Training

Why?

To help organizations go beyond talking about inclusion, and instead doing inclusion. To figure out what employees currently experience as the main sources of inclusion and exclusion. And to involve all employees in becoming including.

What?

The Including Behavior Training (IBT) helps organizations, departments, teams, managers, and employees gain insight in what inclusion is and how they can become including in their daily behaviors and practices. The IBT is grounded in a newly developed theory on inclusion that posits that such everyday behaviors are crucial for inclusion. Our training uncovers what specific behaviors make employees feel excluded or included. In addition, it provides the starting point for fostering a culture in which all employees are co-responsible for creating and maintaining inclusion.

How?

The IBT is based on the principles of experiential learning, which posits that insights are best acquired by reflecting on experiences. In its basic form, the IBT starts with a simulation in which participants can experience in a psychologically safe environment how everyday “mundane” behaviors can have a large impact on experiences of inclusion and exclusion. The simulation provides a common ground based on which participants are asked to reflect first on which behaviors made them feel like they belonged and were valued (i.e. included), or felt excluded. After that, they use those insights to reflect on their own workplace, how including their organization’s culture is, what the organization can do to become more including, and what they can do themselves to become more including. Participants subsequently share their insights with each other in small subgroups and together develop an action plan for what the organization and they themselves will do to create a more including organization.

In more advanced forms, multiple iterations of the simulation take place to help employees practice with including behavior, and understand the intricacies involved.

Conditions

• The basic IBT training lasts 2-4 hours, depending on the size of the group and the desired depth of reflection and connection to theory. Advanced trainings take 1-4 hours in addition to the basic IBT training.
• The minimum size for the training is 8. There is no maximum number of participants.
• The IBT can be given on location as well as digitally.