Let’s Cross That Bridge

Many of today’s leaders spend as much time defending “Inclusion” as they do delivering it.

For more than a decade, Inclusion has been at the centre of corporate strategy. It sat alongside diversity and equity in a three-letter acronym – DEI that was supposed to define the future of work. Yet at this critical moment, the Inclusion narrative is under strain. And when language begins to feel heavy, it loses power. Inclusion no longer feels like a source of progress. It feels like pressure.

This doesn’t mean the aspiration behind Inclusion has lost relevance. The need to create environments where people feel respected, welcomed, and able to contribute is more urgent than ever – for employee engagement, customer loyalty, and brand reputation. The problem is not the goal. The problem is the framing. The very term ‘Inclusion’ has been politicised. It is now tethered to contentious debates about representation, ideology, and compliance. Leaders often finding themselves on the defensive – justifying policies instead of focusing on outcomes.

So things must change and the organisations that thrive in the next decade will be those that shift from “Inclusion” to “Inclusivity”. And here’s why: Inclusivity is universal, not ideological. Embedded not imposed. It evolves with context and expectation, making it durable against shifting political winds and reframes the challenge as opportunity rather than compliance. It is more resilient. Inclusion invites controversy, Inclusivity creates advantage. And where Inclusion has become a battleground; Inclusivity is a bridge. A bridge we should all now chart a course to cross.