Values › Ethics › Inclusiveness
Core value · Ethics family
Inclusiveness
Making sure nobody is left on the outside
What does inclusiveness mean as a core value?
Inclusiveness as a core value means making sure people are welcomed and able to take part fully, especially those on the edges, without having to change who they are.
Inclusiveness pays attention to the edges. At a party, you’re the one who spots the person standing alone. In a meeting, you notice who hasn’t spoken, and whether the in-jokes leave the new starter out. If this is a core value, watching someone be left out stings more than most things. You want people to feel they belong, just as they are. Practical details, like where an event is held or when a meeting is scheduled, matter to you.
What does inclusiveness look like in practice?
- You invite quieter people into a conversation by asking for their view directly.
- You explain acronyms and backstory so newcomers can follow.
- You pick times, venues and formats that work for people with caring responsibilities or different needs.
- You widen the invite list when a group has become a closed circle.
- You check in afterwards with someone who seemed to be on the outside.
When is inclusiveness overplayed?
Inclusiveness can become an effort to please everyone, where every decision needs everyone’s input and nothing moves quickly. You may also dilute a group’s purpose so that nobody feels left out, or include people in ways that feel awkward or token to them. Kept in proportion, it makes genuine room for people and accepts that not everyone needs to be involved in everything. One way to check is to ask someone you’ve been including how it actually feels from where they sit.
Often confused with
Inclusiveness vs Belonging
Belonging is your own need to feel part of something. Inclusiveness is making sure other people get that feeling too.
Inclusiveness vs Diversity
Diversity is valuing difference in people and ideas. Inclusiveness is what makes that difference count: people actually being welcomed and able to take part.
Inclusiveness vs Equality
Equality is about everyone having the same rights and chances. Inclusiveness focuses on whether people actually feel welcome and involved.
Questions to sit with
- Who is regularly on the outside of the groups you’re part of, and have you asked them why?
- Where do you make it easy for people like you to take part, and harder for others?
- When did you last feel left out, and what would have changed that?
More values in Ethics
Doing right and treating people fairly.
About the author
Matt Rutherford is a Career and Leadership Coach. The Values Finder is the same exercise he uses with his coaching clients. He also writes Stuff that MattRs, a weekly newsletter with practical ideas to help you think clearer and work better.
Find your own
Is Inclusiveness one of your core values?
Choose from 155 values, narrow them down to the few that matter most, and get a personal report to keep. Free, and it takes about 15 minutes.
Find your core values