How to Make Project Management More Inclusive

By now, most of us in the project management world know we have historically had a diversity and inclusion problem: The industry skews male and white, especially in leadership roles. Recognizing this was a major first step, and now the industry as a whole needs a more consistent push to actually change this reality. A lack of diversity is bad for our teams, strategy, outcomes and business in general.

Now, with the pandemic having forced a shift to distributed work, companies are realizing the diversity benefits this approach brings, including an increased focus on work rather than cultural fit and a more global talent pool. Integrating more perspectives creates a well-rounded, creative team and atmosphere. But while remote work is likely here to stay in some form for most of us, it only addresses one piece of the diversity mandate. To bring our industry to a more inclusive place, we need to commit to four key steps:

Hire Inclusively

To start, take a critical look at your team’s hiring practices. Where jobs are posted, the language included, the pay, how your team is represented on your website and your interview process all play a role in how inclusive your hiring is. For example, requiring multiple interviews can be prohibitive to working parents (largely women), and relying on university job boards to get the word out about a position will limit your responses to a pool of mostly white candidates. If your team has been historically homogenous in background, making these changes may not be intuitive. You must be willing to clearly call out where you are falling short and be willing to do something different.

Reconsider the Phrase “Culture Fit”

Many companies with a focus on strong workplace culture consider hiring for “culture fit” a key part of their decision. However, if your team is not currently diverse, focusing on culture fit can be outright harmful to your team and the candidates you interview. When a culture is built on the status quo, how could anyone from a differing background possibly fit in? Take a step back and think about the qualities that define your culture. Even things that seem “universal” on the surface can be discriminatory in their interpretation. A core value of “hard work,” for example, where the team defines that as working until 7 p.m., can make it seem like a working parent who needs to leave at 5 p.m. each day to pick up their kids won’t fit in.  

Understand Work Styles Before a Project Begins

While crisis management and problem-solving can become necessary in any active project, many challenges can be solved more quickly or even avoided altogether if team-building work is done in advance. Create dedicate, regular space for your team to grow together, understand different ways of working and discuss conflict resolution approaches. Develop team norms about how challenges are addressed so that when challenges do arise, everyone knows the expectations. This will ensure that everyone feels comfortable speaking up about issues; a culture that doesn’t discuss conflict or understand how it affects individuals will favor only those who are confident, self-assured and willing to put themselves out there.

Hold Your Team Accountable

Diversity and inclusion initiatives without metrics and benchmarks often fizzle out or remain hollow words. Set a series of goals with your team that detail what actual diversity and inclusion will look like for you, and set regular check-ins to measure progress. Consider goals that speak to business value as well as hiring practices, culture and project success. Project managers should lead their teams by example, holding themselves accountable and modeling transparency.

Diversity and inclusion initiatives are not a “one-and-done” undertaking.  This is about long-term change, and some impacts make take a while to surface. However, don’t feel you need to have it all figured out to move ahead. Take immediate steps now, leading with honesty and putting people first.