Many courses and workshops focus on setting the external conditions for inclusion – architectural accessibility, organizational regulations, governmental rules, etc.
Recent studies, like this one from McKinsey, show that those companies who have successfully unlocked diversity are more profitable. But they also show that about 70% of those companies which started D&I efforts are halted or even have moved back in their processes.
And the reason for those companies not succeeding on D&I is lack of inclusion. As we know: “diversity is a fact. But inclusion is a choice.”
Many diversity and inclusion education efforts have been focused on training our heads but not our hearts.
“The Inclusive Heart” workshop was conducted for 25 participants from Nemak Mexico. It is 2 hours long and only 2 Dialogue staff were needed: a blind facilitator and a sighted zoom host.
The overall objective of the workshop is to have participants taking possession of inclusion. Very often people think of inclusion as a concept which concerns others – especially minorities – but not them.
Instead of explaining inclusion in detail, a sharing and a role play exercises are introduced to have participants experience two characteristics of inclusion: first, we all have felt included and excluded and know the consequences. Second, inclusion concerns us all since we all might lose some advantaged positions in life due to unexpected external situations.
Finally, inspired from the compassioned leadership training, the participants are introduced to three practical tools called “The Unbiased Heart”, “The Grateful Heart”, and “The Kind Heart”. The feedback received by DiD Monterrey was very positive. The workshop is lively, interactive but also with the needed space for self-reflection.
You can contact Dialogue in the Dark Mexico in their website for more information.