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[ Case Studies ] [ Useful
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Idea :
[def – brainwave, inspiration, plan, outline, hint]
IDEAS
We work across a wide range of projects, providing a diverse range of ideas, approaches and services through our expertise grown from direct experience of in-house diversity consulting in the voluntary, public and private sectors.
Case Studies
These case studies are illustrated anonymously to give an idea of the depth and impact of our portfolio.
Case Study 1 - Leadership Engagement
A large European Investment bank launched a management offsite for its top 50 global managers in a specific business area. The aim was to discuss feedback from a recent employee attitude survey, where the top leadership of the firm wanted to be proactive in responding to a range of employee concerns. We were commissioned by the HR function to provide an entry-level intervention on diversity and inclusion.
Design and delivery of a 2.5-hour interactive workshop session – as part of the main offsite proceedings – focused specifically on diversity leadership and its importance to employee satisfaction.
A tailored version of the Leadership Learning Ladder© was used to introduce the topic and the audience were invited to contribute their suggestions for follow-up action at the end of the session, facilitated by our consultant.
The workshop was highly relevant to a global audience and provided an excellent opportunity to openly discuss the business’s approach to diversity in a small group environment, with many differing perspectives and views.
This had never happened before at such high level.
In follow-up suggestions, top managers were actively seeking endorsement and support to take their ideas further.
Since the fees for the Leadership Learning Ladder© programme included the use of our materials at all levels inside the client organisation, leaders were encouraged to use the tools, approach and materials from their own learning experience to cascade downwards to their teams, as a first step to generating feedback for HR on the issues that the bank’s future diversity strategy should address.
Top management awareness was enhanced, their competence and confidence in grasping and discussing diversity issues was markedly improved.
The principles of diversity leadership were quickly absorbed.
Participants began immediately to demonstrate their ownership of the diversity leadership agenda within the bank.
Leaders were engaged and driven to action by the energy and impetus from their Leadership Learning Ladder© experience
Real-time action planning allowed a rich exchange of ideas for influencing the development of the bank’s future diversity strategy, and opened a constructive dialogue with their HR experts and their direct report teams.
Case Study 2 – Strategic Reengineering for regional implementation
A global Investment bank wanted to launch a global diversity strategy into its regions, starting with Europe, in a way that made sense within the cultural context of the region. One of our consultants was responsible for regionalising the global strategy.
Designing, engaging leaders and launching a Europe-specific variant of a US-led global diversity strategy. The principles of the bank’s global policy governing employee dignity at work were used as the launch platform for specific dialogue with each country manager in the region.
This was a major undertaking. An uncomplicated regional diversity strategy design concept was built around awareness-raising workshops linked to the global dignity at work policy – this opened the door in introducing the principles of diversity leadership to the regional Diversity Council from a UK perspective, initially.
The staged approach inherent in the Leadership Learning Ladder© went on to provide a structured framework within which Europe HR experts and leaders could take forward the implementation of the global strategy in a regionally sensitive way, in line with their business priorities and limited resources.
Information sessions were held with each Europe country manager to introduce the principles of the global strategy and consult country leaders on their priorities and issues for implementation.
The design of the awareness workshops introducing dignity at work was adapted to suit each individual country’s cultural context and these were rolled out as Phase 1 of the regional launch. Further phases were then developed in a tailored way with each country manager, partnering with the country HR expert in design and implementation.
At the pan-regional level, the Europe diversity council were engaged in a specific dialogue about the impact of the global strategy for the region. This enhanced appreciation at the most senior level of the bank of the need for sensitivity in delivering the diversity message in different European cultures.
At the country level, country managers were involved for the first time in awareness-raising and active inclusion in the implementation of diversity in their culture, and provided valuable insights that allowed the dignity at work awareness programme to be effectively received.
Country managers were invited to introduce each awareness session personally, demonstrate the programme’s importance to the bank. They also undertook to seek feedback from their teams about the further development of diversity initiatives in line with the global framework.
At the employee level, this was the first time that non-technical country-specific training been delivered in all country locations, and that served to reinforce the importance of the whole issue to the audience, who were strongly engaged.
The raised awareness and leadership engagement that took place through the structured approach to implementation set a strong foundation for the future development of country-specific diversity strategies across the Europe region.
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Case Studies ] [ Useful Links
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LINKS
There are many organisations that provide sources of guidance, good practice and research that can support your diversity and work-life journey and leadership vision. Some of the best-known are listed here to help.
Leadership
www.theworkfoundation.com
www.iod.org.uk
www.ilm.org.uk
www.slfscotland.com
www.crc-wmc.org.uk
Work-Life Balance
www.employersforwork-lifebalance.org.uk
www.workingbalance.co.uk
www.workingfamilies.org.uk
http://164.36.164.20/work-lifebalance
www.worklifebalancecentre.org
www.w-lb.org.uk
www.flexexecutive.co.uk
Gender Issues and Women in the Workplace
www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk
(covers HMG’s Women and Work Commission)
www.eoc.org.uk
www.opportunitynow.org.uk
www.fawcett.org
www.womenatwork.co.uk
www.ivillage.co.uk
Race and BEM Issues & Workplace matters
www.raceforopportunity.org.uk
www.cre.org.uk
www.blackbritain.co.uk
Trades Union
Congress - Black and Excluded
www.100bmol.org.uk (100 Black Men
of London)
www.100greatblackbritons.com
Disability Issues
www.drc-gb.org.uk
www.employers-forum.co.uk
www.disability.gov.uk/drc
www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies
www.direct.gov.uk/Rights/YourRights
www.edf-feph.org
(European Disability Forum)
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender (LGBT) Issues
www.stonewall.org.uk
www.ailgbt.co.uk
www.llgs.org.uk
www.lesbianuk.co.uk
www.lgfoundation.org.uk
www.pfc.org.uk
(Press for Change – Transgender support group)
Age
www.efa.org.uk/
www.agepositive.gov.uk/
www.lg-employers.gov.uk/diversity/age
www.diversity-whatworks.gov.uk/age
www.taen.org.uk
www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/dvsequl/agedisc
Religion,
Faith and Belief
www.shap.org
www.prs-ltsn.leeds.ac.uk/diversity
www.religioustolerance.org
www.pluralism.org
www.iarf.net
www.diversity-whatworks.gov.uk/
religion_and_belief
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