Inclusive Circles

Our Inclusive Circles™ process is a powerful approach to helping companies increase productivity and profitability by creating more inclusive environments. This is done by attending to all stakeholders as demonstrated graphically below. Simply click on any of the words in this model and you will find our related services.

Organization

Business Case Development

Any organizational effort must have a business reason related to the organization’s purpose if it is to be supported an sustained. This is no less true for diversity, inclusion, or cultural competence initiatives. We work with the organization’s leaders to identify their vision for an initiative and to identify how the initiative will support the goals of the company. This allows managers and employees to understand and support the initiative, and allows the organization to measure the success of an initiative.

Organizational Assessment

Identifying areas of improvement is necessary in order to develop a strategic approach to organizational initiatives. We provide organizational assessments through both quantitative and qualitative measures. We work with the appropriate leadership in the organization to identify what is to be measured and how measurement will be most efficiently and effectively achieved.

Strategic Planning

The most effective organizational initiatives are guided by a strategic plan that allows for the most effective use of resources and for the measurement of achievement. We work with the most appropriate individuals and/or groups inside the organization to guide the development, implementation, and measurement of a strategic plan.

Policy Development

Policies are often the source of unintentional organizational ineffectiveness. We guide examination of policies and assist in development or revising policies when they are identified as ineffective for achieving the organization’s goals.

Customers

Customer Service

This class focuses on tools and behaviors for effective customer service and satisfaction with a diverse customer base. Through a self-assessment instrument, participants learn to identify behaviors that can create unintentional barriers between themselves and the people they want to serve. Tools are identified and practiced.

Dealing with Difficult Clients

There is increasing concern in today’s workforce over clients who are perceived to be rude, distrustful, sometimes overly aggressive and potentially dangerous. Often these perceptions are based on cultural differences that employees do not understand. Participants in this class identify their own definitions of conflict and what makes a client difficult for them. They then learn several behavioral types and practice tools for managing interactions with them.

Multi-Cultural Marketing

Today’s customers come from all corners of the globe and organizations are increasingly aware of the need to market to specific niche markets. Our multi-cultural marketing experts assist the organization in identifying their target audiences and how to both reach those markets and speak to them in ways that will achieve results.

Leaders/Managers/Employees

Individual Assessments

• Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI)The intercultural Development Inventory is a cross culturally valid and reliable assessment of intercultural development equally applicable to domestic and international diversity. It consists of 50 core items, demographic data, and ability to customize up to six questions. It is available on line or in paper format. This is a particularly powerful tool for establishing individual or team development plans.

• Intercultural Conflict Style InventoryThe Intercultural Conflict Style Inventory is an 18-item assessment that allows individuals to identify their own preferred approach for resolving conflict. The assessment has been validated across many country cultures and allows participants to identify effective approaches to conflict.

• Myers-BriggsWell known as a measure of character and temperament, the Myers-Briggs, or Kearsey Bates approach is particularly useful in helping teams understand each other and work more effectively together.

Consulting/Coaching

Whether your challenge is short or long-term, we will partner with you to achieve your goals. Long-term organizational change requires strategic planning that begins with developing a vision, assessing your current culture and identifying strategies to create the diverse workplace culture you want and need. As we work with you to create and implement changes, we track how each modification affects every part of the organization and its people in order to assure positive impacts that support your vision.

Our executive coaching gets results and has been increasingly shown to be the most powerful means of helping executives adapt to the global economy and prepare their workplaces to meet its opportunities and challenges. We often base our coaching on individual assessment using the Intercultural Development Inventory which allows us to create a development plan that helps the individual grow in both domestic and international cultural sensitivity and skills.  Our coaches average over 10 years of hands-on senior management experience in addition to exceptional coaching skill.

Team Building

Work groups need to be productive, profitable, collaborative and harmonious in order to perform most effectively. Additionally, the ability to create and maintain an effective work group is impacted by the diverse values, approaches and needs of individual members. Team building workshops focus on how to build feelings of belonging, respect, and trust among team members and may be offered to existing work teams, or as a group session for management development.

Training Programs

Executive Diversity Services offers practical, skill-building training programs that are customized to your organization. Over 10,000 people every year attend our workshops and leave saying they can immediately use the tools learned in both their work life and personal life. Our workshops are dynamic, engaging and practical.

• We believe that the best successes come from partnerships. We work closely with you to craft a product that is better than either of us alone could achieve. Our design and delivery of training programs are grounded in research and application from the fields of multicultural communication, social psychology and adult learning, which translates to the following beliefs and practices:

• Training content should always include a combination of awareness, information and tools that people can use to develop greater effectiveness. We involve participants’ heads, hearts and hands.

