Diversity in digital government: Changing how we work, not just who we hire

Diversity is widely discussed across government. But as a recent panel on diversity and inclusion made clear, there is still a significant gap between intent and reality.

For the leaders on stage at this week’s Think Women in Digital Government, diversity isn’t a target, a metric or a single initiative. Instead, it’s how decisions are made, whose voices are heard, and whether systems – both organisational and digital – are designed to include everyone.

However, diversity alone is not enough. Without inclusion, those voices are not heard or acted on.

Rubi Kaur, inclusion officer at BCS Chartered Institute for IT, described diversity as “a celebration of our different aspects”, but also said that inclusion is what makes it meaningful. That means “embedding that diversity into our workplace, into our policies… into our products and services.”

Kaur explained: ““Diversity is an invitation to a party, and inclusion is the invitation to dance at that party.

“It’s also about the right music, making sure the music is right for everyone… making sure the environment, the building, the location is accessible to all of us.”

The danger of tokenism

Awareness days, internal events and visible commitments are now common – but often fail to translate into systemic change, noted the panel. Gita Singham-Willis, strategic engagement director at Transform, argued that the problem is not celebration itself, but what happens next.

“We do need to celebrate… but to get away from tokenism, you need to have more of those conversations where they’re difficult.”

Those conversations across teams, roles and perspectives are often avoided. Instead, organisations can default to safer, more performative approaches.

“We’ve all been to events… and then we go back to our desks and nothing happens again,” said Kaur.

Inclusion starts with systems

Elsewhere, Sherlock di Schiavi, head of security architecture at the Office for Nuclear Regulation, challenged the assumption that inclusion is about individuals adapting to organisations.

“I’m not disabled because I’m autistic – I’m disabled because of the environment,” he said.

His point reframed inclusion as a design issue. Workplaces, communication styles and processes are often built around a narrow set of norms, leaving others to adapt, mask or struggle.

This extends beyond the workplace into digital services themselves. Singham-Willis noted that digital exclusion remains a major challenge: “Eight million people don’t have essential digital skills,” she said.

A key takeaway from the discussion is that without intentional design, new technologies risk reinforcing existing inequalities.

Leadership matters – but so does culture

The panel agreed that leadership has a critical role to play, but warned against relying on top-down signals alone.

Kaur pointed to the growing use of diversity targets at board level as a starting point: “At least it focuses the mind.” However, she cautioned that targets without action risk becoming “a tick box exercise.”

Real change, she argued, happens at multiple levels. Grassroots communities, peer networks and open dialogue are essential to shifting culture. She cited the response to Black Lives Matter within organisations as an example of how meaningful conversations can drive change.

“We heard from people about the microaggressions they face… and we learned from that,” she told attendees.

Another recurring theme was the need to break out of homogeneous groups. Kaur described deliberately including men in women-focused networks to avoid creating echo chambers: “If we want to make real systemic changes, men have got to listen,” she said.

Singham-Willis also called for more cross-cutting dialogue: “You need to break those groups… to stop that tokenism.”

Redefining success, and who gets to succeed

The panel also challenged traditional definitions of success, which can reinforce exclusion.

Kaur questioned whether success is too often measured against narrow, stereotypical standards: “Do we look at success with… mainly stereotypical male eyes?”

Instead, she argued for a broader, more inclusive definition: “If we are happy in ourselves and doing our role… that’s success.”

Singham-Willis added that younger generations are already reshaping expectations, with more varied and flexible career paths.

Diversity as a necessity, not an option

Despite political and organisational pressures, the panel was clear that diversity and inclusion are not optional. Singham-Willis described it as “common sense” that bringing in more perspectives leads to better decisions, better services and better outcomes.

Kaur went further, arguing that the public sector has a particular responsibility: “The civil service… is here to serve humanity, to serve people.”

If services are to work for everyone, they must be designed by, and for, everyone.

Practical steps for making diversity real

The panel’s discussion highlighted several practical actions organisations can take to move beyond rhetoric:

1. Move from representation to inclusion: Hiring diverse teams is only the start. Review how decisions are made, whose voices are heard, and whether different perspectives genuinely shape outcomes.

2. Design systems, not just policies: Consider how workplace structures, processes and digital services may exclude certain groups. Inclusion should be built into design – not added afterwards.

3. Create space for difficult conversations: Go beyond awareness events. Facilitate cross-group discussions that allow people to challenge assumptions and understand different experiences.

4. Avoid echo chambers: Bring different perspectives together deliberately. Inclusion requires engagement across genders, roles, backgrounds and disciplines – not siloed networks.

5. Link leadership intent to action: Targets and statements can focus attention, but must be backed by visible change in behaviour, decision-making and outcomes.

6. Support grassroots communities: Employee-led groups and networks can surface issues and drive cultural change – if they are empowered and connected to decision-making.

7. Address digital exclusion directly: Ensure services are designed for those with lower digital skills or access. Inclusion in government must extend beyond the workforce to citizens.

8. Redefine success: Challenge narrow definitions of achievement. Create environments where different career paths, styles and contributions are valued.

9. Make inclusion everyone’s responsibility: Inclusion is not the job of a single team or function. It requires active participation across the organisation.

10. Focus on continuous progress, not perfection: Diversity and inclusion are ongoing efforts. Regularly revisit approaches, listen to feedback and adapt.