Why Professions Need To Be Inclusive To Remain Legitimate

Professions are in the discrimination business; it’s by design

Find out why inclusion is necessary for professions and why the professions that get this wrong are going to be devastated

Here are some key messages from this episode

  • The special contract between Professions and Society
  • Why Inclusive Professions matter to your personally
  • The urgent need for Inclusion in Professions and much more

Play the episode for more.

Here are some key takeaways from this episode

Professions are in the discrimination business

“Professions are in the discrimination business. They are allowed to discriminate about who is in their profession in a way that is different to the rest of the labour market.. why?”

Professions have a special agreement with society 

“if you’ve completed the professionalisation project, you should be able to establish that what you do is so important to society that what you do deserves special treatment”

 Professions need to be inclusive to be legitimate in the 21st Century

“This means that professions need to be inclusive in order to meet their commitment to society in exchange for the privileges that we allow them to have”

Here are some resources so you can go deeper

Royal College of Anaesthetists

British Medical Association

Milburn Report: Unleashing Aspiration: The Final Report of the Panel on Fair Access to the Professions

The System of the Professions

Social closure in dynamic markets: the incomplete professional project in accountancy

Check out these related episodes of the show

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Whenever you’re ready, there are a few ways I can support your Inclusion Journey:

The Elements of Inclusion #4

Leaders must collaborate innovatively to leverage cultural expertise and drive business performance.

  • Why inclusive outcomes are driven by innovation
  • How developing a business case for diversity and inclusion specific to your organisation is a competitive advantage
  • Why novelty is at the heart of your inclusion journey

The Elements of Inclusion #3

Leaders must establish systems to ensure that everyone shares the same advantages and benefits. These processes will create incentives for inclusive behaviours.

  • How to augment your team with the tools and insights they need to prevent structural disadvantage
  • Why reinforcing generative norms ensures everyone belongs in the organisation
  • How inclusive representations can be embedded to promote an inclusive culture

The Elements of Inclusion #2

Leaders must redefine career development relationships to support inclusive performance.
  • Why traditional mentor relationships must be revised for an inclusive workplace
  • How leaders must embrace networks of developmental relationships for individual growth
  • Why established workplace norms must evolve for inclusion in the modern workplace

The Elements of Inclusion #1

Leaders must properly socialise people and socialise inclusive ideas by providing an environment for the cultural learning needed for an active role in an inclusive organisation

  • How your socialisation processes must evolve to encourage the sustainable cultivation of inclusive competencies
  • Why Leaders must consistently negotiate the line between organisational commitment and personal authenticity to promote performance
  • How developing intersectional self awareness can help leaders to leverage individual employee experiences