Glossary of Terms
Due to the ever-changing nature of language, we offer this glossary of terms based on our use of them in these playbooks. We aim to be as inclusive as possible so that we can see and include remarkable talent across multiple intersections and dimensions of identity.
Advocate
A person who proactively and intentionally seeks to support another’s participation in the group. This can include amplifying their expertise and ideas when overlooked or questioning undue negative criticism. In some contexts, an advocate is synonymous with being an ally.
DEIB
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) is a term used to describe commitments, policies, practices and initiatives aiming to create more diverse, equitable and inclusive organizations in which all members can feel that they belong and can thrive.
Difference
For the purpose of this playbook, difference is used as a term to identify that all people in a boardroom have varying backgrounds and identities. These “differences” of background and lived experience allow for differing opinions and healthy dissent. Differences may include race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, socioeconomic status, caregiver status, religion, occupation, education, and language. Differences can enhance effectiveness; however, the success of these conversations strongly rely on the establishment of inclusive norms.
Historically Marginalized Groups
These groups are defined by historic, systemic, and ongoing (current) discrimination and oppression to the “margins” of society. These groups are commonly identified by social, ethnic, or racial backgrounds, and inclusive of race, sex, gender identity, ability, socioeconomic status, and religion.
Inclusive Culture
The environment that focuses on the experiences of its members, in order to benefit from their contributions and create a space where they can participate fully. An inclusive culture can emerge as a result of Inclusive Norms and may include (but are not limited to) the group’s behaviors, practices, understood and self-established expectations, cultivation of inter-group relationships, meeting structure and cadence, approach, and even feedback and assessment processes.
Inclusive Norms
A set of agreements about how members will work with each other and how the group will work overall. These agreed-upon behaviors allow the team to increase its collective performance through healthy debate and clarity of purpose and roles.
Norms
The practices and behaviors of a group--formal and informal, spoken and unspoken--that guide how the group works together and how individuals can participate. They could be anything from: speaking order, amount of airtime, who is invited to speak and why, whether or not people openly dissent or disagree, and whether or not people are called on to contribute or expected to speak up on their own. In many ways, norms maintain a status quo. When unexamined, some norms may limit the group’s ability to innovate and value the contributions of all group members.
Protective Mechanisms
When faced with uncertainty, including when working across differences, people can respond with behaviors aiming to protect them, even if the harm is only perceived. Protective Hesitation in a work context is not offering critical feedback and information for fear of offending the other person. On the other side, Protective Defensiveness is putting up walls around ourselves–sometimes for good reasons–so important advice and guidance that we need is not heard. For example, when advice has a stereotypical bent to it, it can be hard to hear. To achieve mutually beneficial relationships, both sides need to find ways to reduce the protective mechanisms.
Unexamined Norms
Practices and expectations which are often unacknowledged but are regularly relied upon for the overall functionality of the group. In many cases, unexamined norms maintain a status quo that benefits some but can be harmful to others. Unexamined norms can limit participation, overlook or diminish a person’s expertise, or reinforce negative stereotypes and result in less effective group interactions.
Women
We broadly define the word woman: we include women across multiple dimensions: race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, and age. We are inclusive of people who are gender non-conforming, transgender women, and anybody who identifies as a woman.