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00The methodInclusion That Works™

Inclusion That Works™

Not a project. Not a training. A method.

My work begins where most DEI projects stop. At what most organisations already know, but won't say out loud.

No training unless the organisation is already moving. No charter without behaviour behind it. No advice without diagnosis. No "everyone welcome" unless something underneath actually shifts. Diversity without culture is reputation management, not inclusion.

I look at where it chafes: at what stays unsaid, at what gets rewarded, at who sits at the table and who doesn't. Diagnosis before action. Behaviour over policy. Equity, named. Friction as data.

PhD, applied economics Inclusion strategy advisor Evidence-based, not gut-feel NL · EN
Inclusion ≠ equity
Being included and being treated as an equal are not the same. The first costs a seat. The second costs power.
From the book · Inclusion Doesn't Work
01The architectureClick a phase to expand

A method.

Inclusion That Works™ rests on a lens to look through, five mechanisms to build with, and five levels to honestly measure where you stand.

I
The Lens
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01The Lens·Four principles
Four principles as a lens.
Not a checklist. The way I look at every organisation, every conversation, every behaviour.
01
Diagnosis before action
Otherwise you apply a level-4 approach to a team that is sitting at 2. Diagnosis isn't a luxury. It's the only reason a program lands.
02
Behaviour over policy
Around 70% of how included people feel is built in daily micro-behaviour, not in documents. A charter on the wall is not change.
03
System over individual
Inclusion that depends on "good people" is luck, not strategy. Look at what gets rewarded, what stays unsaid, who sits at the table, who doesn't.
04
Equity over inclusion
Inclusion means everyone is in the room. Equity means actively removing inequality so people can truly take part on equal terms.
II
The Mechanism
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02The Mechanisms·Not · Instead
Five things I never do.
And what I build in their place. Five ways standard DEI work loses its grip.
01
NotRun a training because someone asked for one.
InsteadFirst measure where the organisation actually stands. Only then choose an approach.
No level-4 training as if you're already there.
02
NotAnother charter, another report, another strategy.
InsteadBuild behaviour that shows up in a Friday afternoon meeting.
A charter on the wall is not change. What people decide every day is.
03
NotTrain one leader, coach one team, "fix" one person.
InsteadMake the pattern visible. What gets rewarded. What stays unsaid. Who isn't there.
Inclusion that depends on "good people" is luck, not strategy.
04
Not"Welcome everyone" and hope it's enough.
InsteadActively remove inequality where it sits. Those with more, carry more.
Feeling welcome is not the same as being treated as an equal.
05
NotThe hijab in the campaign, the Pride flag in June, percentages in the annual report. Communicating inclusion before it's been made real.
InsteadCommunication follows change. Not the other way round. Change the rules first. Talk about it later, if at all.
Diversity as brand story is reputation management. Not inclusion.
III
Diagnosis before action
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03Diagnosis·Five levels
Five levels of inclusive maturity.
A diagnostic scale from 1 to 5 that shows where an organisation actually stands. Before I propose anything, I know what level you're at.
01
Reactive
Inclusion only comes up when there's a problem.
02
Functional
Basic respect is present, but stays implicit.
03
Aware
Differences are recognised and can be talked about.
04
Structural
Inclusive behaviour is anchored in how decisions get made.
05
Adaptive
The organisation learns from friction and adapts.
Most organisations think they're at level 4. In practice they're often at 2. No one diagnoses themselves accurately. That's where an outside eye does its work.
What this delivers
Not the measurement itself. But the conversations that finally worked afterwards, because we knew what they were really about.
Client after an Inclusion Scan™, healthcare sector · 2025
02Next stepPrograms

This is how I think. Here's what I do.

Three programs that put this method into practice. A four-week diagnostic, an eight-week leadership marathon, or a fractional culture partnership of six to twelve months.

See the three programs→