We believe that the process of creating inclusion should itself be inclusive.
We come into organizations not as experts with all the answers but as collaborators with an approach that centers on the self-identified needs of those in the organization, especially those more deeply impacted by systems of oppression.
We take an integrated approach that is always participatory, and we look holistically at all aspects of an organization, both internal (work culture) and external (the work itself) in order to align stakeholders, leverage efforts and maximize impact. We address the need for personal, interpersonal, organizational and systemic change, balancing the desire for action with the need for truth telling, acknowledgement and deep healing.
We start out, from our very first discovery call, before we’ve even decided to work together, listening closely, asking questions, and bringing curiosity and empathy.
We have all the questions!
And to us, everything is data, and by that we mean input, feedback, and information.
We listen for various needs, hold space for the multiple truths of different experiences, and facilitate a shared language, understanding and alignment on the path forward.
Every project is different, every engagement customized based on wherever an organization is currently at as well as its budget and desired outcomes, whether known or as yet to be discovered.
We do our best work when we are considered long term strategic DEI partners and we have the opportunity to take an integrated approach to facilitating change across an entire organization.
That doesn’t mean making a long term commitment up front - in fact, we believe in taking it step by step, creating a manageable plan where each phase of work leads into the next. The long term roadmap can and will change, but it helps for everyone to be on the same page about what that might look like.
It also doesn’t mean we have to work with the entire organization right away, or even ever. For some organizations, it can be very effective to take a cascading approach, working strategically in a more targeted way with CEO or Executive Directors, leadership teams, ERGs, DEI facilitators, HR teams, program managers and Boards. In this way, we can help you build internal DEI capacity to drive change across the organization.
Our methodology
It has been shown that for an organization to function most effectively to do its best and most impactful work, its staff, leadership, board, members and communities need to feel a sense of belonging and that they are valued for what they uniquely bring to the table. This includes identity, background, personality, talents, skills, experience and more. This is what inclusion is.
Team members also need to feel a sense of psychological safety in order to innovate, build capacity, and make meaningful contributions. This helps them to feel able to bring their full selves to their work. This is what engagement is.
Inclusion and belonging drives engagement, and engagement drives performance.
Diversity and equity impact inclusion, but don’t automatically create inclusion. Without inclusion, diversity and equity can still perpetuate oppression. Belonging ultimately means that everyone has what they need to do their best work, in service of an organization’s mission, and in alignment with their talents and values.
IN OUR DEI WORK, WE DRAW FROM THREE MAIN PRACTICES: POWER ANALYSIS, ANTI-RACISM AND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE.
Power analysis is the lens and tool that we use to bridge from knowledge to action. Often, you have people in an organization that have built a lot of knowledge about racism and other systems of oppression (they’ve read all the articles and books!) but don’t know how to put it into practice, while others are focused on action but without foundational knowledge, are not able to align with their intentions.
A power analysis uses knowledge to identify and understand power differentials related to systemic racism and other systems of oppression based on social identities. These systems are embedded into every aspect of our culture and are designed to be invisible, especially to those who have privilege but also to those with identities that are less aligned with systemic power.
When these power differentials can be named and analyzed in specific day-to-day situations as well as in systems at large, they can also be dismantled. And it is that - the slow, agonizing yet consistently active process of naming and dismantling racist practices and systems - which marks the real work of anti-racism.
Our practice of restorative justice begins with the premise that we are all impacted by systems of oppression, though not equally so. Therefore, we have a communal responsibility (and it is to each individual's benefit) to invest in a process that acknowledges harm and aims to shift culture. At CCI, we use power analysis to identify and acknowledge the underlying needs that often drive harmful behavior. In addressing the root causes for those perpetuating as well as those experiencing harm (recognizing that sometimes, those are one and the same) we emphasize not just individual accountability but community responsibility.
Restorative justice is a transformative practice that uses inclusive, collaborative and consensual processes, involves all who have a stake in the situation, and connects people to their agency while encouraging outcomes that promote responsibility, reparation and healing for all (see also the Little Book of Restorative Justice by Howard Zehr).
We also draw from other methodologies and approaches in order to increase organizational and institutional performance and impact:
Organizational design
Leadership and team development
Project management, business integration, operations & change management
MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) based understanding of personality types
Qualitative research & data analysis
The work is not easy, but we are here to help, and we believe the results are worth it: increased joy, connection and personal fulfillment for ourselves and increased creativity, innovation, problem solving, collaboration, risk management, revenue, profitability and impact for our companies and organizations and their communities.