This report is structured in three parts. Understanding and being adept at inclusive leadership will help leaders thrive in their increasingly diverse environment. However, we have amplified and built on these known attributes to define a powerful new capability uniquely adapted to a diverse environment. Elements of inclusive leadership are echoed in transformational, servant, and authentic leadership, for example, and these concepts are carried forward. 2 We are not suggesting a wholesale replacement of previous leadership theory. This report is intended to help leaders think about how traditional notions of leadership must change. We call this inclusive leadership, and our research has identified six traits that characterize an inclusive mind-set and inclusive behavior. Of course, the core aspects of leadership, such as setting direction and influencing others, are timeless, but we see a new capability that is vital to the way leadership is executed. For leaders who have perfected their craft in a more homogenous environment, rapid adjustment is in order.

Few would argue against the need for rapid innovation.įourth, diversity of talent: Shifts in age profiles, education, and migration flows, along with expectations of equality of opportunity and work/life balance, are all impacting employee populations.ĭiversity of markets, customers, ideas, and talent: These simultaneous shifts are the new context. Third, diversity of ideas: Digital technology, hyper-connectivity, and deregulation are disrupting business value chains and the nature of consumption and competition. Empowered through technology and with greater choice, an increasingly diverse customer base expects better personalization of products and services. Second, diversity of customers: Customer demographics and attitudes are changing. With their growing middle class, these new markets represent the single biggest growth opportunity in the portfolio of many companies around the world.

We can be sure, however, about four global mega-trends that are reshaping the environment and influencing business priorities: 1įirst, diversity of markets: Demand is shifting to emerging markets. So what is this different context? In a volatile and complex world, predicting the future with precision is a risky business. Yes, the context will change-it is changing already-and this will demand adaptation by those playing a leading role. It makes for great entertainment, but it is not the stuff of reality. It seems we can easily imagine different future contexts, but when it comes to thinking about leadership differently, we are on a repeating loop. What’s curious is that this iconic image of the heroic leader remains constant despite the vastly changed environment. The decisions these leaders make-the actions they take-culminate in the restoration of humanity. They have a sidekick, if lucky, but rarely are the leader and the sidekick equals, and they almost never operate as a team. Smart and strong, they carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. In these books and films, there’s always a quest, and there’s always a hero. There is the devastated world and its dystopian societies, the artificial world with synthetic humans, and myriads of other worlds scattered throughout foreign galaxies. To the realm of science fiction in which books and films paint vivid pictures of a future that looks vastly different from that which we know today. Say those numbers slightly differently-2020, 2025, or 2030-and your imagination takes you somewhere else entirely. What will it take to be a great leader in the future? In five years, ten years, even fifteen years? Want to learn more about inclusive leadership? Explore the 2016 Global Human Capital Trends

Principle of inclusion