The NHS has been battling with BAME representation in leadership roles for a very long time. My first real experience at Board level was when I joined the NHS Top Talent leadership programme (King’s Fund). The programme provided me with a platform to really experience inclusive leadership at a very senior level. All of the above key elements need to be in place for an organisation to embrace inclusivity.
NHS Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) policies adopted at local level have been relatively good. However, it depends on what is included and excluded in the explicit policies. For example, some organisations include policies of having BAME representation during recruitment and selection for leadership roles. What is frequently not included is the role and responsibility of the BAME member.
Organisation culture has the most impact on how policies are actually adopted by teams. For instance, the emphasis placed on exposing BAME members to development opportunities can be actively encouraged or passively discouraged by managerial bias.
Finally, there are the interactions with individuals. I have personally dealt with BAME members that have had negative experiences with their colleagues. The situation often escalated and results in reputational damage which can take years to change.
In conclusion, I do want to emphasise that there has been a positive sweeping change in the NHS. Organisational culture takes longer to change and change in individuals is much wider than organisations as individuals’ sphere of influence is much broader. The greatest tool that any BAME member has is a belief in themselves and their ability to add value. |