Advancing Diversity & Inclusion
in a Meaningful, Measurable & Sustainable Way
Clients served
The D&I Imperative
The diversity cause today is under siege
In the last few years, there has been a broad embrace of D&I across organizations in the US, and it is also getting increasing interest in other regions of the world. The conversation has been elevated not only to the C-suite but to the boardroom and significant initiatives in hiring, training, and culture-transformation have been pursued.
However, the D&I space today faces significant headwinds. The US Supreme Court’s ruling against Affirmative Action in universities is challenging the viability of diversity programs in every organization. Chief Diversity Officers are experiencing diminished support from their CEOs and other colleagues. Criticisms and concerns are rising about what some see as the movement’s excesses and its lack of success. And aspects of the movement (like affirmative action and gender identity) lack wide support from Americans today.
Shortcomings in Mainstream D&I
Mainstream D&I initiatives seldom create the space for people to experiment, learn, make mistakes, and grow over time
This should not come completely as a surprise. Mainstream D&I initiatives oversimplify complex issues, and overamplify differences in ways that reinforce “us” vs “them” thinking. D&I training often comes across as talking down to the audience, or being overly research-driven but not inspiring. It can elicit feelings of alienation or helplessness. D&I initiatives seldom create the space for people to experiment, learn, make mistakes, and grow over time.
Watch this short video where Dr. Wadhwa shares psychological insights into why many D&I training programs don’t deliver results — and even have a counterproductive effect.
Our Approach
A unifying approach to advancing Diversity & Inclusion
POPULAR VIEW
- Let’s make sure people check off this box and comply.
- People are biased. This makes them do things that aren’t fair or equitable. This training will fix them.
- People have differences, across race, gender, sexual orientation, and more. Let’s respect those differences.
- To respect and be fair to everyone, let’s make sure they all have an equal voice.
- A D&I failure will make us feel embarrassed and diminished.
MENTORA WAY
- Let’s win hearts and minds. Let’s inspire people and gain their commitment.
- We’re all prone to lapses of judgment in our decisions and behaviors. Let’s learn to self-regulate our thoughts, perceptions, and behaviors.
- Every human being has a unique personal journey — a unique spark. Learn to attune yourself to their unique capacities, needs, and story.
- Let’s draw out the best in everyone — different people will have different levels of contributions to make depending on the context.
- Our organization is, like our society, a work in progress. Let’s stay vigilant, learn and grow, and create a culture where we can freely acknowledge, apologize, and adjust our paths when failures happen.
How we serve organizations
Mentora helps clients advance their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion aspirations in the following areas
- Build an inspired, widely embraced movement within the organization around greater inclusion and diversity.
- Advance the quality of collaborative and inclusive problem-solving and decision-making that happens within teams and across departments.
- Foster interpersonal dynamics that drive inclusive decisions and behaviors.
- Foster greater trust, engagement, and belonging among employees at all levels.
- Open employees up to raising their voice in constructive ways to address D&I gaps and advance D&I aspirations.
- Turn D&I failure-points into opportunities for learning and growth.
We offer the following mix of services to help clients succeed in meaningful, measurable, and sustainable ways
Consulting on
D&I Strategy,
Program Design
Keynotes
Co-creation
Workshops
Training* (on-site, live virtual, and digital)
LiFT – Our digital performance acceleration tool in the flow of work
Organizational Communications
D&I training is offered in three formats
1/2-day (or 1-day) Executive Workshop designed to address key organizational pain-points and priorities.
6-hr Master Class consisting of 3 x 90 min training sessions + 1 x 90 min performance lab. Prepares managers for modeling the right behavior, having crucial conversations, engaging in inclusive decision-making and team coaching.
60-minute Critical Skills Module. For all employees – focuses on the 5 most critical behaviors and mindsets.
After the training, participants are supported by LiFT (Leadership-in-flow tools), our digital platform that accelerates performance breakthroughs in the flow of work. This yields instant, measurable improvements in workplace dynamics.
Case study
Inclusive Leaders Bring Out the Best in Everyone
CONTEXT
In the midst of a fast-changing work environment, where cross-function and cross-project collaboration was on a steady rise, Ericsson was looking for a way to upskill their Research unit — a global group of 700+ individual contributors and managers — so they could drive leadership in the network and telecommunications industry and maximize their growth and impact. This necessitated a focus on inclusion — especially for participants who, in response to the rapidly evolving environment at the organization, had to suddenly participate in and lead cross-functional teams.
Read moreWebinar
Redefining D&I: Inspiring Hearts and Minds for Lasting Change
Webinar
Explore a pathbreaking, unifying approach to diversity and inclusion in our webinar on redefining D&I.
Dr. Wadhwa’s Intersections podcasts
Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Morgan Stanley, 50 Most Powerful Women in Corporate America
Contact us
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