We are continuing our series, highlighting information and useful articles on the subjects of Inclusion and Diversity.

We hope the following articles help in continuing conversations. More importantly, we hope these articles continue the learning process and drive much-needed action and meaningful progress when building workplace inclusion.

LGBT+ History Month: Six LGBT+ sportspeople you should know more about, by Miriam Walker-Khan for BBC Sport: “To mark the start of LGBT+ History Month, BBC Sport looks at the lives of six LGBT+ sportspeople who made history in their respective sports, but whose stories may not be as widely known.” (Content warning: references to suicide, drug use and other issues such as sexual misconduct.)

Black History Month: why is it celebrated in February in the US, but in October in the UK?, by Hilary Mitchell for Pink News: “It goes without saying that the US Black History Month inspired the UK version, however there are different roots underpinning Black History Month in Britain, which is down to the fundamental differences between the two countries. In short, America’s Black history is not the UK’s Black history, and Black UK citizens have different histories and lived experiences, for example, the unique experiences of Britain’s extensive African-Caribbean population.”

The urgent need for inclusivity is reshaping 3 major workplace trends, by Lata N. Reddy for Quartz: “There’s no doubt that the racial inequities and social injustices laid bare in America in 2020 have brought forth a new level of attention from corporations and a desire to be a part of the conversation (and solution) in order to drive significant and systemic change. The question going into 2021 is whether the increased efforts by companies to embrace equity and inclusion were simply performative, or whether they will be supported by corporate leadership and backed by the resources and resolve required to drive meaningful change.”

Breaking Down Workplace Barriers For Those With Invisible Disabilities, by Linda Fisk for Forbes: “Keep in mind that if a person has a disability, it doesn’t mean that person is disabled. Many are active in their work, families, sports or hobbies. However, others might struggle to get through the day or might require assistance specifically in the workplace. Everyone with a disability is unique, with varying challenges and needs, as well as abilities, qualities and characteristics. But a lack of sensitivity to someone’s disability, especially an invisible disability, can create misunderstandings, resentment and frustration, worsening the situation. Co-workers could consider someone with an invisible disability to be lazy, weak, antisocial, incompetent, aloof or distant.”

Performative Allyship Is In Your Workplace. Here’s What To Do About It, by Sheree Atcheson for Forbes: “When you hear the word “performative” what do you think of? What other words come to your mind? For me, when I think of “performative”, I also think of “facetious”, “self-serving” and “disingenuous”. These words can directly be used to describe performative allyship. It isn’t about actually helping underrepresented communities. The focus is actually on the ally being rewarded and getting benefits from being “one of the good ones”, whilst doing the bare minimum. More often that not, when challenged, defensiveness from this “ally” will kick in, as their core belief is that people should be “grateful” for their efforts, even if intention and impact did not align.”

Start with inclusion, and diversity will follow, by Sandy Cross for HR Dive: “When senior leadership makes inclusion a priority in their words — and more importantly, in their actions — a culture of expansion, creativity and fortitude can take root. By not doing so, leaders limit their organization’s growth by essentially rubber-stamping the status quo…which, when left unattended, is often a culture of fitting in, fear, and suppressing the very attributes that are the “miracle grow” to your company’s success.”

MMCS MD Monica Mwanje has opened up selected diary slots throughout February for Inclusion one-to-one discussions.

These 60-minute discussions offer a confidential, safe space to discuss workplace inclusion and diversity, ask questions and to build a practical action plan to begin or improve inclusion practices in your organisation.

Meaningful actions around inclusion, going beyond demonstrating diversity, is still much-needed across several industries. We can help you navigate any sticking points in your business, or even provide clarity if you don’t know where to start.

Click here for available dates and to book your slot.

Since we began in 2015, one of core services from MMCS has been our bid offering. We integrate into business development teams in a wide variety of organisations to ensure that their major bid projects are delivered on time and to the best standards possible.

Not only do we help businesses grow with our bid services, but we help to transform businesses; by developing and delivering bespoke training programmes, we give these organisations the tools and proven approaches to creating a winning bid submission. Our bid delivery and training services combined have contributed to millions in revenue won from these bids.

However, don’t just take our word for it! Here’s what our happy clients have had to say recently…

“We all found the training clear and well-structured and it will certainly help us feel more confident when approaching new tenders in the future.” 

