Services for Businesses

RACIAL EQUITY: THE ORGANIZATIONAL IMPERATIVE

In the summer of 2020, we narrowed our focus from diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in general to a focus on race. Racial equity is an urgent need in the workplace, and we believe this focus will serve the advancement of other marginalized groups by providing a template for change. We plan to continue this focus in the 2021 calendar year.

We can help your organization develop the mindset, culture, and infrastructure necessary to advance racial diversity, equity, and inclusion among leadership and employees at every level.

Our Transformational Inquiry Method is highly interactive and generative. It allows participants to integrate information over time as we scaffold information, activities, and experiences through multiples domains of learning.

Learn

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT 

Coaching for the Executive Leadership Team

iChange consultants collaborate with your executive team to guide an equitable change process. We help your ELT identify issues, refine focus, and develop long-term strategies that builds on existing strengths and support emerging opportunities. We provide coaching on leadership development that envisions the people most impacted by racism sitting at the table as agents of change. Leaders learn how to support inclusivity, cultivate strategic mindsets, and incorporates proven diversity, equity, and inclusion best practices.

Together we explore the question: Why is racial equity an organizational imperative? By creating relational experiences, our coaching model gets right to the heart of developing foundational communication skills and building trusting relationships. We prepare your team to cast your vision to your community.  

The ELT builds momentum for change through a precise and reliable method, supports individual and organizational transformation; establishes cross-organizational feedback loops; and develops tools and strategies to design and implement equitable change.

We recommend a series of coaching sessions with two iChange consultants. (60-minute sessions)

Coaching for Core Specialty Teams

iChange consultants collaborate with core specialty teams to develop equity leadership throughout the organization. Specialty teams include racial equity task forces, employee resource group leaders, human resources, training departments, department teams, and other stakeholder groups impacted by racial equity initiatives. These teams form cohesive partnerships to advance equity within their spheres of influence and areas of professional expertise.

Core teams learn a collaborative communication model to identify and build on existing strengths; guide the design of programs and initiatives through a racial equity lens; and address the racial identity development needs of stakeholders at every level of the organization.

We recommend a series of coaching sessions with two iChange consultants. (60-minute sessions)

Coaching for Professional Growth and Leadership

iChange consultants provide guidance to individual professionals seeking to develop communication skills, mindsets, frameworks, and best practices foundational to racial diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Professionals learn why acquiring a racial equity lens is a workplace imperative; how racial identity impacts employee experience and engagement; and how acquiring inclusive communication skills enhance relationships with coworkers.

We recommend a series of coaching sessions with one or two iChange consultants depending on an individual’s goals and needs. (60-minute sessions)

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING PROGRAMS

We Can Help You:

Let’s Get Real about Race

Conversation is the revolutionary way of learning, and these virtual workshops introduce topics through an equitable conversation model that explores racial identity through the Transformational Inquiry Method.

This multi-year series is based on co-founders Martha Caldwell and Oman Frame’s book, Let’s Get Real (Routledge 2016, second edition 2021). Participants explore how race shapes their experiences, how they were socialized about race, and how dominant culture norms impact every aspect of our daily lives.

First year modules introduce the racial equity imperative, ground participants in equitable communication skills, and provide guidance on topics such as disrupting bias, addressing problematic situations, and cultivating leadership in one’s sphere of influence.

Second year modules feature topics such as storytelling for change making, interrupting microaggressions, managing conflict and power dynamics, building high-trust relationships across differences, and the role of affinity groups in racial identity transformation.

Third year modules focus on a deeper dive into frameworks for creating a thriving workplace culture where people feel a sense of belonging and are empowered to develop their talents and contribute their gifts.

Each module introduces key terms, builds skills for equitable conversations, establishes historical context for current racial issues, and identifies best practices for individual and organizational transformation. Participants acquire understanding of the often-invisible impact of dominant and marginalized identities on personal, professional, and systemic levels. The program sharpens equity focus, cultivates strategic mindsets, and lays the groundwork for transformational change. Participants learn how to build the strategic alliances and collaborative networks necessary for ongoing, sustainable change.

