There has been a great deal of buzz around diversity and equity in the corporate world. In a capitalist society, where corporate imperative largely surrounds profits and ROI, companies aimed to diversify their workforces when studies found that ethnic, culture, and gender diversity amongst staff positively impacts the bottom line. Unfortunately, with the focus almost exclusively on profit, efforts for equity have stopped at diverse hiring, and little consideration is given to low retention rates, employee satisfaction, and succession rates for equity-seeking groups employed in the rush for diversity. Corporate cultures are often not safe, welcoming, inclusive, or anti-oppressive, and marginalized people who are hired often deal with discrimination and other systemic barriers to professional growth.
Corporations
Corporations
Achieve transformational results.
These issues have been made worse by the fact that supervisors and managers tasked with handling employee issues are much better at business than they are at managing people. The factors used to rank corporations also contribute to this problem. Most corporate awards focus on profits, but even those that acknowledge diversity, like “Best Diversity Employer” awards, reinforce the idea that getting minorities and equity-seeking groups in the door is the primary goal, even if nothing is done to ensure they experience equitable outcomes. As a result, equity-seeking groups continue to hold the least powerful frontline positions, upper management and executive roles are rarely filled by women or racialized minorities and, with decision-makers being uninterested or uninformed about equity, these issues are never addressed.
Corporations
KOJO Institute works with corporations to help them centre equity in their policies and practices to implement diversity with intention beyond profits. Still operating with a keen understanding that corporations must consider their bottom line and shareholders, we aim to develop practices and processes that will allow them to create more equitable outcomes without compromising their profits. Our work with these clients include consultations with decision-makers to understand organizational goals and with staff to identify issues of inequity. We offer workshops, trainings, and professional development to help create organizational culture that acknowledges, supports, and respects the diverse staff they have hired.
With more equity-centred approaches to hiring, human resources management, and leadership, corporations begin to experience a happier and healthier organizational culture, a more diverse talent base, greater community trust, and a broader client pool. They are also far less likely to become entrenched in legal battles with dissatisfied employees as worker discontent is reduced.
8 Levers To Organizational, Institutional and Systems Change
- Engaging the Board of Directors
- Impacting Staffing Strategies
- Examining the Accountability Framework
- Maximizing the Use of Data
- Implementing Fresh Training and Learning
- Amplifying Communications Strategies
- Widening Community and Stakeholder Relations
- Revisting Service or Business Models
What We Do Well
- Equity & Human Rights
- Diversity & Inclusion
- Anti-Racism & Anti-Oppression
- Anti-Black Racism
- Employment Equity
- Human Resources Diversity
- Organizational Culture Change
How We Prepare You
- Training
- Executive Coaching
- Community Consultations
- Content & Research Development
- Keynotes & Guest Lectures
- Conferences
- Multi-Session Programs
Building Transformation Skills
KOJO Institute leads executives, managers and organizations through an innovative approach that reconstructs their paradigms and systems connected to equity, diversity and inclusion. We amplify the vision for change through deep-dive explorations that identify the scope, segment competencies and quantify resources required to birth social innovation.
With a clear focus on client expectations, we aim to produce actionable frameworks and solutions that ultimately better the lives your people and organization. Contact us.
What Our Clients Say
Development Manager, House of Friendship
Kike visited House of Friendship for a Leadership/Management training session last June. It was incredible and life-changing for many of us. Kike’s gift to the world is to be able to openly name and allow us to sit in the discomfort of this work, holding us accountable, but also not judging anyone. She created a…
Chair, London Police Services Board
The London Police Services Board asked Ms. Ojo-Thompson from the KOJO Institute to start off a day-long strategy session devoted to anti-racism in policing. Her presentation hit on all the right notes. In addition to challenging the Board to question long standing assumptions that are built upon racist legacies, she guided Board members towards actionable…
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Granting Committee Chair, Laidlaw Foundation
Laidlaw Foundation had the privilege and pleasure of having Kike Ojo-Thompson support our collective staff and board anti-oppression training. Our individual levels of awareness and competency on the issue was from ‘none’ to ‘well versed’. Regardless of where we were on the spectrum of knowing, she supported all of us, with patience and enthusiasm. Miigwetch…
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Co-President, BOLDforce for Salesforce Canada
Kike exceeded our expectations at Salesforce. She dynamically navigated audience demographics to provide extremely relevant Equity Training that stimulated immense conversation and insight. Her teachings should be at the centre of every organization’s strategy moving forward. I can’t wait to work with her again!
President, Eva’s Initiatives for Homeless Youth
We thought we already had a pretty good handle on equity, diversity, inclusion and Anti-Black Racism, but Kike’s presentation was enlightening. I have used her concepts several times since. Her style is energetic and engaging and she has a very positive manner. Our thirteen board members were engrossed by her work. Extremely effective.
Centre for Global Citizenship Education and Inclusion
Kike Ojo has the depth, knowledge and experience to engage participants of diverse backgrounds with highly complex subject matters that are relevant to all organizations. The sheer brilliance of her mind and ability to connect ideas is masterful, which allows everyone in the room to powerful moments of learning.