Bid Training Testimonial, Professional Services Consultancy Team

“Over the past 8 months I have worked with Monica on two major projects in the nuclear sector. Personable and a strong communicator, she brings unique knowledge of the sector and its many stakeholders. Monica’s support is further enhanced by her excellent bidding skills, expertly analysing and interpreting requirements before working with her client to set out how they will meet and exceed them.”

Bid Services Testimonial, Confidential Engineering Consultancy Client

“As someone who didn’t know anything about bids, I’ve walked away with knowledge about what they are, how to structure one and how to actually write one too! This is a very useful course.”

Bid Bootcamp Testimonial

“MM Creative Solutions provided us with an excellent quality, flexible bid production service supporting bid management and bid writing. MM Creative Solutions also provided high calibre editorial and graphics support at short notice, at a competitive price. We can definitely recommend the service and will continue to use MM Creative Solutions to support bid strategy, development and production.”

Bid Services Testimonial, Confidential Engineering Consultancy Client

“The course was comprehensive and extremely informative. Monica was an excellent presenter with a detailed knowledge of the bidding process and easily capable of fielding our questions. An excellent course.”

Bid Management Training Testimonial

“We came to Monica Mwanje of MM Creative Solutions (MMCS) for support in understanding why one of our recent bids for work in the UK nuclear sector was not successful. The insights we gained from Monica through review and dissection of our tender response were extremely valuable. We were so impressed at how Monica understood our business offering and differentiators that we hired MMCS to project manage tender responses for us. The fact that MMCS also tracks opportunities means that we have support in identifying and bidding for work in one partner, which is extremely valuable.”

Bid Services Testimonial, Confidential International Professional Services Client

Contact us for more information on how we can help grow and transform your business.

In the wake of last week’s violent attack on the US Capitol containing acts of domestic terrorism and insurrection, it was noted by many that the perpetrators were met with more leniency, compared to peaceful Black Lives Matter protests last summer that were met with brutal force.

We recognise that accountability and justice are required and necessary,  before any healing or inclusion work can begin. Systemic change is required. However, we cannot become complacent, or let the conversations and required actions slip away, when it comes to the matter of race and racial inclusion. We want to use our platform to highlight resources and information that help tackle bias, microaggressions and racial privilege. The continual existence of these matters and the failure to tackle them has a profoundly harmful effect, particularly in workplaces, on underrepresented groups.

We hope the following articles help in continuing conversations, and more importantly, continue the learning process and drive much-needed action and meaningful progress when fostering workplace inclusion.

How Do We Sustain Organization Diversity?, by James Heskett at the Harvard Business School – “When I think of diversity and inclusion, I think of them in that order. That’s the way they are typically stated. It implies that you first set out to achieve diversity by bringing in more people of color, and then take steps—through inclusion training, mentoring, fast-tracking, or whatever—to plug the proverbial “leaky bucket” of minority employees who leave an organization.

Is it possible that I have that sequence wrong? Or that it might be wrong to even think of it as a sequence of priorities?” 

One size does not fit all: Why diversity and inclusion efforts fail in the nuclear community, and what can be done about it, by Mareena Robinson Snowden for The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists – “In a field long dominated by white men, the predominant minority identity among historically disadvantaged groups has been white women. It is thus no coincidence that white women have been the major beneficiaries of collective diversity and inclusion efforts in the national security field. Going forward, instead of defining outcomes in terms of the most in number, the nuclear field should shift its definition of success to improve representation of the most historically impacted groups, particularly Black and Brown communities.”

There Is No Race Card To Play Because Race Is Intertwined Into Everything, by Sheree Atcheson for Forbes – “Last year unearthed a lot of white guilt. For progress, we need more than that. Guilt is not useful if it simply remains and festers. Unsurprisingly, white guilt can cause white people to gaslight people of colour when issues of race come to light, because it highlights 1) treatment they have not and will never experience and 2) that they have benefitted from systems and societies that are ingrained with racism.”

Mental health and race toolkit launched by CMHA, by Adam Saville for Cover – “The toolkit, launched [by the City Mental Health Alliance] to help businesses protect and support positive mental health for those who are black or from a minority ethnic background, spells out strategic actions for organisations to take. They include challenging all forms of racism in the workplace (aka anti-racism); building inclusive and representative mental health and wellbeing support; allocating board level responsibility and measuring progress.

