SET for Inclusion: An Underlying Methodology for Achieving Your Inclusion Dividend

One of the biggest challenges for organizations over the past forty years has been integrating inclusiveness into practical day-to-day leadership. In the authors’ first book, The Inclusion Dividend, they made the case for inclusive leadership as a measurable asset to an organization; it shows up in the bottom line and in other measurable results. In SET for Inclusion, Donovan and Kaplan take that one step further by guiding leaders through the application of a framework to lead inclusively.

The authors discuss the current research on unconscious bias and insider-outsider dynamics and focus on how to translate that current research into best practice for leaders. SET for Inclusion follows the stories of three diverse characters in a large modern organization, a top executive, a middle manager, and an individual contributor. Each of these characters is working to make inclusiveness real, to provide tangible benefits for them as individuals and for the organization.

These characters, and their stories, reflect the authors’ 45 years of experience in working with middle and senior level managers in a variety of Fortune 1000 companies. The characters’ experiences going from self-awareness to action will be very familiar to leaders in large domestic and global organizations. They will provide an important, step-by-step template for leaders who are interested in creating and leveraging diversity and inclusion within their organizations.

About the Authors

Mason Donovan is Managing Partner at The Dagoba Group, a New England based diversity and inclusion consultancy that specializes in leadership development, unconscious bias and inclusion dynamics. Prior to that, Mason was Managing Director of Client Solutions for Personified, a human capital consulting firm. He has spent more than a decade consulting clients in the areas of talent acquisition, performance management, and leading inclusive teams. Mason holds a long list of sales achievement awards for direct sales and sales management. He believes diversity and inclusion is a marketplace differentiator. He has consulted with over half of Fortune 1000 global companies on talent acquisition and management initiatives. Mason has also represented the US Government and the State of Florida on a commercial and diplomatic basis in EMEA.

Mason is the co-author of The Inclusion Dividend: Why Investing in Diversity & Inclusion Pays Offand the author of DRIVEN: A Manager’s Field Guide to Sales Team Optimization. He frequently serves as a speaker and panelist on a wide range of topics, and is often interviewed for client engagement strategy. Mason earned a MA in International Business from Webster University in The Netherlands and a BA in International Relations from University of Mary Washington in Virginia.

Mark Kaplan was the CEO of MGK Consulting before becoming a principal for The Dagoba Group. He has been consulting since 1986 and has advised organizations in the areas of management development, executive coaching, team building and group dynamics, organizational assessment, and diversity management, assessment and strategy development. Mark has worked with global Fortune 1000 corporations, non-profits and small business organizations. He has worked on five continents, in many environments, and with all levels of management.

Mark is the co-author of The Inclusion Dividend: Why Investing in Diversity and Inclusion Pays Off and has been published in leading Diversity publications. He is a guest speaker at globally focused conferences and is often quoted in international business and industry trade publications.

Mark earned his Masters in HR Development from Villanova University and a Bachelors degree in Psychology from the University of Florida. He holds many certifications including Organization and Systems Development from the Gestalt Institute.