A facilitator delivering an inclusive behaviours workshop using drama based training, voting technology and facilitated sessions.

Creating an Inclusive Culture

Task

To kick start cultural change within the university we developed a ‘Creating an Inclusive Culture’ programme.

What we did

We hosted focus groups with HR, management and staff. This enabled us to get 360° perspective on the organisation, its culture and what they viewed as their collective priorities for behaviour change and education.

Solution

We designed and delivered sessions incorporating drama based training with carefully constructed characters, focusing on inclusive behaviours, respect, and value in the workplace, but also reflecting the diversity in the team. Enabling the teams to identify what works and what needs to be improved to support more inclusive working practises for all.

As a part of the training the participants produced action plans for their own growth and for the team, these are actions points that they take from the learning which will assist in addressing cultural change within the organisation.

Result

The training captured the need for the organisation to communicate and learn from their colleagues, with much of the feedback being how valuable it was to have the conversation and open a discourse across the department.
The organisation was provided with an in-depth evaluation, observation and recommendation report, with the full feedback from the sessions on key action and next steps.

Topics

Values, standards & behaviours
Banter
Bullying and harassment
Challenging unacceptable behaviour

A focus group challenging unacceptable behaviour and discussing amongst each other.

What next...

We also held further training programmes for other departments within the University of Bedfordshire involving, Inclusive Recruitment and Inclusive Team Working.

Inclusive Recruitment

Task

To address the need to ensure that recruitment decisions were unbiased, objective and fair.

What we did

Following focus groups with HR, managers, Deans and student recruitment team, we designed a training programme focusing on unconscious bias, preconceptions, awareness of verbal and non-verbal communication and perception vs intention. Student groups were also consulted to ensure their recruitment experience was reflected.

In addition to the focus groups and to allow for open honest feedback, we sent out a survey monkey where staff and managers alike could fill out the questions anonymously, with specific focus on the recruitment process and their opinions on what works well, what doesn’t and what they need support on.

Solution

We devised a training programme supported by interactive workshops and a facilitated discussion surrounding implicit bias, micro-aggressions, and micro-inequities.

We scripted a live scenario enabling the participants to see their points raised in the research stage come to life and be observed. We continued to use actors throughout the training, with Hotseating so the participants can question the character’s but also through forum theatre where the delegates try out the learning, using Stop, Rewind, Play, Check – In, they are able to re-orienteer the scene through the interviewer and then check to see how it is landing with the student character.

Topics

Impact of language and nonverbal communication
Unconscious bias
Challenge own perceptions.
Revaluating preconceptions
Potential in diversity
Implicit Bias

Live drama based inclusive recruitment training demonstrating typical obsticles or behaviours observed.

What next...

We also held further training programmes for other departments within the University of Bedfordshire involving, Creating an Inclusive Culture and Inclusive Team Working.

Result

A post training survey was sent to all the delegates. When asked as a result of the training “I understand the value of inclusive recruitment” 89.5% either agreed or strongly agreed.
When asked “How would you rate the session overall?” 81.59% said that it was either Extremely Valuable or Very Valuable.

Team Building

Task

To improve productivity, team cohesion, inclusion, and communication.

What we did

Following an appraisal of the current culture within the team, we identified what was working well, and unpacked those areas inhibiting productive team working.

Solution

The solution had two elements. The first involved the management team, with managers being individually and collectively coached on management and communication styles. The Management workshop was facilitator led and explored the results from a management exercise they had all completed. This enabled managers to acknowledge each other’s similarities and differences and devise their own individual, team, and department action plans.

For the staff training we developed a play to reflect a dramatized version of their working environment. Using the actor led scenario as a focal point for discussion around their workplace behaviours and culture and finding mutual agreement around their shared values and vision. An action plan was produced which identify what staff needed to address and what was needed from the management team to build a better, more productive and collaborative team.

Result

From both training sessions we were able to deliver an in depth report sharing what had been agreed by managers and teams that their next action points and steps were to be. Here you can see an overlap in what both managers and staff would like to achieve.
The report included facilitator observations and feedback to detail heard within the session (all anonymous to the individual).

Topics

Workplace Culture
Inclusive Team working
Team Building
Communication skills

Team building scenario, demonstrating working together to resolve conflict

What next...

We also held further training programmes for other departments within the University of Bedfordshire involving, Creating an Inclusive Culture and Inclusive Recruitment.