Don’t Just ‘Move On.’ Here’s How To Talk About The Capitol Riot At Work, by Monica Torres for Huffpost – “Repercussions from the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday are still being felt… Repercussions from that day may be following you to your job, too. Days and weeks after the event, you and others may be haunted by the horror of what you witnessed and experienced.”

Inclusion isn’t free: make 2021 the year of accountability, By Mordecai for Campaign Live – “The quest to be inclusive has been diminished to the point of becoming a buzzword. Agencies are becoming prey to a “make it happen” system that lacks understanding and nuance in its urgency to tick a box. When it comes to diversity and inclusion, this attitude is unacceptable. The year of accountability requires all of us to set ourselves up for long-term and permanent change, so when it comes to empty gestures, we need to call these out and do the real work that is needed.”

At MMCS we help businesses of all sizes to grow and transform, assisting them in winning new work and increasing performance and revenue. A key area we assist our clients is in New Market Entry; in particular entry into the Nuclear Sector. We have several years of experience in this industry, working across engineering and technical roles to business development, marketing and strategy.

Previously we have helped our clients break into the Nuclear Sector with the following services:

• Creating business development strategies
• Providing market intelligence
• Sourcing bid opportunities
• Advising on marketing strategies and activities
• Bid writing, management and review services (Read more here)
• Bespoke training and workshops

2021 and beyond sees a considerable amount of activity in the UK Nuclear Sector, with continuation of the Nuclear Sector New Deal, plus the release of the Government publication ‘Powering our Net Zero Future’ last month, with nuclear power featuring in plans to increase clean energy production and infrastructure.

This is the ideal time to diversify your market reach and future-proof your business.

Contact us at enquiries@mmcslimited.com to find out more about how we can help.

This month’s Northern Nuclear Alliance (NNA) meeting was hosted by our MD Monica and featured a talk, “The Approach to Regulating Innovation”, and Q&A session with Mike Finnerty, Deputy Chief Nuclear Inspector & New Reactors Director at the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR).

This follows the publication released by ONR in September, “Approach to Regulating Innovation”, which Mike stated was just the starting point in identifying points of innovation across industry, supply chain and Government more effectively, yet remaining compliant with regulations.

Mike explained that following the Nuclear Sector Deal and the Government’s Clean Growth Strategy – both with a keen focus on innovation – the ONR required a more agile approach to its operations as a Regulator; one that supports innovation while still upholding its duties to the public and environment.

Some of the challenges that lie ahead include the target cost reduction of 30% for new nuclear build by 2030, and of course the wider challenge of climate change and the urgent need for action to innovate for “clean growth”. Plus the need for innovation is right across the sector, from technology, and safety procedures, to project financing.

Mike then set out ONR’s approach to innovation, mainly being open to new ideas, and adopting a broad definition of innovation with the aims of addressing a specific need, and bringing benefits to the nuclear sector. This involves close partnerships with the supply chain in particular, offering a safe space to sound-off ideas via their “Innovation Cell”. The ONR will also maintain a dialogue with groups such as NNA and the Nuclear Sector Deal Innovation Group.

To watch Mike’s full presentation and the subsequent Q&A Session, the full meeting can be found in the video below.

Further information on the Northern Nuclear Alliance can be found on their website.

Throughout 2020, some key topics of conversation that consistently came up was around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). At MMCS, these are subjects that we feel strongly about, and one of our main aims is to use our platform to inform and educate our audience. Inclusive leadership is a key area for us; we conduct training on the subject to our clients and we continue to shine a light on this and the benefits it brings to the workplace and, in particular, senior management teams and C-Suites.

Echoing many similar studies and reports, this article by Deloitte from 2019 states, “Boards have an interest in encouraging inclusion as well as diversity… Where an inclusive culture exists, employees are much more likely to see themselves as part of a high-performing organization in which teams collaborate and consistently meet client and customer needs.”

Below is a round up of recent articles, guides, and resources that may give you some pointers to start thinking about inclusive leadership, or will give you some additional perspectives if your organisation is starting to build inclusivity into their working culture.

