LANG & ASSOCIATES
  • Home
  • Services
    • Can We CHAT
    • Dispute Resolution
    • Facilitation
    • Training
    • Organization Development
    • Lifestyle Design >
      • Intentional Environment Design
      • Nutrition and Fitness
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • News
  • Log In
  • Home
  • Services
    • Can We CHAT
    • Dispute Resolution
    • Facilitation
    • Training
    • Organization Development
    • Lifestyle Design >
      • Intentional Environment Design
      • Nutrition and Fitness
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • News
  • Log In

News

DEI Investment: Beyond Checking Boxes

As a nation, we have endured inequities in the workplace for centuries. When the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity      Commission was founded in 1965, employers sought to develop more integrated and harmonious work environments through specialized training and refining employment policies and  practices. Although well-intentioned objectives, a 2019  Harvard Business Review study found that bias-focused  training can actually backfire, generate employee defensiveness, and have only marginal effects on changing behaviors, especially in mandated scenarios.
 
More recently, pressured by growing social justice initiatives, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Programs are rapidly  expanding in a number of ways. Striving to venture beyond “box-checking” compliance standards, employers now seek to implement more culturally responsive practices related to hiring, recruitment, performance management, compensation, skill development, mentorship, benefits, and more.
 
Common barriers to mapping DEI strategies in the workplace, as well as sustaining and expanding existing programs, include lack of leadership commitment, organizational distrust, conflicting narratives, unrealistic goals, shortage of resources, and  inadequate communication skills to discuss topics that may  reflexively lead people into flight, fight or freeze reactions.
 
A well-designed, comprehensive DEI development plan is  good for people and business. Besides improving employee  satisfaction, decision-makers can perform from a place of heightened understanding with a long-game perspective;  skills and talent grow creating greater potential for innovation;   product and services become more aligned with customers   and clients; and the personal capacity to discuss, process,  and prioritize difficult human issues is normalized. All help  advance prospects for truly lasting cultural transformation.
Each of our newsletters, The Update, is written by an L&A consultant and focuses on a relevant topic in their field.

To read our newsletters, scroll to the bottom of the page or click here.

Reflective Dialogue

The pandemic has forced businesses and organizations to adapt to a variety of new protocols. Many of us have had to shift from onsite operations to remote services. For some, this ordeal presented an opportunity to re-imagine how work gets done. Yet even for others who were able to resume business close to the old normal, we all know we are forever changed.

The emotional impacts to both personal and professional lives can feel like an elephant in the room. Managers can feel ill-equipped to handle such an elephant. One helpful tool to meet challenge is Reflective Dialogue. Fundamentally, Reflective Dialogue helps provide a compassionate opening for returning employees to acknowledge the historical weight of the pandemic and use that awareness to build mutual strength, insight, and caring for the future.

Reflective Dialogues are facilitated group sessions that can generate a procession of topics designed to construct a network of support. By creating a safe space to talk about what people have gone through and continue to endure, participants are better able to navigate waves of change and cope with pressures both outside and within the workplace.

Contact us for more information about Reflective Dialogues in your workplace.

Amanda Gorman has something to say about dialogue

Amanda Gorman, the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. History, shares her thoughts on the importance of talking about race in her poem titled, "Talking Gets Us There".
Watch Amanda
Talking Gets Us There
Amanda Gorman


It's normal to notice what makes us different.
Because what makes us different is what makes each of us so special.
There's beauty in every type of face and every type of freckle.
From the curl of your hair to the color of your skin,
No one is exactly the same. Not even twins.

But across time and place, people have been treated unfairly just because of their race.
And so heroes get into good trouble.
They have to struggle for a long while, but when they win it's worth every mile.

People of color still experience racism today.
So, it's up to all of us to say, enough is enough.
To speak out with all our hearts and that starts at home,
Starts with asking questions about race when we're taught about it.
Together I know we can tackle racism.
But first, we have to talk about it.

Can We CHAT moves online

Picture"Can We CHAT" process designers Jackie Boor and Carol Wright
Can We CHAT (Convesations about History, Awareness, and Transformation) is a facilitated group discussion process designed to advance and deepen conversations about systemic racism and social injustice. Different than a classroom design with students and an instructor or a staged presenter with an audience, Can We CHAT focuses on the personal experiences, perspectives and inquiry of individuals in the group. These interactions allow people to process thoughts and feelings as well as increase their understanding of issues without fear of being condemned, dismissed, or rebuked. 
 
Key features of the Can We CHAT model include communication coaching and resource sharing. Participants especially value the chance to meet in small groups to discuss a prompting question related to race and then share key observations, thoughts and feelings with the larger group. Special effort is dedicated to connecting historical events and perceptions with the current issues of the day. Sample discussion topics include Ferguson, redlining, white privilege, immigration, racial inequities, implicit bias, COVID-19 and the impacts of George Floyd’s death. Each session is designed as a standalone experience and generates a meeting summary to be archived by the host client.

What participants are saying...
  • "Racism is nothing new. I think it’s past time for us to have these conversations and good to create this space so people can ask questions."
  • "This is a very personal experience. We had a lot of diversity in our group. People were open and wanted to know how can I become an ally? "
  • "I appreciate being able to talk in an open forum without worry of judgment or perception, and being a part of the dialogue to move us forward."

Keep In Mind

The Cost of Conflict

There is a measurable loss to an organization who has repeated internal conflict. This article demonstrates what factors to consider when deciding between the cost of ongoing conflict and resolution.

Meetings that Matter

Have you ever wished you could just get up and walk out of a meeting? If so, join the club. Read further to learn how a neutral third party can ensure productive dialogue and outcomes.

Selections from our Newsletter, The Update

Group Facilitation: Moving from Thought to Action
Seeds from Carol Wright's Garden
De-escalation: Prepare in Advance
The DEI Investment: Beyond Checking the Boxes
Reflective Dialogues
When Conflict Happens
Civic Engagement
Can We CHAT
Holiday Conflict: Prepare to Prevent
John McDougall in the News
Lang & Associates
contact@langandassociates.net
800.499.8411
916.447.5265
©2022 Lang&Associates