Mosaic

We used to think of America as a melting pot where we would assimilate; today, it is a mosaic where we integrate. Through this beautiful mosaic, we view each person as unique who brings diverse experiences and backgrounds to our organizations. As a result, it is important that organizations leverage the individual differences of its workforce to enhance problem solving, innovation, and creativity. In order for organizations to remain competitive at home and globally, they need to implement strategic diversity and inclusion management. Once organizations establish alignment between the diversity program and the overall organizational strategy, there are numerous strategies to support the initiative. Some of these include:

• Defining a diversity and inclusion leadership committee.
• Establishing employee resource groups.
• Providing opportunities for community outreach.
• Marketing to all demographics.
• Including diversity and inclusion competencies in performance management processes.
• Training and developing employees to improve diversity and inclusion competencies.
• Identifying new recruiting methods.

Throughout my career I’ve had the opportunity to implement strategic diversity and inclusion management in a variety of organizations. Today, I represent EPI’s clients’ diversity and inclusion efforts and Colorado SHRM State Council, as the Diversity Director. This has been an exciting year at EPI where we facilitated a diversity and inclusion module that was part of a leadership program and this continues to be rolled out to 800 front line leaders. Through Colorado SHRM State Council, I supported three amazing diversity leaders as they provided our state with two diversity conferences. At these conferences, I had the honor of selecting and awarding both Colorado Springs Utilities and Integer with a Diversity Champion Award. As Colorado and the rest of the Nation awaits the Census 2010 results, I challenge all organizations to be proactive in their strategic diversity and inclusion management efforts versus waiting for the results that will present just how diverse our mosaic is today.

How to Select the Right Online Training Development Software

EPI recently launched a new e-learning course to help individuals and organizations choose the right online training development software for their needs.

If you develop e-learning, you probably already have software that you use and are familiar with. Is it the right software for your (and your team’s) skill level? Is it the only software you need? Are you curious about other tools that may be a good fit?

If you don’t yet develop e-learning but have been asked to put your training online, you’re going to need some software to get the job done. (You may also want to check out our on-demand webinar about How to Put Instructor-led Training Online.)

Either way, our course can help. It’s FREE (really) and should only take about 15 minutes to complete. When you finish you’ll have at least one tool to look into further, as well as a foundational knowledge about online training development tools. Try the course now!

Change and Culture

I recently completed development of a session about how to effectively manage change in an organization. It is a four-hour course that covers several different issues that tend to arise when anyone is experiencing a change effort and addresses why so many of these efforts fail. One of the topics that we cover and that I read a lot about is culture. The information that I researched was fascinating and could not all be included in the session, so I thought I would share a couple of the interesting bits that I discovered.

There are seven types of cultures that exist in the business world. They are:

1. Predatory
2. Frozen
3. Chaotic
4. Political
5. Bureaucratic
6. Service
7. New Age (innovative and/or entrepreneurial)

The first five cultures are underperforming or failing and in the end create a culture of shame. The last two, service and new age, are high performing and meeting or exceeding expectations and therefore signify successful organizational cultures.

One of the other interesting items of note is that culture is visible. So my question to you is; if your organization’s culture is visible and it is one of the above seven, which one are you? If you are a number six or seven, congratulations; if you are somewhere in the first five, what will you do to improve the culture? Remember, being honest and admitting there is an issue, is the first step to improvement.

To Leap or Not to Leap

It’s late summer in Colorado and the grasshoppers are out in force on the path where I stroll each evening. I’m no entomologist but I find these critters fascinating. As I walk along the trail, they leap everywhere from everywhere. It took me awhile to realize the clicking sound I hear is the sound of exoskeletons landing on the concrete trail. Apparently, grasshoppers are much better suited to leaping than landing.

I admire the abandon with which they hurl themselves into the air, caution thrown quite literally to the wind. Wouldn’t it be great to leap to whatever’s next with that kind of energy? To throw yourself into what you’re doing with that unmitigated passion? I once had a boss who was fond of saying, “Do something – even if it’s wrong.” This, she felt, prevented paralysis from analysis. I think of that sentiment when I watch these grasshoppers flying in all directions on the trail in front of me.

Another thing I’ve noticed about these daredevils is that they jump in whatever direction they’re facing when they pull the trigger – even if it’s right smack into whatever startled them into launching in the first place. Often, they leap directly under my foot so quickly I have no opportunity to avoid giving them a crunchy send-off to the grasshopper hereafter. Again, I’m reminded of the perils of “doing something – even if it’s wrong.” In this case, the result of avoiding analysis is a permanent case of paralysis.

Each year at this time, the path is littered with the remains of these adventurous creatures. It’s a pretty gory sight. What’s even more disturbing is that each carcass is visited by more grasshoppers, feasting at the expense of their former co-leapers.

Then I wonder if any of the consumers at these grotesque meals ever said to their unfortunate buddies in some chirpy sort of grasshopper-speak: “Do something – even if it’s wrong.”