communications and change management
- Assessing and building manager capability
- M&A culture alignment
- Diversity and inclusion
- Cyber risk
- The Future of Work
- HR technology

Nick Lynn

🚀 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲?

Culture isn’t about slogans on a wall. It’s the engine that drives strategic success and competitive advantage.

My brilliant colleague Adam Hall has analysed data from hundreds of companies to explore which cultural aspects make the biggest difference, and how they link to business performance (🔗 to his article in comments).

Here are some of the key insights 👇

1️⃣ 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
In high-performing organisations leaders communicate a clear vision that guides decisions and connects people to a practical sense of purpose.

These organisations:
• Recognise and reward performance fairly and visibly.
• Grow their people and align success with customer outcomes.
• Stay outward-looking, anticipating market change, not reacting to it.

2️⃣ 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Strong cultures drive innovation. They prioritise long-term learning over short-term wins.

In practice this means:
• Encourage risk-taking and use failure as feedback.
• Move quickly through collaboration and shared dialogue.
• Value diverse perspectives and open access to information.
• Reward and recognise high performers.

This builds energy, agility, and team learning.

3️⃣ 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
The best organisations use data well and marry innovation with discipline. Excellence is sustained through ongoing feedback loops.

Practical steps:
• Use analytics to inform decisions
• Share outcomes transparently.
• Emphasise accountability, feedback, and alignment across teams.
• Actively listen to customers, to employees, and to results.

💡 Across all three dimensions, the message is clear: 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴.

🎤 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤? Based on your experience, what elements would you highlight as being part of a high-performance culture?

🚴 Enjoy posts like this?
👉 Click 𝐕𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠 to get my quarterly roundup

[The figure shown here is not Adam's, but comes from the article "Building Organizational Culture" by Arie Wibowo Khurniawan.]

🧭 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧-𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧-𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠

There’s no shortage of models to guide you:
💎 The Double Diamond
🔵 The dschool's "5-bubble" model
ℹ️ The 3i model of IDEO
🚀 The LAUNCH model

But as Neal Moore points out (🔗 to his article in comments), sometimes the best approach is the 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘵.

In his Design Thinking 2×2, he maps how to move between:
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞 ⇄ 𝐀𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 ⇄ 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠

And through that movement, an 𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐲𝐜𝐥𝐞 unfolds:
1️⃣ Observations
2️⃣ Insights
3️⃣ Directions
4️⃣ Solutions

Each loop tightens the focus, from seeing, to understanding, to acting.

It’s a great reminder that problem-solving is less about rigid frameworks and more about learning by doing: noticing, reflecting, and refining.

That applies to the work we do on helping companies improve employee experience and many other fields too.

🎤 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤? How does this match up to the steps you follow?

🚴 Enjoy posts like this?
👉 Click 𝐕𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠 to get my quarterly roundup

🛜 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬.

That’s the definition by Jeimy Cano in this thoughtful article (🔗 in comments).

He's looking at the role that culture plays in information security, which isn’t just about technology or compliance, but about people and the cultural context in which they operate.

Jeimy identifies three interconnected dimensions:

1️⃣ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬
 🔹Emotion and sentiment
 🔹Logic and reason
 🔹Inertia and effort

2️⃣ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐜
🔹 Beliefs, values, and standards
🔹 Reinforced through shared meaning
🔹 Experienced in daily interactions

3️⃣ 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬
🔹 Groups, teams, networks
🔹 Leaders, managers, mentors
🔹 Connections that enable (or constrain) trust and communication

To transform culture, leaders must learn to navigate shifting currents, balancing urgency with reinforcement at the human, cultural, and social levels.

That involves:
✔ Creating and reinforcing habits
✔ Embedding learning through practice
✔ Reducing friction
✔ Overcoming inertia
✔ Maximising involvement
✔ Embracing codesign
✔ Sustaining momentum through shared ownership
✔ Building trust

It’s a reminder that culture is an 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮 of relationships, meanings, and behaviours that shape every risk decision. It applies to information security and more broadly.

