About
Dr Williams
Diversiast was founded by Dr Owen Williams, OBE. Owen is a former Chief Executive of both local government and NHS organisations including Calderdale Council, Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust and the Northern Care Alliance.
About Owen
Owen was awarded the OBE in 2020 for his services to healthcare in West Yorkshire.
He has always believed in discussing his failures as well as his successes with the aim of helping others to learn, develop and grow.
His experience as a senior leader within public sector organisations means he is well placed to use his influence to improve outcomes for the most vulnerable people and strengthen true (not performative) accountability – something he feels passionately about.
During his career and studies he has learned that obsession with reputational management is often a key barrier to making progress on challenging issues and adds fuel to the occurrences of
cyclical harm. He wants to change this.
Owen believes that values are just words if they are not backed up by associated behaviours.
Owen coined the phrase Diversiast while studying his doctorate at Huddersfield University. Diversiast was used to describe gatekeepers – those who control outcomes – who were enthusiastic about achieving diversity, but needed to develop the skill of understanding diverse viewpoints so that they do not cause opinions to become entrenched.
From here he came up with the concept of a skilled and unskilled Diversiast.
How we help
The difference between an unskilled & skilled Diversiast
| Unskilled Diversaist | Skilled Diversiast |
|---|---|
| Avoids or delays action | Acts early on risk |
| Manages perception first | Prioritises truth over reputation |
| Discounts or sidelines concerns | Listens to user or patient family voices |
| Deflects or distributes responsibility | Takes accountability |
| Hides behind processes and structure | Shapes systems and outcomes |
| Protects the institution | Protects people |
| Reinforces cliques and hierarchy. | Challenges groupthink |
“When organisations and individuals become more focused on protecting reputation than confronting reality, warning signs are missed and preventable harm is allowed to grow.”
Moving individuals from an unskilled to skilled diversiast is central to what Owen hopes to achieve: developing the ability to listen, challenge, recognise different perspectives and act with greater courage and accountability, particularly when the decisions they make affect other people’s lives.
