DIRECTOR COURAGEOUS INCLUSION
ALISON PACIFICO- FRANCE IS THE FOUNDING DIRECTOR OF EVOSIS
What is evosis and what does it do?
Evosis celebrates its 10-year anniversary this year. Over its lifetime it has essentially been the vehicle for me to achieve what I want in my career and for organisations. It began focussing on people transformation (evosis is the start of the word evolution and end of the word metamorphosis) based on my expertise in business psychology, leadership and organisation development.
Over the years I (and evosis), have evolved to focus on Diversity and Inclusion work with the same developmental approach. I now also often work in partnership with a diverse group of other fabulous practitioners. Our vision is: “To evolve the human race so that everyone inherently values, and has the skill, to be truly inclusive of each other’s diversity”. We work with a whole range of organisations of all sizes across industries both nationally and internationally. These have included Young Lives vs Cancer, John Lewis Partnership, The Global Fund for Human Rights and Hunter Healthcare (specialist recruitment for the NHS).
How does who you are impact on the work you do?
My identity is integral to my work, I am a white, pansexual, non-binary person from the North of England who has experienced depression, is a “wobbly walker” and has a spinal cord injury. I intentionally use both the privileged and disadvantaged aspects of my identity to inform, inspire and promote inclusion.
I also have a strong social justice motivation which includes me volunteering as a trustee for charities as well as many of my clients being charities.
What is courageous inclusion?
Courageous inclusion is a way of being, described in a model, which provides a simple approach to diversity and inclusion. It is also a skill, which can be improved, of having conversations, which are sometimes uncomfortable, with the goal of learning and being able to include everyone.
The model is described at
www.courageous-inclusion.com/courageous-inclusion-model.html
We also run programmes for people wanting to develop the skill of courageous inclusion.
You can find more details of those at
www.courageous-inclusion.com/programmes.html
What other types of projects do you work on?
We consult on Diversity and Inclusion at a strategic level, helping create applicable strategy which connects to the organisation’s goals as well as programmes such as employee networks, reverse mentoring and role model and ally training (there is a full list at www.evosis.co.uk/organisations.html). One of the most fulfilling parts of my job though is the variety of activities I undertake. This includes podcasts and speaking events and recently consulting on a series of management training videos. Click on the following link to my podcasts and information about upcoming speaking events.
www.courageous-inclusion.com/courageous-inclusion-in-action.html
How important is a positive and proactive culture of diversity and inclusion in the workplace – both for the commerical organisation and the individual?
There is an ever-growing body of practice-based research demonstrating the benefits of diversity and inclusion for organisations, teams and individuals. This includes.:
Organisations with inclusive cultures are:
- 3 times more likely to be high-performing*
- 8 times more likely to achieve better business outcomes*
- 6 times more likely to be innovative and agile*
- 2 times more likely to meet or exceed financial targets*
- 30% higher revenue per employee than competitors§
Inclusive teams increase performance
- 29% increase in team collaboration*
- 20% increase in quality of decision-making*
- 17% increase in team performance*
Inclusive leaders improve experiences for individuals
- 70% increase in psychological safety and inspiration*
- 70% increase in experiences of fairness, respect, value and belonging*
- One day per year additional work attendance per employee ±
Beyond these statistics, when individuals are empowered and feel safe to be themselves, they are able to work to their true potential, achieving personal aims and innovative solutions for their organisation. When organisations truly embrace diversity they benefit from the power of positive deviance – the ability to listen to and implement novel ideas which make a difference. One example of this is how Alan Turing was able to break the Enigma code and create the first computers.
What do you consider to be your proudest achievement?
Thanks for asking this question, it’s one I usually shy away from but today I’m feeling empowered enough to answer!
I am proud of so much in my life, grateful for the opportunities I have had and the support I have received to achieve them. In my personal life, my achievements include riding a Royal Enfield over the Himalayas in India and learning to walk again after a spinal cord injury.
In my work life I am proud of what my programmes can achieve. I have recently published a case study (www.courageous-inclusion.com/impact.html) where an already very inclusive team increased their ability to be anti-racist by 39%. The aim of these courses is to create sustainable development for people so they can apply diversity and inclusion to their own professional expertise. This has also created changes such as a CEO considering not only how he builds a diverse organisation, but also how he could ensure he contracts services from a diverse set of suppliers, paying them a fair fee. All to create a more robust and successful business.