Diversity and Inclusion (D&I)
Two words, often adjoined, regularly find their way into discussions in the professional arena. Everyone writes about diversity, and everyone understands the importance of diversity, but is it enough?
We propose to separate the two words and state that Diversity without Inclusion is like a pool without water. Organizations who claim they have a “diversity strategy” but fail to understand the importance of an “inclusion component” don’t have the right strategy at all.
Diversity is the easy part, that is to say, the more technical part, involving recruiting people from different backgrounds, cultures, genders, race etc. But do they feel they have a seat at the table?
True inclusion is more than just collaboration
To fully experience an inclusive experience in the workplace, we must challenge our assumptions of what inclusion means. Inclusion is about being actively incorporated, valued, and recognized in a meaningful way, day to day, as part of the work experience. It is ultimately about how people experience their contributions showing up, influencing projects, outcomes, and perspectives.
To implement true diversity and inclusion in organizations, we have developed a training model which includes working with the organization’s managers and employees to create an effective strategy that can be measured throughout the process and the results.
Our work model is based on years of experience bridging cultural differences in organizations locally and internationally and on the theory of Cultural Intelligence (CQ). People must learn to understand and appreciate cultural differences. People overcome differences when they recognize their own perspectives, hidden preferences, and assumptions. In so doing, individuals can start to look at their own implicit biases and attempt to change the impact these biases may have on their behavior.
When it became clear that cultural understanding and workplace inclusion are converging, we realized that to address today's workforce's global skills development needs, we wanted to create a training program that combined the two, whereby Cultural Intelligence stands as the heart of inclusion.
The impact is created by understanding that it’s not about changing everything to accommodate the differences. It’s about ensuring the differences are factored into the organization’s D&I strategy.
The benefits to the organization by integrating a D&I strategy:
- Attain its organizational vision, mission, strategy, and annual goals
- Attract and retain diverse talent
- Build strong and high-performing teams
- Cultivate leaders who inspire inclusion and champion diversity
- Leverage an extensive range of backgrounds and skills to enhance creativity, innovation, and problem solving
- Increase engagement, motivation, and productivity
- Improve the quality of work/life integration
- Enhance the organization’s reputation/brand as an employer or provider of choice
- Sustain an environment that treats people fairly and equitably
Our vision is to help organizations to foster an environment where employees are more engaged, more innovative, and feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
If the above is as important to you as it is to us, we are happy to schedule a complimentary conversation about your D&I strategy.