💬 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤? Do you consider all these different attributes when thinking about culture and risk?

🚴 Enjoy posts like this?
👉 Click 𝐕𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠 to get my quarterly roundup

⚠️ 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤?

Traditional risk management wasn’t built for the interconnected, fast-changing world we now live in:

❎ Risk registers often capture threats in isolation.

❎ Models are useful for discrete events, but not systemic interactions.

❎ The focus is on prevention, rather than adaptability and resilience.

This leaves organisations exposed in critical ways 👇

1️⃣ Strategic blindness
2️⃣ Protection gaps
3️⃣ Operational fragility
4️⃣ Missed opportunity

One key approach for rethinking risk and resilience lies in 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞.

🧩 From how work gets done to how it’s valued, people risks shape an organisation’s ability to lead through disruption.

Some examples:

☑️ Strategic workforce planning aligned to future skills
☑️ Cultures of inclusion, adaptability, and learning
☑️ Making wellbeing a foundation for performance
☑️ Redesigning employee experiences for collaboration
☑️ Involving people in augmenting work with AI

Viewed through a risk lens, these are not HR issues — they’re enterprise resilience strategies.

💬 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤? How is your organisation evolving its approach to people and risk?

🚴 Enjoy posts like this?
👉 Click 𝐕𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠 to get my quarterly roundup

🌳 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧?

That’s the question explored in Dinesh Katre’s Cognitive Tree Model (🔗 in comments).

He argues that traditional approaches to design thinking need to expand in depth and range.

The tree is a visual metaphor for cultivating more holistic, sustainable innovation.

Here’s how the model works 👇

1️⃣ 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Go beyond understanding users to absorbing new information within a wider ecosystem of needs.
This is the seed in the soil, the starting point for growth.

2️⃣ 𝐀𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Group and interpret features to uncover underlying patterns and insights.
These are the roots, where deeper understanding takes hold.

3️⃣ 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐞
Combine, convert, and integrate concepts into something truly new.
These are the leaves, the visible expression of creative thought.

4️⃣ 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧
Create imagery in the mind before artefacts exist in the world.
This is the tree flowering, imagination made visible.

5️⃣ 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐬
Innovate in form, function, materials, and technology, not just usability.
These are the fruits, where potential is made solid.

6️⃣ 𝐀𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬
Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each option.
Picture birds pecking at the fruit, testing what holds up.

7️⃣ 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Design for the long view, embedding sustainability and foresight into every choice.
Picture the tree in a wood or a forest.

This isn't how I usually imagine design, so it's good to push my personal envelope.

I see the approach really as a fusion of 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 and 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, and a reminder that design is a cognitive process as much as a creative one.

Perhaps what’s sometimes missing in design thinking is "cultivation" — the deliberate development of the mental modes that make sustainable innovation possible.

💬 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤? What else is required to truly deliver sustainable impact through design thinking?

🚴 Enjoy posts like this?
👉 Click 𝐕𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠 to get my quarterly roundup

🔨 𝐏𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫

Pay transparency is a hot topic, and an area where we do a lot of work, from analytics and regulatory readiness to manager training, communication, and evolving job architecture and career frameworks.

But it's worth remembering that pay transparency itself is meant as a device to close persistent pay gaps. It's a tool. A hammer.

So, what are 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 of those gaps?

That’s an important (and difficult!) question and a new review (🔗 in comments) provides one of the best summaries I’ve seen.

