Inclusivity: It’s not just a physical thing

Mumtaz Khamker – Group Head of Client Strategy at Webgains

As the Brexit mega soap continues to run, with twists and turns every week like Corrie on steroids, one has to wonder how we got here.

It’s a rise in fear of the unknown, a rise in fear of other people/races/tribes that are not ‘one of us’. A rise in the concept of being exclusive and keeping others out of our club.

So, for all the efforts of the #metoo movement in highlighting abuse towards women, there are still factions of society who do not wish to encourage inclusivity, and with that, there is emotional abuse that leads to whole groups of people feeling isolated.

I recall the cafeteria scene in Mean Girls where the main character is shown the various factions ‘there’s the jocks, the nerds, the Asian nerds, desperate wannabes…’ These are all symptoms of non-inclusivity, and this now traverses physical contexts into intellectual.

Siloed thinking goes like this: ‘You’re an artsy person, more creative? Hell, I won’t even bother trying to explain quantum mass theory to you’, or ‘You’re a STEM major so you wouldn’t appreciate the impact Pantone’s Colour of the Year will have on the fashion industry’.

This is non-inclusive thinking, and those of us who are leaders have a duty in stamping this out within our organisations. We need to encourage collaboration between teams and departments.

Competition, of course, is always healthy, but this should never lead to isolation or cliques.

At the same time, a herd mentality should also not be encouraged as that leads to lazy thinking and drains creative thinking and individuals with dynamism.

Here at Webgains, we encourage creative thinking and frequently run brainstorming sessions to which we invite people from across teams.

After all, the next big idea could come from a team working on an SME rather than a brand.

This is what our clients can look forward to also – collaborative thinking and ideas for the good of our clients and the collective gain for all parties.

To borrow from another movie quote, this time from 90s classic Clueless, ‘… the more the merrier. And so, if the government could just get to the kitchen, rearrange some things, we could certainly party with the Haitians. ‘

Here at Webgains we salute our clients’ differences and learn from each other by regular knowledge shares, this we do not only across our teams in London but also internationally.

Webgains has inclusiveness as a core pillar across all areas of our business. Every client, affiliate and partner is different, and we don’t believe in a one size fits all approach.

If you want a bespoke offering and a fresh start for your performance marketing campaigns, then get in touch!

~

You can get in touch with Mumtaz Khamker, the Group Head of Client Strategy at Webgains, via e-mail, or find her on LinkedIn.