Leading Equality, Diversity & Inclusion at Transport Scotland

Organizational Issues Facing Transport Scotland

Transport Scotland faces several significant organizational issues. The first and most immediate is the impact of Covid-19. Since the pandemic has affected the entire United Kingdom — and indeed the world — Transport Scotland was required to shift to a work-from-home (WFH) model to protect employees' health and safety. Alongside this, IT facilities struggled to provide seamless services to keep employees connected and ensure that workflows remained uninterrupted. Scotland's challenging weather conditions — which can include severe storms — add a further layer of complexity, particularly when monitoring road and transport infrastructure remotely.

The company's financial situation also presents a serious challenge. The economic disruption caused by Covid-19 severely impacted operational processes, and re-energizing the Scottish economy requires sustained government funding. A second structural challenge relates to political turnover. Many organizational staff members come from political backgrounds or are subject to political influence. Whenever there is a change in political personnel — such as newly elected local councillors joining the organization — they must be briefed and brought up to speed on company policies, operational procedures, and working practices. Because re-elections occur roughly every four to five years, this creates a recurring, time-consuming training burden on the organization.

To address the communication difficulties created by remote working, Transport Scotland should adopt Barnlund's transactional model of communication. This model enables senders and receivers of information to obtain communication messages simultaneously, ensuring that employees at every hierarchical level feel included (Bragg et al., 2021). Instant feedback facilitated by this model would support rapid improvements, while two-way communication and nonverbal cues — such as facial expressions during Zoom meetings — would enrich conversations and allow the organization to capture input from a diverse workforce.

Crisis communication frameworks offer a valuable approach to addressing IT challenges. The protocols and technologies used to respond during a crisis like Covid-19 must be managed strategically, as they are central to Transport Scotland's sustainability (Macnamara, 2021). The traditional response strategy involves stages of denial, diminishment, rebuilding, and bolstering. IT teams could begin at the diminishment stage, minimizing potential damage while rebuilding their commitment to providing unhindered services. The bolstering stage would then communicate this restored value consistently to all stakeholders.

For managing Scotland's extreme weather conditions, Transport Scotland should adopt a cross-departmental approach. Cross-functional teams drawn from across the organization can engage in cooperative learning, in which controlled supervision and knowledge-sharing help mitigate the effects of severe weather on transport infrastructure (Gillies, 2016). Cooperative learning supports both individual knowledge acquisition and intrinsic motivation — the natural drive to excel in a group setting — which produces positive outcomes for weather monitoring and response. Cross-functional collaboration also removes professional and social barriers, bringing together the diverse skills and perspectives needed for effective weather management (Pimenta et al., 2014).

The financial challenges facing the Scottish government and Transport Scotland could be partially addressed through Modern Monetary Theory (MMT). MMT holds that a sovereign state can issue currency in the quantities needed to maintain low inflation (Lockert, 2022). Given the financial pressures generated by Covid-19, intervention by the Scottish central bank to fund the organization represents a viable policy option.

The recurring challenge of briefing new political colleagues could be efficiently handled through artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The transformation of working practices — particularly the rise of remote working — has made personalized, technology-driven training increasingly effective (Chen, 2022). AI-powered virtual training tools could systematize the onboarding of new political staff every four to five years, disseminating institutional expertise in a consistent and time-efficient manner.

Proposed Solutions to Organizational Challenges

The importance of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) cannot be overstated. Diverse employees at all levels of Transport Scotland bring variation to problem-solving, strengthening the organization's responsiveness during difficult periods (Ashikali et al., 2020). Diversity generates more favorable team outcomes because multiple perspectives allow ideas to flow more freely, improving both decision-making and overall performance.

According to Mor Barak's inclusion-exclusion model, an employee's sense of inclusion depends on the degree to which they feel part of the organization's decision-making processes (Shore et al., 2011). Organizational culture is the primary determinant of the conditions that promote diversity, and it directly and positively affects job satisfaction, employee commitment, motivation, wellbeing, and task and team performance. At Transport Scotland, leaders actively seek employees' viewpoints — not only for problem-solving, but also as an expression of the organization's commitment to embracing diverse personalities. Employees at every level are invited to share their views. A monthly informal get-together gives all staff the opportunity to discuss how improvements could be made and how they feel about the company. During Covid-19, directors and frontline employees held virtual "breakfast get-togethers" to maintain a high degree of inclusion, with everyone encouraged to speak openly.

