Organisations (especially legacy brands) risk playing catch up in a world where customer tastes, expectations and loyalty are fast-changing.
As our world becomes increasingly reliant on AI, we must ensure that the development and implementation of these powerful tools are guided by principles of fairness, diversity, and inclusion.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) are critical components of a thriving workplace culture, and designing job adverts that appeal to a wide range of candidates can help companies to attract a more diverse pool of applicants.
While many companies claim to foster inclusive and non-discriminatory work environments, most organisations still lag behind in DEI, especially at leadership levels.
Organisations (especially legacy brands), risk playing catch up in a world witnessing fast changing demographics, where customer tastes, expectations and loyalty are fast-changing.
One promising solution is the use of (ethical) AI as a tool to promote diversity & inclusion.
While AI is not perfect, algorithms are easier to change than humans
The Challenge of Achieving DEI
Despite companies believing they have made significant progress in advancing the cause of DEI, studies show that many of their employees do not agree. Instead, progress is often viewed as incremental rather than transformational on the one hand and on the other, companies often face DEI pushback from some staff members who fear being labelled sexist, racist, homophobic and so on.
Meanwhile, according to Kantar's inclusion index, one in three young and LGBTQ+ staff members report feeling likely to leave their job due to a lack of inclusivity in the workplace.
Attracting diverse candidates
While creating job adverts that appeal to a wide range of candidates can help companies attract a more diverse pool of applicants, it takes more than inclusive statements in adverts, company websites & brochures to achieve DEI in the workplace.
Diversity is data while Belonging is feeling
Everyone needs to play a part and this means that companies that simply outsource diversity & inclusion to HR hoping inclusivity will be achieved somehow, are doing their brands, employees, customers, as well as other stakeholders a huge disservice.
One promising solution is the use of ethical AI as a tool to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
The Role of Ethical AI in Promoting DEI
One promising solution is the use of ethical AI as a tool to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace. While AI is not perfect, algorithms are easier to change than humans.
The use of ethical AI is becoming increasingly important as AI technologies continue to play a larger role in our lives, from employment to healthcare to criminal justice.
Using AI personas in job adverts and throughout the employee Life cycle as well as when communicating with customers
What may work in New York, Seattle or San Francisco may often fall flat in London, Nairobi, Berlin or Bangalore
Rolling out recruitment practices or interview techniques that work in one part of the world often fail in other parts of the world because of the biases that prevail in the interview process. Many organisations roll out programmes or products without taking into account cultural norms (both internal and external) and end up on a hamster wheel of recruiting to replace throughout the year.
By leveraging AI tools, organisations can create job adverts that remove biases from the recruitment process and speak to people from different backgrounds using personas and tones that represent the characteristics and values that women and/or other marginalised groups may identify with while ensuring these personas do not include biases and stereotypes.
When built correctly, AI tools can work as assistants/advisers to leaders (whether it is to advise on tone (EQ) or cultural norms (CQ), as well as train staff members who are perhaps more introvert or, from communities that may not be comfortable in training settings involving large groups of people/colleagues.
At the click of a button, staff members can have their DEI or other questions answered, have an interactive conversation, as well seek/access advice on how to respond to a customer or colleague, using Emotional Intelligence (EQ), Cultural Intelligence (CQ) or Diversity Intelligence (DQ).
One thing to bear in mind however is that there can be no such thing as ‘Inclusive AI’ without Inclusive Leadership and this starts with Emotional Intelligence (EQ), a skill which enables you to develop self-awareness, empathy and the ability to see things from different perspectives.
Ethical AI tools combined with leaders who lead with EQ is a powerful strategy for creating inclusive, welcoming, and safe workspaces.
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MY INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP COACHING PROGRAMME
Image depicting Emotional Intelligence (EQ), Cultural Intelligence (CQ) and Diversity Intelligence (DQ) as icebergs, illustrating that our unseen characteristics and experiences significantly influence our identity and behaviour
My Level-1 EQ+CQ=DQ coaching programme is designed for leaders and those in succession to provide them with the tools they need to build & promote a culture of inclusion in the workplace. The course is an introduction to leading with Emotional Intelligence (EQ), Cultural Intelligence (CQ), and Diversity Intelligence (DQ) and covers:
• The importance of EQ, CQ, and DQ in leadership
• How to create an inclusive work environment
• Building cultural competence and promoting understanding and respect for different cultures
LEVEL 2 - LEVERAGING INCLUSIVE AI
This course focuses on the human rather than technical side of AI
While leaders may not be technical, they can collaborate with AI developers, data scientists, and ethics experts to better understand and address potential biases in AI systems.
Building on the foundation provided in Level 1 (EQ+CQ=DQ), Level 2 looks to utilise EQ, CQ and DQ as tools to mitigate biases found in AI which if left unchecked, can amplify biases that already exist within organisations and society. Level 2 advises leaders on strategies and tools for collaborating with colleagues and third-party suppliers responsible for AI development, deployment and oversight.
ABOUT ME - I'm a Consultant specialising in ‘Inclusive Leadership and AI’ advising C-Level executives, leaders, and those in succession, on navigating the dynamic intersection of leadership, technology and inclusivity. My 'Inclusive Leadership & AI' programme begins with fostering Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Cultural Intelligence (CQ), recognising these as fundamental pillars in navigating the transformative and ever-changing environments shaped by emerging technologies including AI. I am deeply passionate about the transformative potential of AI - not just as a tool for speed, efficiency, or automating mundane tasks but also, as a tool for enhancing inclusion, self-improvement (by speeding up the learning process) and medical breakthroughs, to name but a few AI use cases. My focus and what I am looking to help build is Emotional Intelligence (EQ) in AI - utilising my 15+ years of experience in global recruitment, Executive Search & Coaching. I am also the co-founder of two tech startups: a digital recruitment platform; and a geocode system tailored for emerging markets. If you wish to learn more about my EQ+CQ=DQ course then feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn.
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