Qualities of an Inclusive Organization

Commitment to Diversity

• The organization values people for their differences as well as their similarities. This attitude should extend from top management down and throughout the organization.

Focus on People

• The people in the organization see others as whole people. They consider their personal and professional lives as equally important. The organization maintains structures that foster equal access to all opportunities. Those with different abilities can participate equally because the organization eliminates barriers to participation.

Circular Communication

• Communication flows in all directions and is encouraged across all levels of responsibility. People feel like they are able to talk with anyone regardless of rank or status.

Equality

• The organization recognizes the contributions of all employees. Everyone takes accountability and accepts responsibility for the well-being of the whole. This attitude extends beyond the walls of the organization to the other organizations and people that support it.

Commitment to Learning

• Everyone is seen as a learner as well as a teacher. Within the organization, learning is encouraged across all departments and is a participatory process.

Maximizing Human Potential

• There are people who have traditional skills and experiences and those who have non-traditional skills and experiences. The organization views all of these abilities as equally valid and valuable and works to incorporate them into the fabric of the organization's culture. The culture is seen as a tool used for aligning organizational values with the various individual values.

Collaboration

• The organization handles conflict resolution with processes that span all departments and levels so everyone in the organization is included. The processes resolve the problems with the collaboration of the parties involved and with a focus on making the resolution satisfying to all.

  Community involvement is a hallmark of inclusive organizations. Just as each person in the organization is valued for their unique characteristics, the outside world is considered in the same light. Inclusive organizations collaborate with local government, school systems, community-based organizations, and professional associations. The goal is for the organization to extend the idea of inclusiveness to the wider community.