The Civil Service Perspective Debbie Alder, HR Director General, DWP Inclusive Leadership The Civil Service Perspective Debbie Alder, HR Director General, DWP

Our Journey Ambition The Civil Service aims to be the most inclusive employer in the UK. The government’s ambition is to provide even better public services by building a world-class Civil Service, fit for the 21st century, where the most talented people succeed and reach the top positions, regardless of who they are or their background. We will be judged by our results rather than our aspirations So what is the story so far…..

Our Journey

Our Journey Independent reports We have published 4 independent reports into the experiences of: women black, Asian and minority ethnic staff those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender staff who have a disability or health condition The reports have some common themes, one of these is around demonstrating clear leadership on ensuring fair opportunity for underrepresented or disadvantaged groups. The Leadership Statement provided a call for all leaders to reflect on their behaviours and consider what we can do so that we are inspiring, confident and empowering. A refreshed Talent Action Plan was published in March 2016. The refreshed plan includes a programme to support departments to fully integrate diversity and inclusion into all their business processes against commitments made last time, and new commitments focused on improving social mobility. Bridge Group Report The Bridge Group has written a report on socio-economic diversity in the government’s main graduate development programme, the Civil Service Fast Stream. The Bridge Report is the first of its kind published by any employer in the country. It sets out recommendations to tackle the lack of social mobility across the public and private sectors The findings of these reports demonstrate that while there are things we can rightly be proud of - and where we outperform other sectors - we still have a distance to go. This has to improve, not simply because of the waste of talent and potential it may represent, but because we know that difference of thought, background and culture leads to improved decision-making and innovation in organisations.

The Talent Action Plan Talent Action Plan 2016 – Our Progress to date Through these publications we have delivered a number of policies and tools that will help the Civil Service become a more inclusive organisation such as: Shared parental leave – commitment to introduce at the occupational rate Centralised workplace adjustment service Job share finder Planning the parental leave journey: a toolkit for managers and staff Name-blind recruitment and making all-male shortlists and selection panels the exception. Ban the box Positive Action Pathway – which over 1000 people have benefitted from Diversity Champions Permanent Secretary objectives a:gender guidance on the workplace and gender reassignment The revamped Civil Service Learning offer has diversity and inclusion principles embedded throughout. Since the Talent Action Plan launch, 110,000 civil servants have taken training to counter unconscious bias - that’s over a quarter of our workforce.

The Leadership Ask Making the Civil Service a more inclusive place to work is one of the top priorities for the Cabinet Secretary and the Civil Service Board, but it is not just the job of senior leaders alone, it is something we all should do. Our line managers, colleagues, frontline staff interacting with customers, are all leaders with a role to play. Most of us like to think we are open-minded and inclusive yet, staff survey results show that many people feel they have experienced the opposite at work. So, we can all work hard to: challenge our assumptions and those of others champion difference and the value it brings – be it our own or others change our outlook and approach and that of others Our ask of colleagues in DWP - Everyone has a Leadership Objective which is unique to them. It shows how colleagues will work to make a difference in what we deliver. It creates focus for individuals prompting questions which help you think about what matters to you, how to bring others with you and how to deliver together the results you want to see. We set some thought prompts to help set the standard for great outcomes…….

Inclusive Leadership – What do we mean?   Why inclusive leadership? – possible theme’s to cover Inclusive leadership is a powerful concept in driving a sense of belonging, feeling respected, valued for who you are, feeling a level of supportive energy and commitment from others so that you can be and do your best. Channelling a shift from command and control leadership Excellent Leadership can turn good organisations into great ones – inclusive leadership is now seen by many people as a vital element of how we shape leadership cultures for organisations if they are to succeed in a changing society. There is a steady increase in employee diversity coupled with changing societal, organisational and individual values to which leaders must respond with some urgency The importance of greater innovation, productivity and employee engagement are prioritising a shift away from command and control or ‘heroic’ leadership. The business case for inclusive leadership is powerful – improved performance, responsiveness to change, attracting and retaining talented people with diversity of thought and the creation of an inclusive culture

Maturity to Inclusive Leadership Maintaining our allegiance to an in-group and our prejudices against out-groups demands huge mental energy Next stage of the journey – heightened general awareness – valuing different voices Supporting the shift from Diversity to Inclusion My personal reflection and thinking about how well I know myself in the system Reverse mentoring. In groups and out groups.