• We provide a framework of understanding so that participants can continue learning after they leave our classes. In the area of workplace diversity and culture, this includes how culture teaches values, behaviors and perceptions.

• Employer-provided training should have a business purpose. Therefore, we design training that is focused on both the workplace and behavior.

• Because people learn more readily where they feel safe, our training is non-confrontational. Each participant is treated with respect and without judgment.

• Because modeling is a powerful form of teaching, Executive Diversity Services prefers to provide training with a two-person team. This allows us to fully attend to the needs of all participants, to demonstrate two different styles of communication and training, and to model how a diverse team of people can work effectively together. Client needs and short classes may warrant one trainer.

• Attention to adult learning styles is critical to success of any training program. As we design both content and process for classes, we attend to developmental stages. Courses include brief lectures, simulations, small group exercises, discussions, videotapes and other visual aids, role playing, self assessments, and suggested reading materials.

• Class size affects dynamics. We limit class size to a maximum of 30, with 25 being optimal.

Available Topics:

• Cross Cultural Conflict Management

We are particularly skilled at conflict management and resolution to help teams move from conflict to collaborative productivity. We use the Intercultural Conflict Style assessment to help individual’s identify their own approach to conflict and better understand how to be effective with other styles when disagreements occur. Beyond resolving specific issues, our approach provides a perspective and tool set that allows individuals and teams to prevent unnecessary conflict and use those tools as opportunities for constructive engagement.

• Cross Cultural Competence Development

Using the Intercultural Development Inventory as an entry point, this training allows groups to identify ways to work more effectively together and helps individuals develop cultural competence in working with differences, both domestic and global.

• Cross Cultural Communication

Do you want to be most effective in communicating with people who are different from you? Participants in this class identify ways to reduce misperceptions and increase communication effectiveness with others in the work environment: superiors, peers, subordinates, and customers. Participants assess their own values and styles and those of the organization, and learn tools to improve multicultural communication across differences.

• Diversity and Inclusion

Defining culture and diversity in the workplace very inclusively, participants explore the roles of perceptions and stereotypes in creating cross-cultural misunderstandings. The class explores the three invisible aspects of culture that are most important in achieving value-added interactions with diverse co-workers or customers: nonverbal behaviors, communication styles and values. Participants receive information, increase personal awareness, and learn tools to improve interpersonal effectiveness across differences and create inclusive work environments.Valuing & Managing Diversity for Supervisors and Managersis an advanced class for supervisors and managers who have had the introductory Diversity and Inclusion class. It is designed to help supervisors and managers identify specific methods for creating an inclusive work environment.

• Generational Differences

Generational conflicts go well beyond parent/child interactions. This class explores generational value and behavior differences that are impacting today’s rapidly changing workforce. Participants learn what motivates age cohort groups and learn tools to increase communication and workplace productivity.

• Managing Change

Nothing describes today’s organizational world better than the word change! While some people thrive on change, others find it threatening. This course helps participants identify common responses (physical, psychological and behavioral) to change. Participants learn tools for managing the stress related to change and for turning change into a personal success. Supervisors and managers learn tools for most effectively involving employees in change and supporting employees through difficult organizational changes.

• Men and Women Working Together: Bridging the Gender Gap

If you have ever had a misunderstanding with someone of the “other” gender, this class is for you! This session approaches gender as a culture and examines differences in communication, perceptions and behaviors in a fun, safe, and supportive atmosphere. Participants identify cross-gender challenges and solutions to creating gender-appreciative work environments.

• Training for Trainers

A five day intensive “train the trainer” class prepares employees inside your organization to deliver specific content. We have trainer courses for cultural diversity awareness, conflict management and resolution, customer service delivery and others upon request. Content includes components on:

The Process of Training, including adult learning styles, approaches to training, sequencing of training components, and training ethics;

Specific Content of the curricula the trainers will be delivering;

General Training Skills including how to locate and/or develop ice breakers, exercises, simulations, videotapes, and role plays;

Affective Components of Training including emotional issues for trainers, for participants, and group process; and

Practice and Evaluation including a presentation by each trainer-participant with evaluation by self, peers, and consultants.

Following five day training program, trainers will be paired into teams. Each training team will co-train with a consultant and will be observed by a consultant before being certified to train alone. Executive Diversity Services helps establish criteria for selection and assists in the selection of candidates for the class. Because of the intensive nature and cost of this class, it is not recommended for organizations with fewer than 1000 employees.