In terms of formal strategy, Transport Scotland's EDI approach is built on three pillars: (1) leadership that acknowledges and actively works to overcome biases and differences (Colella-Graham, 2018); (2) the involvement of diverse employees in higher management positions (Cox & Lancefield, 2021); and (3) equal employment opportunities for people from all ethnic backgrounds, with an equitable hiring ratio maintained across every department (Cox & Lancefield, 2021).

Leadership style is central to the effectiveness of any EDI strategy. While social identity theory suggests that pronounced diversity differences can produce heterogeneity in teams and undermine inclusivity, inclusive leadership provides the counterforce needed to prevent this outcome (Ashikali et al., 2020). Transport Scotland's approach is founded on the principle of "taking people along and embracing them" — recognizing that a failure to do so will eventually produce resistance rather than engagement.

Working with diverse employees means they carry their individual cultural and ethnic traits into the workplace. Their individualities converge in distinct human behaviors that value teamwork and contribute to organizational performance. The way an individual responds to a crisis — such as a pandemic — or to organizational change reveals how well their personality aligns with the company's culture. A strong alignment boosts self-esteem, increases job satisfaction, and reduces employee turnover.

The Big Five personality traits — extraversion, neuroticism, openness to experience, conscientiousness, and agreeableness — are meaningful indicators of how an individual will contribute creatively within team processes (Akmal, 2015). An extraverted and socially confident individual, for example, will naturally be more open to ideas and verbally expressive. Conscientiousness, which reflects a person's reliability and sense of responsibility, makes an individual well-suited to tasks such as monitoring road traffic during severe weather conditions in Scotland. This trait is also one of the five elements that together form a holistic measure of emotional intelligence — a vital attribute for team cohesiveness and collaboration. High-performing teams are characterized by the freedom given to individuals to speak their minds and exercise autonomy (Akmal, 2015).

In keeping with the diversity and inclusion strategy outlined above, Transport Scotland's inclusive leadership agenda must respond directly to three key survey findings:

The fact that 54% of staff are considering alternative employment could be reversed if Transport Scotland demonstrates a genuine commitment to hearing its employees. Communication must become a two-way process in which management is prepared to share both good and difficult news openly. Managers should be ready to explain the reasoning behind decisions, as employees who feel their input is genuinely heard are more likely to remain engaged. This requires translating employee views into tangible changes that meet their subjective needs and expectations (Kriz et al., 2021).

Feeling valued and respected by senior managers is one of the most fundamental needs of any employee. Those who do not feel respected are unlikely to perform to their full potential and will show fewer signs of wellbeing and job satisfaction, contributing to higher turnover. While fair compensation is one form of recognition, Transport Scotland should place equal emphasis on social cues and on building a work environment that actively validates employees' worth (Rogers & Ashforth, 2014). Key enablers of felt value include civility, trust, status — understood as admiration from peers — and both generalized and particularized forms of respect (Rogers & Ashforth, 2014).

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy

Increased workload is likely a significant driver of the 90% of employees who report experiencing stress at work. Both individual and organizational interventions can help address this. Workplace adjustments and conflict management approaches are relevant tools (Bhui et al., 2016), as are initiatives promoting work-life balance and peer-support groups, which can reduce absenteeism — an early indicator of workload stress and declining employee health. Workload management is most effective when the gap between perceived workload and employees' actual capacity to manage it is minimized (Inegbedion et al., 2020). How employees perceive the workload distribution among colleagues, and whether they believe their roles are appropriately aligned with their skills, are critical factors in job satisfaction and workload tolerance (Inegbedion et al., 2020).

