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.