Why do we talk about the Cost of Exclusion?

Why do we talk about the cost of Exclusion?

On one hand, you have:

• In a (now viral) video by Nigerian man, Chukwuemeka Afigbo, demonstrates an automatic soap dispenser able to detect a white person’s hand, but not his darker skin.
• A team of scientists researching mainstream speech-to-text tools found that Black speakers were almost x2 more likely to be misunderstood than White speakers.
• A new fleet of QLD trains failed to comply with disability legislation, meaning people in wheelchairs couldn’t move in the aisle (among other failures), costing taxpayers $336M to rectify.
• In 2018, H&M was accused of being racist & ‘distasteful’ after a black child modelling a hoodie reading ‘Coolest Monkey in the Jungle’ featured on its website. In response to the poorly considered design, H&M saw: $4.3B loss due to to the incident; Operating profit fell 62% in the 3 months following; #BoycottH&M was trending for ~1 month; Stores were trashed & H&M forced to close.

While on the other you have:

• When Tommy Hilfiger launched an adaptive clothing line, over 80% of sales were from customers who were not previously shopping with the brand. This led to an increase in sales from their adaptive line, and standard apparel.
• Savage x Fenty’s body & racial inclusivity reach an audience that has previously felt alienated by the lingerie industry (think Victoria’s Secret) and because of it, the brand has estimated annual revenue of $150 million & growing.
• Nike introduced mannequins of all shapes, sizes and abilities in new store to emotional cheers on social media.

While the first examples sound like egregious failures, we take small actions every single day that uphold & perpetuate the “funnel of oppression” (a system of thinking coined by Kelsey Lindell). Heck, I’ve likely made some today, despite my best efforts to avoid the exact opposite.

We understand that much of the time, unintended exclusion occurs due to a lack of awareness or sensitivity.

But this exclusion — whether it be intentional or unintentional — perpetuates oppression, limits opportunities & holds us all back in society.

And If the law, advice, guidance and campaigning has not persuaded business of the need for more diverse & inclusive business practices, then perhaps the argument needs more commercial clarity.

And that is why we talk about the cost of exclusion (or, the cost of inaction).

So how have the most successful teams mitigated this? Oftentimes, they've...

• Identified perspective gaps in their decision-making & problem-solving processes
• Co-designed alongside underrepresented communities, creating solutions that are effective, evaluated & sustainable
• Upskilled their workforce in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)

(ide)ate has been designed to make the “intangible”, tangible.

If you’d like to explore various factors that stand in the way of creating a truly inclusive, innovative & loveable business, get in touch via our website here.

Further reading:

• Billion Dollar Benefit — Settlement Services International
• The Click-Away PoundReport 2019 — Freeney Williams