They highlight the main theories used to explain gender pay gaps:

🔹𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥
Differences in education, experience, or skill investments

🔹𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥
Weaker access to networks and informal opportunities

🔹𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐭
Long-held stereotypes shape perceived “fit”

🔹𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠
Barriers prevent women reaching top positions

🔹𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐬
Women promoted more slowly than men at similar levels

🔹𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲
Women sort into lower-paid jobs or industries

🔹"𝐓𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝" 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Some employers have a "distaste" for hiring women

🔹𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Decisions are made using imperfect information

🔹𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐲
Career penalties linked to family roles

🔹𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬
Pay reflects the perceived “cost” of less desirable work

🔹𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲
Female-dominated jobs are undervalued

🔹𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
Lower tolerance for variable or risky pay

🔹𝐍𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠
Women negotiate less or less effectively

🔹𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐦 
Biological or socialised role expectations

🔹𝐓𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦
Bias and pressure in male-dominated environments

The authors then group these explanations into four broad perspectives:
1️⃣ 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
2️⃣ 𝐁𝐢𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
3️⃣ 𝐒𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠
4️⃣ 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞- 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬

They argue for more attention to 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭, i.e. how pay gaps emerge, widen, and persist over time.

And they call for 𝐚 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 beyond just pay. (I completely agree with this, e.g., benefits are also key.)

It’s a reminder that while transparency matters, it’s not the whole story. Power dynamics, culture, systems, and lived experience all play a part.

💬 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤? What are the underlying causes and what other tools might help close gaps?

📰 Reference: 
Livingston, B., S. Jeong, F. Klein, and A. Chakroborty. 2025. “Mind the Gap: An Integrative Review of the Causes of the Gender Pay Gap.” Journal of Organizational Behavior 1–27. 

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🤖 𝐆𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐈 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞.

That’s one of the key findings from a new Wharton and GBK Collective report (🔗 in comments).

Some highlights:
📈 82% of enterprise leaders now use Gen AI weekly
💡 89% believe Gen AI augments human work
💰 88% expect to increase Gen AI spending in the next year
📊 72% are tracking productivity, profitability, and throughput

As Gen AI becomes deeply embedded in daily workflows, the constraint is no longer the technology; it’s the human systems around it.

⏩ Engaging people accelerates potential.
⏪ Ignoring the human side creates bottlenecks.

Common challenges include:
⚠️ Skills gaps
⚠️ Uneven or inconsistent training
⚠️ Uncertainty around hiring and role design
⚠️ Weak change management
⚠️ Cultural factors and trust barriers

“The bottom line,” the report notes, “is that 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐑𝐎𝐈.”

It’s a great reminder that the future advantage of AI-enabled work isn't the technology, but how engaged your people are and how adaptable your culture is.

💬 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤? Where are you seeing the biggest human challenges (or opportunities) as AI becomes part of everyday work?

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🪄 Did you know... that I share a short selection of my favourite articles each quarter in my 𝐄𝐗 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤? ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
📚 There is so much great new stuff being written at the moment that it can be hard to keep up. That's really my mission, to share the smartest newest thinking. The 3 or 4 things that made me go: "𝘏𝘶𝘩, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵!"⁣⁣
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👉 Simply click here to receive it for free: https://lnkd.in/euqkwAsH
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⚠️ The latest edition is just out.⁣⁣
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🍏 I always include a nature pic and it's been a fantastic year for apples here in England.⁣⁣

🧩 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐲𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲?

In our research, we see an important gap:
Boards often 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 confident about their cyber resilience... but the data tells a different story.

🔹 Many boards believe cyber outages would last only a few days...
In reality, the 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬, with 𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 $𝟐.𝟕𝐌.
(And as we’ve seen in recent UK cases, recovery can take far longer and at much higher cost.)

🔹 Many boards assume that simply 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 an incident plan means they’re ready...
But only two-thirds have 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 those plans.
Regulators are now fining firms that can’t prove their controls work in practice.

🔹 Many boards still think finance is the main target for social engineering...
Yet HR, payroll and other people-related functions are frequent targets too.
And threats like 𝐀𝐈 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐟𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐈𝐃𝐬 aren’t “future” risks. They’re here now, and already causing multimillion-dollar losses.

Beyond controls and compliance, cyber resilience depends on human behaviour.
That’s where HR and the broader people strategy come in.

One useful framework I've used considers 2️⃣ key dimensions:

1️⃣ 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬:
How focused are people on protecting data and following secure processes?
Do they feel confident to raise concerns when something looks wrong?

