Our Vision
Inclusive leaders acknowledge and embrace differences and utilize them effectively to achieve superior business results. Inclusive leaders implement the mechanisms necessary for diversity, equity, and inclusion to be an engine of business, including an inclusive culture, equitable and inclusive human resource practices, and support for employees' physical and mental health. Inclusive leaders' commitment to diversity and inclusion is part of being socially responsible.
The Inclusive Leadership Initiative aspires to become a focal point in Houston to develop inclusive leaders, family-friendly and inclusive cultures that support business strategy and superior business performance.
The mandate of the Inclusive Leadership Initiative is to provide the best research, leadership development, and industry practices in the areas of excellence described in the chart below and link all these areas to the organization's strategy, culture, and bottom line.
Areas of Excellence
Diversity Support
- Inclusive Culture
- #MeToo
- Gender Equality
- Women in Leadership
- Racial Justice
- Intergenerational Work Relations
- Integration of LGBTQIA Workers
- Neurodiversity
Family Support
- Family-Friendly HR Practices
- Work-Family Integration
- Flexible Work Scheduling
- Childcare Benefits
- Lactation Rooms
Health Support
- Sleep Supportive Conditions
- Physical & Mental Health
- Stress & Burnout
- Fair Pay (Economic Health)
Social Responsibility
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Leader Character
- Ethical Leadership
Our Mission
The Inclusive Leadership Initiative (ILI) will be a College-Level Center in the C. T. Bauer College of Business. The mission of the ILI is to connect Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) champions across academia, corporations, and non-profit organizations to accelerate inclusive leadership in companies and communities.
We aspire to create a partnership for inclusive leadership research that will accomplish three things:
Act as a focal point for faculty-led research and best DEI practices in industry.
Establish relationships with organizations and identify pressing DEI problems.
Maintain an ongoing relationship between industry and academia to further knowledge creation and inclusive leadership development.
In addition, the ILI will provide companies and organizations the ability to network with other DEI champions across various industries to learn best practices through networking events, panel discussions, and conferences. We will promote quarterly meetings to talk about what is happening in DEI, invite keynote speakers and share current research. Depending on their membership level, companies will have access to training, open enrollment or custom programs, research, and access to students or industry learning communities. Learning communities will promote quarterly meetings to talk about what is happening in DEI, inviting keynote speakers. Specifically, members will receive the following benefits:
- Full access to published DEI research
- Free customized DEI Executive Development Assessment each year
- Free customized DEI Research Assessment each year
- Free customized DEI Consulting Assessment each year
- Executive Development Programs at membership price
- Research opportunities and support
- Consulting Services (e.g., diversity audits, ally training) at membership price
- Succession and Development Planning for DEI at membership price
- Industry Learning Communities
- Recruiting table at the Bauer Career Fair
- Access to student and alumni pool for internships, projects, and recruiting
- DEI networking events across and within industries
- Company logo placed in materials and events
- Recognition in all marketing materials and all events
- Naming opportunities
Our role with the Inclusive Leadership Initiative is to embrace the questions that both organizations and employees are asking as the face of the workforce changes, and to develop practical solutions that are substantiated by faculty-led research.
Contact Us
Alex Fernandez
Director, Inclusive Leadership Initiative
C. T. Bauer College of Business, University of Houston
Email: ilc@central.uh.edu
