Board Inclusion Framework

Inclusion is an issue of importance permeating all aspects of an organization. What can boards do to further promote and solidify an inclusive culture at the organizations they oversee? A great deal, as it turns out. Boards have a meaningful role to play in building an inclusive enterprise, and they can govern in ways that put C-suites and organizations on a positive path.

This framework is designed to help boards explore their role in governing inclusion and initiate conversations on inclusion at the board level.

This Framework Offers

• A structure to set the foundation for understanding board-level inclusion and inclusion governance, and for understanding how boards can think about promoting and embedding an inclusive culture at the organizations they oversee
• Initial questions that board members can ask to assess their own board’s level of inclusion governance
• Key insights and actions for boards to help improve their inclusion governance practices

Introduction to the Board Inclusion Framework

What are diversity and inclusion?

While diversity and inclusion may be inextricably linked, they are not one and the same. Boards can benefit by understanding the distinct definitions of both diversity and inclusion:

• Diversity refers to the presence of people who, as a group, have a wide range of characteristics, seen and unseen, which they were born with or have acquired. These characteristics may include their gender identity, race or ethnicity, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, ability, experience, background, skill set, perspective, and more.

Inclusion refers to the practice of making all members of an organization (including board members) feel welcomed, giving them equal opportunity to connect, belong, and grow—to contribute to the organization, advance their skill sets and careers, and feel comfortable and confident being their authentic selves.