2️⃣ 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
Do people behave in ways that reduce risk?
How do they respond when they do perceive a threat?

When you look at both together, you can identify four segments:

🔴 𝐕𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 – low awareness and low action
🟢 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞 – high awareness and high action
🟠 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 – high awareness but low follow-through
🔵 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 – high action, but not aligned with policy or best practice

You can then focus interventions towards the needs and expectations of different groups.

These people insights help boards stay grounded in reality, seeing not just what’s written in policies, but how people think and behave. And this kind of lens is essential to a truly 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐲𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤.

💬 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤?
Beyond compliance and training, how are you ensuring a human-centred approach to cyber security?

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👻 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲?

One common haunting happens when a founder or a charismatic CEO moves on.

Their “presence” often lingers, through rituals, stories, and everyday practices that keep their influence alive.

𝐊𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐫𝐫 (🔗 in comments) develops this idea into "a theory of organisational ghosts" as a way of describing the haunted and burdensome aspects of leadership.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯?

Ghosts:
🕯️ Maintain the action that occurs between past, present, future
🕯️ Occupy the borderlands between practising and organising
🕯️ Shape the fateful choices between continuity and transformation
🕯️ Convey the idea of leadership as “the haunting of others”

Here are some striking examples:

🔻Managers gathered around a table, 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘴 of performance indicators

🔻Hauntings that alert us to 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 

🔻Friendly ghosts that guide us and 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘧𝘶𝘭 ones that warn us

🔻 And (too frequently) figures who are “𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥” aka the walking dead

It’s one way to think about how 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲, 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 continue to live within organisations, influencing today’s decisions in ways we don’t always see.

💬 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮?
What ghosts inhabit your organisation and how do they shape the choices you make today?

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📰 Reference: Orr, K. (2014). Local Government Chief Executives’ Everyday Hauntings: Towards a Theory of Organizational Ghosts. Organization Studies, 35 (7), 1041-1061.

🖼️ Image from Copilot "Ghostly CEO".

🧭 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐬?

In today’s AI-accelerated economy, piloting shiny tools isn’t enough. Leaders need to redesign operating models, starting with a clear view of where they’re heading and how to get there.

That means shifting from 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐬𝐞-𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 to a 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲-𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲.

📌 This case study from TIAA (🔗in comments) offers a practical framework.

The authors argue that productive work follows a hierarchy:
🔹 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 → 𝐓𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐬 → 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬

Each task draws on three types of intelligence:
1️⃣ 𝐂𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 – Reasoning, problem solving
2️⃣ 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 – Physical and digital
3️⃣ 𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 & 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 – Relationships, empathy, adaptability

Tasks can then be mapped into three types of work:
🔹 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 – Human-led
🔹 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 – Human + AI collaboration
🔹 𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 – Automated

🚀 The biggest opportunity for improving performance is 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤; where humans and AI can augment each other to drive performance.

📋 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:
✔️ Start the conversation at board level
✔️ Build and manage a task-intensity inventory
✔️ Rethink physical and digital space in your AI plans
✔️ Redesign roles and routines so people can thrive
✔️ Use AI to simplify complex customer workflows
✔️ Stress-test every link in your AI chain

And perhaps the most important reminder:

📣 “𝘉𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 ‘𝘈𝘐 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯’ 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘳𝘰-𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦—𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘭, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘧𝘧, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘥.”

🎤 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐲𝐞𝐭?

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📰 Reference:
Almasan, J. R., Durvasula, S., Krishna, S., & Santanam, R. T. (2025, October). 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘮: 𝘈 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘭. 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

🧠 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐀𝐈 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫 (𝐂𝐀𝐈𝐎)?

In the rush to integrate AI, many companies are asking whether they need a dedicated Chief AI Officer.

According to this article by Birju Shah (🔗 in the comments), not every organisation does.

He offers a 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞-𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 to guide the decision 👇

1️⃣ 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞:
Do you have at least a million customers?
Below that, human-led processes can be more efficient.

2️⃣ 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
Are you moving toward custom experiences?
If yes, AI isn’t optional as it's fundamental to how you deliver value.

