Listening Circles are a framework to collect ethnographic data and create space for people to come together to share their experiences and strengthen their relationships. Listening circles provide opportunities for community members to express their thoughts, feeling, and perspectives about their experiences in safe, open, and vulnerable ways
A belonging survey is a proprietary survey tool to understand the experiences of leaders, employees, and additional constituents (e.g. students in higher education) by race/gender intersection and other identity markers.
While having data is critical, how we collectively make sense of this data is just as important. We work with teams to analyze and synthesize the quantitative and qualitative data to create shared meaning in order to understand the current climate and consider how to create an environment in which everyone can thrive. When communities collectively make sense of their own results and are engaged in charting the path forward, the change process is more effectively managed and becomes an opportunity for positive growth and adaptation to new conditions.
The six conditions of Systems Change framework addresses the structural, relational, and transformative aspects of DEI change and helps organizations examine and dismantle the current conditions that hold a problem in place in a school, community, organization, etc.. Understanding these conditions in the context of the community and their impact helps organizations intervene on the key levers for DEI change.
Inequities are products of design…so they can be redesigned. Equity by Design framework centers people and communities most impacted by the failures of inequity. When we are able to create solutions for those who are most proximate to the problem, we can learn not to just solve the problem for everyone but create a better reality for all.
Learning and Capacity-building opportunities must be targeted at all levels of the organization for sustainable, equitable transformation to occur.
Leadership focuses on the responsibility of leaders to create conditions so that equity work and transformation can happen within the organization. The primary objective of leadership development is to prepare leaders to lead through organizational change where equity is a central desired outcome with a focus on systems analysis and change efforts.
DEI Change Champions, key leaders and individuals who champion and help facilitate DEI within the organization, are invaluable in helping build an equitable and inclusive learning and working community. The primary objective of DEI Change Champions development is to prepare change champions to lean into the 5 keys for effective DEI change agents, build shared understanding and analysis around DEI, and provide opportunities and coaching for change champions to facilitate change and support DEI strategy.
Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) provides a framework and tool for organizations to focus on the value and impact of culture to achieve Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice and Belonging goals and move from awareness building to a skills-based and developmental approach. The IDI is measurable on the individual, teams, and organizational levels and describes current capacity while also indicating what kind of learning is required to build greater capacity. Increasing intercultural competence is something that prepares us to work on equity and justice across many lines of difference. Intercultural competence development is complementary to and an accelerant of anti-racism/anti-oppression work.
