Why Inclusion is Often an Illusion: D&I Lessons from the World of Special Olympics

May 20, 2021 10:00 AM CEST GET TICKETS

In their keynote, Denis and Ben will address why diversity can be mistaken for inclusion, how situations that seem inclusive may not be, and ways we can combat the issue. First, the speakers will discuss how they define what they mean by the illusion of inclusion, and how current measures can often be misleading. They will follow that up with personal anecdotes and experiences from within the world of Special Olympics, and then provide insights on what they see as critical to creating inclusive environments:

Using direct interaction and experiential learning to tackle bias
Shifting D&I from being a 'side-show' to being systemic in practices/behaviors
Turning exceptions into rules, to the benefit of all
Focusing on rewards rather than risk avoidance, to drive engagement, empowerment, and performance

Finally, Ben and Denis will highlight how moving from quantitative to qualitative measurement approaches can play an important role in understanding whether the illusion is being shattered. Specifically, this means going beyond traditional D&I data points to directly gather feedback from marginalized groups about whether D&I efforts are really working.

Speakers

Benjamin Haack Athlete Representative Director at Special Olympics Australia Board

Denis Doolan Chief of Organizational Excellence at Special Olympics International

Kostiantyn Gridin Partner at CFC Big Ideas