A culture of experimentation means you’re constantly acting, learning and improving, not accepting things that don’t work. It means you’re always learning as you go, not accepting things that don’t work. In order to experiment with impact, you need diverse voices – creating a deliberately inclusive environment where the often unheard voices influence the direction of projects. Ensuring inclusivity is a key role for leaders. These leaders inspire change by embedding principles of transparency, active listening, and shared leadership.
Prerequisites for Successful Inclusive Experimentation
To build a truly inclusive experimentation culture, leaders need to prioritise a few key steps. Here’s how to start:
Transparent Decision-Making: Clear, transparent decision making is one of the key foundations of inclusivity; particularly in cultures which value and encourage experimentation. Rather than just explaining decisions after the fact, inclusive leaders outline the decision that needs to be made upfront, specifying whose input is being sought and why. This helps ensure diverse and quieter perspectives are heard, and gives people the opportunity to opt-in to being part of the process. Leaders then test potential outcomes of these decisions with key groups, role-modelling an experimental approach that values feedback. After a decision is made, sharing the outcome and explaining the reasons behind it reinforces this transparency. Consistently applying this process builds trust and encourages a culture of inclusive experimentation.
Active Listening with Intent: Transparency alone isn’t enough; leaders must listen with the intention to act. Active listening means valuing input so that it translates into tangible results. Formal and informal initiatives like regular ‘voice forums’ or anonymous idea submissions provide safe spaces for team members to share their perspectives. This builds trust, deepens commitment, and fosters a sense of shared ownership over projects. When outcomes are shared, people can see their ideas reflected, or understand why their ideas weren’t taken forward, closing the feedback loop.
Delegation and involvement: Leaders need to focus on delegation and distributing power. To encourage true experimentation, decisions need to be made as close to the front line as possible; allowing greater pace and accountability. This then increases the likelihood that diverse voices will be included throughout the process.
Measuring the Success of Inclusive Experimentation
To ensure these efforts are paying off, leaders need to track progress with meaningful metrics. How can you tell if your experimentation culture is truly inclusive? Start with these KPIs:
– Engagement Levels of Underrepresented Groups: Measure active participation of different groups, not just presence. High engagement indicates that underrepresented groups feel empowered to contribute, shaping the experimentation process. Are your current metrics capturing genuine involvement or merely attendance?
– Psychological Safety Scores: Regular pulse-checks assessing team members’ comfort in sharing ideas without fear of negative consequences are vital. High scores reflect a culture that encourages risk-taking and innovation. If your team members feel secure enough to voice unconventional ideas, even those that challenge norms, you’re on the right path.
– Diversity of Leadership: Monitor who is leading experiments. A diverse group of people in informal leadership roles signals that inclusivity has moved beyond talk and into practice. The decision making distribution amongst a diverse group of contributors enriches the process but sends a powerful message that leadership pathways are open to everyone.
– Outcome-Based Inclusion Metrics: True success lies in how contributions shape outcomes. Are the solutions produced by your experiments serving a broad either internally or externally? Post-launch feedback segmented by demographics can reveal whether the results reflect diverse needs.
– Feedback Quality and Volume from Underrepresented Groups: Leaders should gauge not just the quantity but the richness of insights. Detailed, thoughtful feedback indicates that team members feel empowered to share and are invested in the results.
Case Study: Driving Change with the Women of Colour Programme
One client recognised the need to experiment inclusively when they identified a key gap in their Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) strategy: while they were recognised as DEIB leaders, diversity beyond gender at senior leadership levels was lacking. This presented a clear challenge—not just for their culture but for their ability to retain top talent and foster growth.
Partnering with Kin&Co, they co-designed a Women of Colour programme as a drive for inclusive leadership. Through 50 interviews with women of colour, they identified the ten biggest barriers to career progression and psychological safety.
Armed with these insights, the team co-created a tangible action plan, launching new forums and workstreams to address systemic barriers and foster allyship. The results of this experiment were powerful: 97% of participants felt safe sharing and engaging. 100% expressed high satisfaction with the launch. A 224-member Women of Colour Forum now spans 11 countries, offering mentorship, sponsorship, and advocacy. This programme didn’t just fill a gap—it redefined how the client approached inclusion, creating systems that empower those who have been excluded for too long.
Final Thoughts
Inclusive experimentation isn’t just about being fair — it’s the foundation of staying relevant and resilient in a rapidly changing world. Leaders who prioritise transparency, active listening, and shared leadership don’t just keep up—they set the pace. Curious to dive deeper? Our white paper on experimentation unpacks these ideas in greater detail—we strongly recommend giving it a read.