Here’s how to become a more inclusive leader – republished article from Knowledge@Wharton on World Economic Forum: “What’s your sacrifice? That’s the difference between something being a moment versus a movement.” The linked article summarises a conversation hosted by Stephanie Creary, Management Professor of Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton Dean Erika James and Corey Anthony, senior vice president of human resources and chief diversity officer at AT&T. They discuss the critical role Inclusion has in the boardroom, the impact of Coronavirus and this summer’s Black Live Matter protests on the prioritisation of Inclusion and Diversity at the corporate level, and the panel also have advice for the next generation of business leaders.

The Four Pillars Of Creating A More Inclusive Workplace – By Shon Dellinger for Forbes: This article simply lays out 4 ways for organisations to increase inclusivity from recruitment through to retention and promotion.

Start, Stop, Continue: how to make your leaders more inclusive – by the Chartered Management Institute: “Inclusive leadership is the behaviours and the processes that lead to the outcomes we need in order to navigate uncharted waters. Inclusive leadership consists of two key things: the first is the creation and maintenance of positive environments where people feel safe; then, within those environments, it’s the creation and maintenance of positive relationships where people feel that what they do and think matters.”

D&I School on LinkedIn and Instagram – MMCS MD Monica, alongside Jasmine Gartner PhD, have created D&I School as a training and education platform. Watch this space for courses in 2021 but in the meantime, a wealth of resources and useful articles are shared on its social channels regularly.

We are proud to announce that MMCS MD Monica Mwanje has joined the Expert Advisory Board for the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Fusion Energy (Fusion CDT).

Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Fusion CDT is a collaboration between five of the UK’s top universities – Durham, Liverpool, Manchester, Oxford and York – plus world-class research institutes, including Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, Central Laser Facility, National Nuclear Laboratory, AWE, National Ignition Facility, ITER and Fusion for Energy, as well as industry organisations in the civil nuclear and fusion arena.

As part of her new role, Monica brings 17 years of experience within the civil nuclear sector. In particular, she will be providing her knowledge and experience in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) to aid outreach to a more diverse student body, and contribute to the increase of student intake from underrepresented groups.

Prof. Howard Wilson of the University of York, and Director of Fusion CDT, says: “We are very excited that Monica has agreed to join the world-class panel of experts that advise the operation of our EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Fusion Energy. The engineering experience that she brings, together with her experience in fostering an inclusive and equitable environment that encourages diversity, will be invaluable as we develop the next generation of fusion leaders.”

Find out more about Fusion CDT via their website: https://fusion-cdt.ac.uk

MMCS MD Monica Mwanje is the main feature and occupies the cover of the latest issue of Nuclear Future.

The lead publication of the Nuclear Institute, Nuclear Future rounds up all the latest news and updates from the UK Civil Nuclear and Defence sectors and is exclusive to Nuclear Future members.

In the main feature this issue, Monica talks in depth about her career to date, and how speaking up and proactively chasing opportunities at the right moment has got her to where she is today. She also discusses the Diversity and Inclusion in UK Nuclear initiative she co-founded, and its rapid growth. Here’s a sneak peek of the interview below:

Q: What advice would you give to young people seeking a career in this field?

“Whatever you’re going into, just make the most of it. If you can, speak up for yourself. Develop that network and don’t be afraid to ask for help. It’s amazing how many people will help you, mentor you or sponsor you. Sometimes all it takes is you asking the question. They say ‘if you don’t ask, you don’t get’ but some people find that quite a hard thing. It took me a while to understand, but sometimes that’s just how things work. Sometimes you’ve just got to ask.”

Nuclear Future is exclusively available as part of membership of the Nuclear Institute.

We are pleased to announce that Monica Mwanje, MMCS MD, has joined the Pioneering Women Advisory Board for TiE UK North.

TiE UK North is based in Manchester, but covers the whole of the North of England. The organisation has been established for almost a decade and each year they work with hundreds of businesses in the region, providing networking opportunities and Mentorship.

In a recent press release, Christine Kelly, TiE UK North Board Member and Chair of the new Advisory Board said, “Our aim is to encourage women to come forward and seek Mentors and at the same time benefit from the vast amount of experience and skills we have on the board… The initiative builds on our Pioneering Women speaker series in Manchester, which has provided a forum for inspirational entrepreneurs to share their experiences and meet with our TiE members over the last 6 years.”

The next Pioneering Women event, featuring Maggie Berry OBE, the Executive Director for WEConnect International in Europe, takes place this coming Friday, 27^th November at 12pm GMT, and you can find more details here.

To find out more about the organisation, visit www.uknorth.tie.org