Although all three survey concerns warrant attention, the single strategic action most likely to improve all of them simultaneously is the strengthening of inclusive leadership. Feeling valued is the most pressing issue requiring immediate strategic attention; however, once this is addressed effectively, it is reasonable to expect that improvements in employees feeling heard, and a reduction in workload stress, will follow. Since Transport Scotland is committed to creating an environment of inclusion, inclusive leadership is the natural vehicle. Research published in Harvard Business Review reinforces that diversity and inclusion strategies are most effective when embedded in leadership behavior rather than treated as standalone HR initiatives (Cox & Lancefield, 2021). The six key traits that every department manager at Transport Scotland should actively pursue are as follows:

i. Cognizance: Leaders sometimes carry unavoidable biases — for instance, implicit stereotypes that may affect their interactions with employees from different ethnic backgrounds (Dillon & Bourke, 2016). What matters most is that a leader acknowledges the possibility of such bias and actively self-regulates. Fair, merit-based decision-making — regardless of personal bias — must underpin all communication and outcomes.

ii. Courage: Effective leaders are willing to take risks, including the risk of openly acknowledging their own imperfections. When leaders model this behavior, employees feel less embarrassed about raising concerns and more confident that they will be heard and supported.

iii. Commitment: A leader's genuine commitment to diversity and inclusion acts as an intrinsic motivator for employees. When staff perceive that fairness is embedded in their leader's character — combining emotional sensitivity with sound judgment — they are more likely to trust the organization's intentions.

iv. Collaboration: Welcoming diverse ideas and embracing difference is the foundation of effective team-building. This trait fosters a sense of belonging and helps employees at Transport Scotland feel genuinely valued.

v. Cultural intelligence: People from different cultural backgrounds bring distinct experiences and perspectives to organizational challenges. Leaders must be culturally competent in order to harness this diversity productively and avoid misunderstandings that could undermine inclusion.

vi. Curiosity: Leaders who actively seek out and engage with employee input signal that contributions are welcomed and taken seriously. This drives higher levels of employee engagement, job commitment, and ultimately, employee retention (Dillon & Bourke, 2016).

Leading and Developing People: Survey Findings

Transport Scotland believes that employee engagement, job commitment, job satisfaction, and retention are all outcomes that flow naturally from two foundational commitments: making employees feel genuinely heard, and ensuring they feel valued. These two elements are the keys to the high-involvement culture we aspire to build — one in which employee wellbeing and inclusivity are guaranteed. Trusting our people and including them in company decisions is the most meaningful form of motivation we can offer. We want to create a culture driven by strong, inclusive leadership in which diverse ideas flow freely and leaders continuously learn from the people around them.

Employees from diverse cultural backgrounds bring perspectives shaped by their experiences — perspectives that can open new horizons for management in genuinely innovative ways. We are committed to creating the conditions in which those perspectives can be heard and acted upon.

We are confident that concerns about increased workload will ease as trust between staff and senior management grows. When you know that management is genuinely available to listen, the weight of unresolved concerns becomes lighter.

From now on, we would like to introduce a simple practice: please send a brief weekly email to your respective senior manager. The email can include positive experiences, challenges you have encountered, or simply a note that the week went smoothly. This will give us a consistent mechanism for staying connected with how things are working across the organization. Every email will be read carefully, and a response will be provided. We are committed to making two-way communication — grounded in inclusion — our new norm.

Regards,
Transport Scotland Management

In line with the diversity and inclusion principles discussed throughout this paper, I aim to commit to one of the professional areas outlined in the CMI Code of Conduct and Practice: respecting the people with whom I work (Chartered Management Institute, 2018). I consider this the most important dimension of managerial practice, given that effective people management has become central to operating successfully in a globalized world. Employees across geographical boundaries work remotely and collaboratively, and leaders bear significant responsibility for making them feel valued and comfortable. Empowering employees begins with wholeheartedly welcoming their diverse backgrounds.

McKinsey research has verified that companies embracing racial and ethnic diversity as part of their organizational culture are 35% more likely to achieve above-average financial returns, while gender diversity contributes to the same outcome at a rate of 15% (Lynch, 2021). Employees feel respected and acknowledged when they understand that the company genuinely cannot thrive without their involvement. This is why organizational best practices increasingly emphasize diversity and inclusion, and why I regard respect for people as the professional value I most want to cultivate in my career.