Inclusive Approaches in Innovation Challenges

There are three types of organizations I’ve work with: 1️⃣ Those that consist of homogeneous groups. These teams share similar backgrounds, perspectives, and approaches, which can result in groupthink and limited innovation. 2️⃣ Those that consist of diverse teams. They have diversity on paper but struggle to unlock its full potential due to the absence of true inclusivity. 3️⃣ The rarest: those that consist of diverse and inclusive teams. These organizations know how to leverage their diversity through intentional inclusion, creating an environment where everyone contributes to a shared success. Here’s how I help organizations move from the first two types to the third: 🧠 Mindset In many diverse groups, diversity is seen as a challenge rather than an advantage. I help teams embrace a Diversity-Sum Mindset™, where varied perspectives are combined to fuel creativity, drive innovation, and amplify results. 🧡 Psychological Safety Diverse groups often lack the conditions needed for all voices to be heard, leading to disengagement or missed opportunities. I work to build Psychological Safety, where trust flourishes, and team members feel empowered to contribute their boldest ideas without fear. 🎯 Decision-Making Decision-making in diverse groups can be dominated by a few voices, stifling collective insight. Through Inclusive Decision-Making, I help teams integrate different viewpoints into cohesive strategies that lead to more balanced, innovative outcomes. 🕸 Collective Intelligence When teams can’t synergize their diverse ideas, they miss out on true innovation. I guide teams toward harnessing Collective & Collaborative Intelligence, unlocking their full potential to solve complex problems and adapt to new challenges. I designed this blueprint because I saw it from practice: the teams that thrive are those that embed diverse perspectives into their everyday actions, supported by a strong mindset, trust, and inclusive decisions. 🤔 P.S.: What kind of team have you been part of—homogeneous, diverse, or truly diverse & inclusive?

Almost every Product leader I speak to shares about being interested in having an impact. It's fascinating to note that impactful changes don't always necessitate grand visions. They can be achieved through incremental steps, one customer at a time, by fostering inclusivity in our product development processes. Annie Jean-Baptiste shares "Product Inclusion is the practice of applying an inclusive lens throughout the entire product design and development process to create better products and accelerate business growth." In my journey, I've found that significant enhancements often result from incremental adjustments: 💡 Inclusive Research: Ensure our research is inclusive and we are learning from diverse customers. Even incorporating one additional dimension of diversity into our research approach can render our products a tad more inclusive. 💡 Harms Modelling: Prior to commencing product development, conducting a pre-mortem exercise focused on mitigating potential harm to our customers can significantly enhance inclusivity in our products. 💡 Diverse teams: Cultivating diverse teams fosters a rich diverse set of perspectives, thereby enriching our product development process and ensuring inclusivity is woven into the fabric of our product development. 💡 Testing with diverse customers: Leveraging diverse customer cohorts for testing enables us to identify and rectify potential biases or exclusions, resulting in products that cater to a broader audience. 💡 Building with diverse customers: Involving diverse customers in the co-creation process empowers us to tailor our products to their unique needs and preferences, fostering a sense of ownership and inclusivity. 💡 Accessibility Integration: Incorporating features such as screen reader compatibility, keyboard navigation, and adjustable font sizes can significantly improve accessibility and inclusivity. I found that testing accessibility before launching is a great way to minimize negative impact. #productinclusion #productmanagement #productleadership

It’s a common misconception that simply having a diverse team will automatically lead to better outcomes. But diverse teams without inclusive leadership won’t unlock their full potential. Why? Because diversity without authentic inclusion creates environments where voices from marginalized groups are present but not heard, invited but not valued. Here’s what inclusive leadership brings to the table that diversity alone can’t: 1️⃣ Inclusive Leaders Amplify Voices It’s not enough to have diverse perspectives at the table. Inclusive leaders ensure that every voice is heard, valued and can influence decision-making. Without this intentional effort, diverse teams' innovative ideas can easily be lost or dismissed. 2️⃣ Psychological Safety Fuels Innovation Teams need to feel safe to express ideas, challenge the status quo, and take risks. Inclusive leaders foster environments of psychological safety where individuals from underrepresented backgrounds are empowered to contribute fully without fear of judgment or retaliation. 3️⃣ Inclusion Transforms Diversity into Results Diverse teams have the potential to innovate, but inclusive leadership translates that diversity into tangible results. Inclusive leaders leverage their teams' unique strengths and perspectives to drive smarter decisions and creative solutions. So let’s be clear: diversity is a starting point, but inclusive leadership turns diversity into impact. The future of leadership isn’t just about who’s at the table—it’s about how we create spaces where everyone can thrive and contribute their best ideas. Is your team fostering authentic inclusion, or just checking the diversity box? Untapped Leaders #InclusiveLeadership #DiversityAndInclusion #LeadershipDevelopment #Innovation #EquityInAction