 Participants learn how to:

·  Build collaborative relationships with colleagues both within their racial group and across differences in racial identities.

·  Leverage patterns of racialized experiences to create dynamic workplace experiences and inspire innovation.

·  Strengthen and empower racial identities to cultivate talent.

·  Inspire passion and purpose for racial equity advancement and leadership.

We provide planning and debrief sessions with leadership to customize each workshop to address specific needs in your faculty and staff.

Interim Peer Groups

Four to six 1-hour virtual meetings (participant facilitated)

Let’s Get Real about Race participants meet in peer work groups (4-6 members) between modules to maintain focus and practice equitable conversations skills. The groups work together to surface unconscious biases and/or support identity empowerment and agency.

Interim peer groups help participants cultivate the high-trust relationships foundational to transformative change and work collaboratively to generate ideas, resources, and strategies for innovative design.

EMPLOYEE RESOURCE GROUP SUPPORT

Coaching for Employee Resource Group Leaders

Affinity and employee resource groups promote workplace inclusion through both outward and inward facing programs. Outward-facing programs brings attention to issues the group’s members encounter in their workplace and lives and raises awareness in employees outside their constituent group. Inward facing programs provide support, cultivate leadership development and promote career advancement through peer mentorship and sponsorship opportunities.

iChange consultants coach ERG leaders to develop core leadership and facilitation skills grounded in diversity, equity, and inclusion best practices. ERG leadership coaching typically combines one-on-one coaching with small group coaching with other ERG leaders.  Group coaching sessions are designed to develop a focused and cohesive team of ERG leaders who partner to advance equity and inclusion.

We recommend twice monthly coaching with one iChange coach/consultant for one-on-one coaching and two iChange coaches/consultants for leadership group coaching. (60-minute sessions)

Facilitating Employee Resource Group Meetings

iChange Consultants provide facilitation that builds connections, develops trust, DEI leadership skills, and best practices. Our curriculum is customized to address topics relevant to the specific needs of each group.

We recommend monthly meetings with one iChange facilitator.

iChange consultants provide expert facilitation to build connections, trust, DEI leadership skills, and best practices. Our curriculum can be customized to address the specific needs and/or topics pertinent to the needs of each group.

We recommend twice monthly coaching with one iChange coach/consultant. (60-minute sessions)

COMMUNITY-BUILDING EVENTS 

Community Conversations about Race

2-hour virtual events

Race is the elephant in the room, often “felt” rather than talked about. Yet research shows that when we don’t talk about race, erroneous assumptions interfere with sound decision-making. Talking about race normalizes differences, makes skin color just a normal part of life, and build communication skills that advance engagement and innovation.

Conversations about race engage, educate and empower individuals and communities. Stakeholders at every level of an organization – employees, clients, and friends – are invited to participate in conversations that explore how race impacts their lives and how they can work together to build trusting alliances to advance racial inclusivity. Community Conversations about Race elevate understanding and cultivate relationships both within and across differences in racial groups. These conversations stimulate interest and motivate action for change in a variety of spheres.

These community events may feature an original art or theatrical performance (one-person play, poetry reading, music), expert speakers, small group guided conversations, and a call to action.

Facilitation Training

Four 2-hour virtual modules

We offer facilitation training to participants who have completed either Let’s Get Real about Race in the Workplace series and/or participated in an iChange affinity group for one year. The training includes four 2-hour virtual training modules, assigned readings, a workbook, and opportunities to shadow and assist iChange facilitators.

What makes a dynamic professional community?

iChange Collaborative can help you build collaborative relationships among co-workers, help professional teams leverage cultural differences, and inspire innovative thinking.

We integrate interpersonal activities, self reflection and content materials to move thinking about diversity, equity, and inclusion to the next level.

Our programs strengthen personal identity and enhance professional relationships, which are then mirrored in a dynamic organizational culture.

For information and pricing, contact martha@ichangecollaborative.com or call 404-585-8552.