Analysis | Diversity is the secret ingredient of a better diplomacy
Ruth Lyons
This piece is part of ISD’s Fall 2021 blog series, “A better diplomacy,” which highlights innovators and their big ideas for how to make diplomacy more effective, resilient, and adaptive in the 21st century.
As a twenty-something ginger, Jewish lesbian, I didn’t think I’d blend in at the Foreign Office. In fact, when I applied for the Diplomatic Fast Stream, I didn’t think I’d get the chance to blend in (or not) at all. The stereotypical image of a diplomat (a straight, white, man with a better than average understanding of Latin) was at the forefront of my mind. But a previous manager’s epic phrase — “Go for the job, let them reject you!” — helped me overcome my imposter syndrome. Three years and many eye-opening moments later, I’m pleased to report the image in my head is rather different. And, like a good strategist, I’ve noticed a trend: the highest-performing teams I’ve worked in were not only the most diverse, but were also the most encouraging of diversity.
The challenges of the 21st century require us all to be at the top of our game. We’re going to need creativity, adaptability, versatility, innovation, and importantly: for us to get it right. To do this, states will need to activate their nations’ diversity, a diplomatic super-power that exists within every population. Foreign ministries must recruit and retain diplomats from a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, experiences, and skills.
They say variety is the spice of life, but I think it’s the secret ingredient for a better diplomacy.
Two major problems face diplomacy, and a truly diverse and empowered talent pool can help us resolve them. The first is the battle of ideas. With looming existential threats such as the climate emergency, diplomats today face interlinked crises from all sides. In a very protocol-driven and traditional field like diplomacy, we need innovation and new ideas to blow away the cobwebs of old thinking and adapt our ways of working to this unchartered territory. On the flipside, we must adapt to changes outside of our field which will have huge implications for our work. There are already amazing examples of using AI in the humanitarian sector and big data to predict conflict. To keep up and keep our edge, we’ll need data experts, engineers, and software developers to join the diplomatic corps.
The second problem comes from psychological booby-traps. Our subconscious systems are constantly making judgements and choices on our behalf. Unfortunately for us, quite often they’re wrong. Whether it’s “groupthink”(cohesive groups arriving at the same potentially wrong conclusion to preserve harmony), or “cultural disconnect” (an inability to imagine that other cultures might think differently from our own) in the high-stakes, high-pressure world of diplomacy, falling into these biases can lead to fatal errors. In the U.K. system, the Chilcot report into the failures that led to the Iraq war in 2003 triggered a rethink in the way foreign policy should be made. The report noted challenge, a diversity of views, and a culture of trust as “essential for good decision-making in government.”
It’s clear that diplomatic services need to diversify, but we must go further. Here are five promising initiatives I’ve seen in the Foreign Office which aim to do just that:
1) Create a culture where diversity is retained and celebrated. Long-gone should be the days of cookie-cutter diplomats. My favorite Foreign Office phrase, “bring your whole self to work,” invites staff to be their true and unique selves, allowing different perspectives and ways of working to flourish. It’s no secret that you get the best out of people when they show up authentically. For example, our famous Foreign Office rainbow-lanyards, worn by so many around the office, initially made me think you had to be LGBT+ to work in foreign policy! But they are a symbol of solidarity amongst colleagues, and an outward projection of our values.
2) Reverse mentoring is another powerful tool. More-junior staff from an under-represented group mentor someone more senior. This builds the network and confidence of the mentor, while exposing senior officials to different perspectives. This is important, because the higher you look in an organization, the less diverse it often becomes.
3) To diversify the senior ranks, future leaders programs, in addition to other measures, are vital. There are many well-documented barriers (including biases) to progression for many under-represented groups. Systems to identify, train, and nurture promising cohorts create a clear upward pipeline to increase diversity at all levels over time.
4) Local expertise is also critical to improve the diversity of voices in decision-making. In U.K. embassies around the world, country-based (locally employed) staff do a phenomenal job of keeping the wheels on our diplomacy. In the British system, I’ve seen this incredible wealth of knowledge used in some places to its full potential, but also underutilized in others. In a profession like diplomacy where there is (generally) a focus on generalization over specialization, it’s vital to seek local expertise on local implementation, whether you’re at post or HQ.
5) Challenge should be part of the policy process, including through red-teaming. Red-teaming takes an idea, and runs it past an external group for challenge. Putting together a diverse group from across the organization can help ensure you’ve thought through every aspect of an idea and its impacts. It’s also a good way to create a culture of challenge, and to empower those in all grades to speak up.
However, there is much more to be done. A recent tribunal has brought into sharp focus institutional failings on tackling racism. Socio-economic diversity stays stubbornly low, and issues for LGBT+ diplomats operating overseas remain. Future leaders programs require more resources and follow through, and should start earlier in people’s careers. We need to ensure the contribution of our country-based staff is recognized and properly valued. We must identify and break down barriers both into the organization and within it. And an even bigger push from the top is necessary to create a culture that sees diversity not just as a nice to do, but takes it seriously as a mission-critical super-power, vital to success.
Progress is nevertheless visible. With the arrival of the U.K.’s most recent ambassador to Paris, women now lead all G7 missions, plus the United Nations. For the first time in history, the Foreign Office’s Ministerial team is majority women. Thirty years after the ban on gay and lesbian people serving in the Foreign Office was lifted, you can find LGBT+ diplomats at all levels of the organization, including several ambassadors. In my time, I’ve worked with scientists, mathematicians, historians, lawyers, musicians, psychologists, all of whom have turned their hand to diplomacy. The cross-pollination of ideas and disciplines has led to some of the best policy work I’ve ever witnessed. To me, this shows it is possible to drive change, and to do diplomacy diversely.
Foreign Office leadership often remarks that “Diversity and Inclusion is a top organisational priority.” It is time to make that a reality. Both the Foreign Office and the State Department are undergoing a transformation, including when it comes to recruitment. This poses an excellent opportunity to really deliver the diversity our organizations need to thrive in the coming years.
But we must do more than building a larger table. We need systems in place to mainstream diversity into the way we do diplomacy. It is the underpinning asset that will allow diplomats, and the states they serve, to adapt to ever more complex, congested, and contested environments. The research and evidence is clear: diverse and empowered groups develop better ideas and achieve better results.
Diverse diplomacy is therefore vital to delivering for our citizens, and for the world — one rainbow lanyard at a time.
Ruth Lyons is a U.K. diplomat, with three years in the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO). She is currently the co-chair of FLAG, the FCDO’s LGBT+ staff association, and has worked on European affairs, counter-proliferation, and the United Kingdom’s Conflict, Stability, and Security Fund (CSSF). She is interested in the link between climate change and security issues, diversity, and puns. Twitter: @RuthMaiaLyons
Disclaimer: The author is writing in a personal capacity. Views outlined in this article do not necessarily reflect those of the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office.
Read more in our series, “A better diplomacy”:
