The Institute for Diversity was founded in 2011 by Stefan Doll and Dr. Adrienna Ember on a mission to develop productive teams and inclusive organisations against a backdrop of increasingly diverse organisations and communities.
Our general approach and philosophy
Building inclusive workplaces and enjoying the benefits that are originating from the diversity of people is part of a natural evolution of organisations. Workplaces are forced to respond to a global economy and a global workforce as well as to changes in our societies and peoples’ expectations on workplaces. According to the Deloitte Global inclusive growth survey of 350 executives (Jan 2018)
“The survey results further solidify what many believe to be true: today’s business leaders want to understand the societal forces shaping our world and impact them in a positive, meaningful way that contributes to the advancement of the societies in which they live and work.”
Inclusive societies and workplaces outperform others. We have already diversity within our people and clients, however, we have not learnt to consciously and deliberately uncover all untapped potential of those people and relationships. This is where the Institute for Diversity can help.
Behavioural change precedes cultural change and culture in return influences behaviours. The Institute for Diversity provides consulting, training and coaching for organisations to uncover the full potential of an inclusive culture. The cultural change and business advantages are best achieved by fully integrating diversity and inclusion into the business, not as an ‘extra thing to do’. Over time new habits become the new norm. Instead of adding to the workload we are focusing on maximizing integration. Stand-alone class room trainings have their justification to build knowledge and awareness at the beginning of an initiative. In addition, we support the long-term behavioural change through applied learning and coaching on the job. We are on the road to success as soon as we experience the positive impact of our newly adopted skills in our daily work.
A business case for an inclusive work environment is developed based on data and rational thinking (head). However, a Diversity and Inclusion strategy is best implemented by involving peoples’ hearts and hands. The heart stands for emotional intelligence, empathy and genuine interest in people. The development of the heart starts with gaining awareness of our unconscious bias and how to mitigate its impact. The hands stand for having the courage to do things differently, apply our learning (head) and empathy (heart) in a deliberate, conscious and reflective way in our daily interactions. Our programmes are holistic in supporting all three critical parts for behavioural change, our head, heart and hands.
Measures are important to steer the ship through a culture change towards more inclusiveness. We can talk you through the options on how to determine ROI for diversity and inclusion initiatives. The vital 2-3 measures are then best incorporated in the business strategy and performance objectives to track progress.