July 30th, 2014
I think that intentions and aspirations have changed in the business community. There are still plenty of folks who could not be paid to participate in a conversation about diversity and inclusion, and there are still plenty of folks just going through the motions, but I do believe there are more and more people realizing that this body of work represents a pretty big opportunity for their organization. They just are not sure what to do.
They are not sure where to start or how to start. They are not sure what to measure, they know that demographics are important but incomplete and are not sure what else to look at. If this sounds familiar to you, I have something I want to show you.
I have built and started delivering a ½ day workshop called FORWARD! (though I might be changing the name in the near future), that is For. You. In this workshop we explore a blueprint for moving forward consisting of 9 components:
Language & Logic
what: A clear, concise and consistent foundation of words, language, definitions and narratives to make the what, why and how logical and easily accessible.
why: This is critical guidance for individual, group and organizational efforts…this drives what we do and how we measure it.
how (to measure):
how (to move):
Employment Practices
what: The real and perceived fairness and consistency in how employees are managed.
why: Employees need to believe that they will be treated based on their behaviors, actions and performance rather than who they are.
how (to measure):
how (to move):
Orientation Toward Difference
what: Our default stance toward, or response to, difference.
why: How we feel about difference (asset or deficit) informs how we interact with difference, which informs the outcome of the interaction.
how (to measure):
how (to move):
Decision Making
what: How we approach decision making and related group processes.
why: Being deliberate and intentional about how we utilize difference in our decision making processes can have a big impact on both our decision making ability and our organizational culture.
how (to measure):
how (to move):
Relational Networks
what: Informal networks of relationships spread throughout our organizations.
why: These networks play a vital role in the diffusion of ideas, information, influence and trust. They also tend to be very siloed and segregated, meaning that access to ideas, information, influence and trust is siloed and segregated as well.
how (to measure):
how (to move):
Balanced Outcomes
what: Evidence that we truly believe what we say about diversity and inclusion and are acting accordingly.
why: Inclusion is not a matter of intentions, but rather actions and outcomes. The journey towards greater inclusion is largely about finding and surfacing contradictions so that we can learn from them and take corrective actions.
how (to measure):
how (to move):
Access
what: Universal employee access to the fundamental tools to creating an inclusive work experience.
why: So that, as our workforces become more diverse, our organizational cultures are able to evolve and adapt.
how (to measure):
how (to move):
Behavioral Intelligence
what: An accurate, evidence-based understanding of human behavior, specifically as it applies to how we interact with each other and make decisions about each other.
why: So that we are able to mitigate the impact of bias, rather than pretend it does not exist.
how (to measure):
how (to move):
Inclusive Leadership
what: Specific behaviors and actions that we expect from people, develop, promote and reward.
why: Framing inclusion as an activist thing rather than as a state of mind or the absence of hate, makes it easier to realize and measure and it makes it much easier to hold each other accountable.
how (to measure):
how (to move):
Some of these components are bigger and more complex than others, but we explore each one with some relevant stories and science and we talk about how to measure it and how to move it. At the end of the workshop participants have a draft assessment of their organization along these 9 components and an initial plan for how to help their organization move forward. It is designed to be easily customized to fit your culture, context and needs and it is built to be incredibly actionable. It is the diversity and inclusion workshop with a bias for action! See what I did there?
Questions? Comments? Complaints? Let me know what you think.
I have a coupe of open enrollment sessions coming up in Minneapolis and St. Paul if you would like to check it out. Or we can certainly talk about bringing it to your organization or your community.
Be good to each other.