Creating Inclusive Work Cultures - A conversation with Bianca Coleman

Bianca Coleman's passion for DEIB is rooted in her upbringing. Born into a multicultural family in San Francisco, she has been fortunate to be surrounded by diversity her entire life. She strives to foster a sense of belonging through storytelling, collaboration, and advocacy. As a person who lives with depression and anxiety, she knows what it feels like to not have the necessary resources and support to show up authentically in the workplace. As a Culture Innovation and Strategy Manager, her goal is to help organizations create cultures that are centered in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging so that everyone can thrive.

What does the phrase, "culture eats strategy for lunch” mean to you?

Culture is everything! It eats strategy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Culture is what attracts talent to an organization, but most importantly, it is why people stay. Culture can greatly determine an organization's success no matter how effective the strategy is. People matter and if they don't feel valued, they won't execute on the strategy with their best effort.

What strategies, tactics, equity and culture solutions have you personally seen work, and why do you think they worked?

When organizations take a holistic approach and look at their whole ecosystem, that is when the real systemic change happens.

• What internal systems, processes, and policies are in place to set everyone up for success?

• Who are they partnering with externally?

• Who are they serving and are they providing an equitable experience for everyone? How do they brand themselves?

Don't get me wrong, it's not about perfection, it's about progress. And when leaders show up in vulnerability, they can lean into the tough work and be okay with not having all the answers. Showing humanity speaks volumes, and in my experience when people see that from their leaders, they're more likely to get on board.

What do you think is changing in the workplace that organizations need to start proactively thinking about?

I think things like belonging, mattering, balance, purpose, and growth have always been important for folks, but what's changing is that people are now feeling empowered to use their voices and are expecting organizations to walk their talk. For example, it's no longer enough for an executive to say that they want a culture where everyone can belong and thrive, while individual contributors aren't experiencing the same mindset from their direct managers. The frozen middle, between senior leadership and individual contributors, has to model the behaviors that lead to that talk becoming reality.

Do you think it’s possible to change an established workplace culture? Why or why not?

Yes, of course. It isn't easy work and there are no shortcuts but it is possible. In my humble opinion, the first thing that needs to happen is that “legacy mindsets” have to change. Leaders have to lead more from the heart space because that is where the compassion and empathy come from. Change is constant and so being able to adjust and adapt with an open mind and open heart are important qualities for leaders to have.

When it comes to equity in the workplace what do you feel people aren’t thinking about?

Equality and equity are not synonymous. Historically excluded and underestimated folks have always fought an uphill battle and the playing field has never been leveled. Sometimes, when people belong to a group with significant representation in an organization, they don't think about what equity means for other folks in the workplace. Having a basic understanding that equity is about giving fair access to employees, while considering unique barriers or even privileges, is the first step in actually creating an equal opportunity for success. If an organization strives to create workplace culture with equity at its foundation, the people with power and influence have to take an honest look the infrastructure and then activate accordingly.