/kim·isms
/kim·isms
Within the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility space, Kimfer Flanery-Rye (she/her), the Founder of Inclusion Equals has become a go-to resource for learning and growth. Her poignant phrases, referred to by friends and colleagues as “Kim-isms” help address the many other -isms our society faces today…
“We CAN NOT change systemic issues without addressing our own internal
systems of inequities.”
Kimfer Flanery-Rye (she/her), Founder of Inclusion Equals
Inclusion Equals is a social enterprise offering services across brand strategy, design thinking, organizational culture, and leadership development.
We believe culture is the heart and soul of the organization. Without a thoughtful and purposeful strategy to feed internal culture, it will take on a life of its own, affecting your business operations as well as your internal and external brand.
IDEA: Inclusion = Diversity + Equity + Accessibility
The corporate world continues to evolve its approach to diversity. Initially focused solely on diversity, the concept progressed to diversity and inclusion (D&I), expanded to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and more recently, a combination of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI). But at Inclusion Equals, we believe that true inclusion requires diversity, equity, and accessibility, as belonging is the result of these actions, and a justice lens must be included throughout the process. This is the foundation for our culture-first framework called IDEA.
As a social enterprise, we operate under an 80/20 model where we donate 20% of revenue via philanthropy and pro bono services to social impact and non-profit organizations. Our pro bono work includes non-profit, health, and social justice-focused organizations.
Meet the Founder of Inclusion Equals
Kim “Kimfer” Flanery-rye (she/her)
Who is “Kimfer”
Kim “Kimfer” Flanery-Rye is a DEI practitioner with 20+ years of experience and a diverse background in art, design, communication, training, digital marketing, brand strategy, executive leadership, design thinking, and organizational development. She specifically focuses on helping organizations build culture from the inside out using the IDEA concept, aka Inclusion = Diversity + Equity + Accessibility. She has helped brands like eBay, Alaska Airlines, and Lions + Tigers, revolutionize their DEI strategy and workplace culture.
BUSINESS owner, professor, & DEI leader
In addition to founding Inclusion Equals, Kimfer serves as an Adjunct Professor at Seattle University, holds an MBA in Executive Leadership, and was the first-ever DEI leader for the American Marketing Association nationwide. She is originally from South Korea and now resides in Seattle with her partner Tony, son Sawyer, puppy Yeti, and cat Rodeo aka RoRo.
diversity
“Diversity is a numbers game. Inclusion is about impact.”, Janet Stovall, TED Speaker and Head of DEI for Neuroleadership Institute
Diversity by itself is not a strong indicator for an organization’s DEI health or proof of a company doing the hard work to integrate DEI into the fabric of the organization. Although diversity is easy to track, since it's really about capturing demographics, it is one of the harder metrics to move quickly unless there is a large hiring wave or employee attrition.. Without a thoughtful process from employee acquisition (recruiting and hiring) to employee retention (creating a place of inclusion and belonging), diversity becomes only a “numbers game.” We here at Inclusion Equals, look at the intersection and integration of all the parts of the IDEA for a successful organization journey.
Diversity on its own is not a strong indicator of an organization’s DEI health. Unfortunately, it also isn't proof of a company doing the hard work to integrate DEI into the fabric of the organization. Diversity is easy to track– its really about capturing demographics, but it's one of the harder metrics to move quickly unless there is a large hiring wave or employee attrition. A thoughtful process is rooted not only in employee acquisition (recruiting and hiring) but also employee retention (creating a place of inclusion and belonging) in equal importance. Without those considerations, diversity becomes only a “numbers game.” We here at Inclusion Equals look at the intersection and integration of all the parts of the IDEA for a successful organizational journey.
DEI Competency Areas
equity
“Diversity is a fact. Equity is a choice. Inclusion is an action. Belonging is an outcome.” Arthur Chan, VP of DEI,
Planned Parenthood Mar Monte
Equity is often mistaken as equality. At the simplest definition, equality means everyone receives the same as everyone else, no matter if they need more or less, creating unequal outcomes. However, equity means everyone gets what they need for an equal outcome. The reality is that everyone starts at a different place due to being born into your family, your skin, your body, your nation, your culture, your social-economic class, and so on. We believe that the American Dream of meritocracy, “you can achieve anything you want it and if you just work hard enough to pull yourself up from your bootstrap” is a fallacy. Can it happen? Yes! Does it happen to everyone? Unfortunately, no. We’re here to help you understand systemic barriers that have been created and how to make the “choice” to start dismantling them one system at a time, starting with your organization.
Inclusion and Belonging:
“Diversity is having a seat at the table, inclusion is having a voice, and belonging is having that voice be heard.” - Liz Fosslien, Author and Speaker
Inclusion and belonging are so very intricately tied together. If you have a strong inclusive organization, the result of that is often a sense of belonging. You can have the most diverse place, but not have an inclusive place of belonging where every group feels “othered” or fractured from the organization. Inclusion and belonging can be hard to measure, but you can quickly change this key metric if you focus on creating a positive and psychologically safe culture. At Inclusion Equals, not only do we break down how to capture inclusion and belonging data, but we also teach teams the strategies to shift the culture beyond learning and development by focusing on policies, procedures and business strategies to get you there.
Accessibility:
"The accessibility problems of today are the mainstream breakthroughs of tomorrow."
- Google
Accessibility is often left behind in DEI, so much so that it's not even in the acronym! It's often lumped into inclusion as an afterthought. The reason we call out accessibility is because of the fact that if it is not called out specifically, you cannot achieve true inclusion.. If diversity is a fact, Equity is a choice, Inclusion is an action and Belonging is outcome, then accessibility is the removal of barriers makes all of that possible! By keeping accessibility at the forefront of your DEI decisions, you can ensure your investment will be successful. At inclusion Equals, we focus on accessibility across all digital platforms in addition to the physical spaces we move within because we are in an era of digital interaction. We believe that accessibility should be a “mainstream breakthrough of tomorrow” that should and can happen today.
culture change:
"Culture eats strategy for breakfast." – Peter Drucker, Author and Educator
Culture is the heart and soul of every organization, and DEI and culture are inextricably linked. Rather than external benefits and happy hours, culture is more accurately defined by enacting your values. Culture + DEI extends far beyond investing in learning and development alone. If you are setting yourself up for long-term, sustainable change, then you have to create a parallel path between investing in DEI and evaluating policies, procedures, and your organization's values. By focusing on DEI through a lens of business strategy and change management, your culture will be inherently healthier. An organization can change systemic issues by addressing its own internal systems of inequalities. Inclusion Equals helps leaders develop thoughtful and purposeful strategies to feed the internal culture that includes the IDEA (Inclusion = diversity + equity + accessibility).