3️⃣ 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲:
Do you have the skills and infrastructure to make AI work?
Without the right people, even the best AI tools won’t deliver results.

If your organisation meets these three conditions, then appointing a CAIO makes sense, but the implementation model matters.

Birju describes two approaches 👇

🔹 𝐀 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥:
A CAIO works horizontally across the company, improving workflows and scaling what works.

🔹 𝐀 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥:
The CAIO role rotates between business units, pairing leaders with AI partners to solve specific challenges.

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐬?
They may not need a CAIO, but they do need a clear AI strategy. That may well involve partnerships, for example with customers, to co-create AI tools that solve targeted problems.

🎤 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤? 

Does your organisation need a CAIO or is it better to have a stronger AI mindset across all your leaders? (The skill set of a CAIO is definitely in high-demand and not easy to find).

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🌍 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧?

A lot is written about inclusion, but it can sometimes feel a bit "loose".

That’s why I really like this piece by Christine de Largy (🔗 in comments). It’s practical, research-based, and defines inclusion as the link between 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 and 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.

She highlights that inclusive cultures aren’t just fairer, they perform better. They draw from a deeper talent pool, avoid groupthink, and are more equipped to innovate.

So what actually works for building inclusion?

Here are her six tips 👇

1️⃣ 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤-𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
Encourage managers to invite input from all team members, holding back their own opinion until everyone has contributed.

2️⃣ 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬
Redirecting resources toward developing people skills in early-career managers can yield greater ROI than costly, top-down initiatives.

3️⃣ 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧-𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠
Involve more people in decisions. Greater transparency can strengthen ownership and engagement.

4️⃣ 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬
Generic wellbeing programmes can feel performative. Employees value genuine understanding and support from their managers.

5️⃣ 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠
Hold regular check-ins focused on how work aligns with growth aspirations.

6️⃣ 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞
Shift from a narrow focus on policy to valuing difference as a strategic resource.

💡 What I especially like here is how inclusion is built through the quality of 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘥𝘢𝘺 employee experiences.

🎤 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤? How do you see inclusion being fostered (or missed) in your organisation?

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🖥️ 𝐀𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐈 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

This is a great article (🔗 in comments) summarising data from OpenAI and Anthropic, which shows that the workplace adoption of gen AI is constrained by a range of practical hurdles:

🔒 Privacy concerns
🛡️ Security risks
⚖️ Liability worries
📊 Data availability
🧭 Governance gaps

Software developers and freelancers may be able to quickly turn to AI tools with relative ease, but professionals in regulated and more risk-sensitive sectors, such as law, finance, and medicine, have to act differently.

In many companies the current focus is 𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 human performance. In our work we see many organisations setting employees up to 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 with different approaches. Sometimes employees are running ahead of how leaders are thinking.

But the long-term impact will come from the more time-consuming work of 𝐫𝐞-𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 to automate them. Most organisations will proceed carefully and follow sector trends and best practices.

🎤 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤? 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧? 

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⚕️𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐂𝐈𝐏𝐃 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥? 👇

𝐀 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐩 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞:
🔹Average absence levels have increased to 9.4 days per employee per year, compared with 7.8 days in 2023 and 5.8 days in 2022. 

𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡:
🔹74% of organisations say that employee wellbeing is on senior leaders’ agendas, up from 61% in 2020.

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
🔹Heavy workloads stand out as the top cause of stress-related absence.

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲: 
🔹Respondents are twice as likely to report that productivity has increased than decreased as a result of homeworking.

𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬: 
🔹Finding the budget for employee wellbeing on top of rising business costs is the top challenge for organisations.

I found this chart on challenges interesting as it aligns with my experience, These are two areas where I have seen clients make a big impact:

➡️ Focus on employee experience to driver higher engagement

➡️ Support managers to act with confidence to support wellbeing

🎤 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤? 𝐈𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬?

📰 Reference:
Sinclair, A. and Suff, R. (2025) 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

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