Unleashing Excellence through Inclusion: Navigating the Engagement-Performance Paradox

TL;DR

This paper develops a conceptual model linking inclusion to improved team performance and identifies key factors for creating inclusive, high-performing work environments under resource constraints.

Contribution

It introduces a new conceptual model of inclusion that directly enhances performance and specifies eight actionable factors for fostering inclusivity in teams.

Findings

Inclusion positively impacts team performance.

Eight key factors influence inclusive work environments.

Guidance for implementing inclusive practices effectively.

Abstract

People who feel that they do not belong (or their voice is not heard at work) commonly become disengaged, unproductive, and pessimistic. Inclusive work environments aspire to close these gaps to increase employee satisfaction while reducing absenteeism and turnover. But there is always a job to be done, and under time and resource constraints, democratic approaches can result in reduced quality and unacceptable delays. Teams need actionable guidance to incorporate inclusive practices that will directly impact effectiveness. This paper contributes to the literature on quality and performance management by developing a conceptual model of inclusion that directly (and positively) impacts performance, and identifies eight factors that workgroups must address to create and maintain inclusive, high performing environments.