As AI systems become more prevalent, teams must use inclusive design to build with marginalized communities to reduce the possibility of harm to their communities caused by AI. Ioana Tanase and I partnered with Hanna Wallach's team to leverage the inclusive design methodology to build generative AI systems that consider the disability community. Here is an overview of the process: 1. Identify the risks by partnering with the disability community to understand fairness-related risks affecting people with disabilities. 2. Turn those findings into a systematized concept to help develop methods to measure the risks. 3. Revise systems as needed. 4. Monitor the technology to ensure a better experience for people with disabilities.  Check out this article to learn more about the process and the importance of measurement to reduce harm. https://lnkd.in/ezhEdPbc Big thanks to our partners at Microsoft Research: Chad Atalla, Dan Vann, Emily Corvi, Hannah Washington, Tricia McDonough, and Stefanie Reed.

"If we don't have women participating in the innovation ecosystems, literally the future will be built by people who don't look like us and don't experience the same challenges and opportunities that we do." I shared this thought a few weeks ago at the The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Government-University-Industry-Philanthropy Research Roundtable, where I joined remarkable leaders to discuss #womeninSTEM entrepreneurship. Here are a few insights from our discussion: ➡️ On Driving Change -We need both entrepreneurs AND intrapreneurs -It takes being a (good) troublemaker to drive transformation -Success is rarely about the tech - it's about people and process -Everyone needs the courage and deserves the space to contribute unique ideas ➡️ On Creating Inclusive Innovation -Use your privilege and influence intentionally -Be willing to step aside to create space for others -Consider intersectionality in all programs and initiatives -Build environments where diverse talents can thrive ➡️ On Networks & Community -Invest in your network before you need it -Find groups that align with your values and push you (H/T to Punks & Pinstripes for being there at a critical time) -Build both local and national connections -Give more than you take ➡️ On Personal Growth as an Intra/Entrepreneur: -It takes confidence (perhaps a little arrogance even) to see something others don't see and the opportunity in it -While sponsorship is important, don't wait for it, invest in yourself Thank you to my fellow panelists Shelli Brunswick, Julie Collins, Pamela Norris, and Jacqueline Olich, PhD and Sierra Jackson, Ph.D. Karin Scarpinato for bringing us all together for the powerful conversation. Finally, if we make the innovation ecosystem work better for women, we'll make it work better for everyone. Let's build that future together. 🫶🏼 #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #Inclusion 💅🏼PS - My nail color is OPI Complimentary Wine, if you're curious 😜 🥂PPS - Happy New Year's Eve. Bring on 2025.

Payal Dalal, EVP of Global Programs at the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth discusses the Center’s AI to Accelerate Inclusion Challenge, accepting submissions through July 18, 2024, with Aleksandra Berditchevskaia, on Humanitarian AI Today. Payal and Aleks, a Principal Researcher, Nesta Centre for Collective Intelligence Design supported by the UK Humanitarian Innovation Hub, discuss real-life applications of data science and AI to address real-world challenges and drive social impact, discuss ways to ensure emergent technologies such as AI are inclusive and equitable, and examine how a participatory AI framework involving diverse voices and data in the development of AI tools can mitigate bias and maximize the positive potential of these tools to close existing inequities. They discuss  the Artificial Intelligence to Accelerate Inclusion Challenge in detail and touch on Nesta's work creating new ways for communities to use technology to harness their ideas and insights, act on the problems that matter and create the futures they want. Special thanks to Kylie Poe and Jessica Jeng for collaborating on the interview! #aiforgood #humanitarianai #humanitarian #artificialintelligence #podcast https://lnkd.in/gina58qQ