NW Diversity Learning Series

How we launched the NW Diversity Learning Series

by Barbara Deane

The idea of a local diversity education series for the Greater Seattle Metropolitan Area (also known as the Puget Sound Region of Washington State) took shape in 1997.  Barbara Deane was editor and Carlos Gil was publisher of Cultural Diversity at Work, a hard-copy journal published by The GilDeane Group, Inc. in Seattle. They, along with Susan Funk of The Diversity Difference, a consulting and research firm in Seattle, founded the NW Diversity Learning Series.

We were dissatisfied with the quality and quantity of information made available at national diversity conferences, and thought we could do a better job of providing diversity education at a local level. We envisioned an educational experience of longer duration, both in terms of the length of time in the classroom and over a period of time. We also opted for involving more people beyond the diversity leaders and HR people who normally attended national conferences.

The approach

We decided to approach local employers in the Greater Seattle Area to see if they were interested in a different approach. We contacted Nordstrom first, the upscale retailer headquartered in Seattle, because we knew Nordstrom was a well-respected company in the region and thought it a good place to start. We set up a meeting with the head of the company’s diversity efforts and presented her with the idea of a morning seminar series. She immediately saw its value and offered to help us reach out to other employers in the area.

The meetings

We ended up scheduling several meetings with various employers attending, some headquartered in the Seattle area, and others not. Hosted by Nordstrom, these first meetings were attended by representatives of The Boeing Company, Alaska Airlines, The Port of Seattle, The Seattle Times, The Society of Human Resource Management-Seattle Chapter, Antioch University, Key Bank, Foster Pepper LLP (a law firm) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The opportunity for diversity leaders from these various companies and organizations to come together and discuss the idea of a local series on diversity had immediate multiple benefits. Not only were they discussing something that could benefit their understanding of and performance with diversity; they were also meeting each other, comparing approaches and sharing stories. Over time, these meetings set the stage for what came to be a professional network of diversity leaders in the Greater Seattle area, something that was totally new.

At the second round of meetings, when everyone was really examining the idea of a bi-monthly educational series more closely, the employer representatives asked us to present a curriculum for two years, not just one, at the next meeting. This was exciting to us because then we realized that they were beginning to envision the Series as a longer-term effort, which we knew was necessary for long-term change.

The first themes & topics

We developed the themes for the first two years, and decided on the session topics. We decided to focus the first year on the foundations of diversity work in organizations, and the second year on individual skills. This plan set the stage for developing an annual series around a theme that could be expanded by the topics to be presented in the six morning sessions. The plan also set down a model that we would follow throughout the Series; sometimes a theme would focus on organizational approaches (i.e. changing the organization); other themes would focus on individual awareness and skills (i.e. developing individual competence), and sometimes the two would intertwine (i.e. how organizational change and individual competence intersect).

Year One (1998-1999)

The six topics that we selected for the first theme, “Foundations of Diversity Work in Organizations,” included, in this order:

1. Start with a strategic approach
2. Build the business case
3. Gain senior management support
4. Implement your plan
5. Measure plan effectiveness
6. Develop organizational competencies

Year Two (1999 – 2000)

We entitled the second year’s theme “Practicing Skills for the Multicultural Millennium.” The six topics we selected for the sessions, in this order, were:

1. Using cultural cues to your advantage
2. Enhance your communication with “intercultural basics”
3. Coach and give feedback the cross-cultural way
4. Resolve cultural conflicts and make relationships work
5. Lead and leverage a multicultural team
6. Serve diverse customers and clients to their delight

The response

The employers, the potential sponsors of the Series, loved the themes and topics, needless to say. They began to commit to the various levels of sponsorship. Nordstrom came on board first, Boeing soon followed as the first gold sponsor. Nordstrom became the host for all the sessions and Silver Sponsor after the first year. (The first year, Nordstrom’s meeting room wasn’t available on all the dates we had selected, so we used and paid for other venues.) Nordstrom has continued its sponsorship for the entire 25 years.

The launch

We launched the first session of the NW Diversity Learning Series in July of 1998; the Series followed the academic calendar year for the first two years starting in September or October, and then switched to a fiscal year schedule starting in January.

At the beginning, we called the Series a Diversity Speakers Series. But as we moved forward with the potential sponsors, we clarified our thinking. We didn’t want Sessions with a speech where participants listened passively; we wanted these Sessions to provide “active learning” opportunities with interactive and experiential exercises. In other words, we wanted to incorporate adult learning theory. So, we came up with the name, The Northwest Diversity Learning Series—that resonated and stuck.

At the beginning, we proposed that sponsors send the same people to all six sessions, but that idea fell away fast. The employers wanted the option of sending different people to each of the six Sessions, which allowed them to choose strategically who to send to the various Session topics. We followed their lead, and this model has been followed throughout the years of the Series.

Promotions

Regarding promotions, we printed only hard-copy brochures the first two years. After that, we moved the brochure content to the website. In time, we also added resources to the website to help participants extend their learning and application back on the job. We recruited new sponsors over the years mostly by inviting them to the August planning meeting, or by arranging in-person meetings. A few times, we took Sponsor representatives with us to these meetings. The Series sponsors were very committed to and positive about the Series so their comments offered priceless testimonials.

The outcome & process

As we look back on the start-up of the Series, now 25 years later, we can’t help but feel proud of that beginning. The companies and organizations in the Puget Sound Region took a very progressive step in 1997-1998, and as a result, have benefited enormously from the learning and networking that occurred over the years and continues to occur. As new sponsors came onboard in subsequent years, they would often suggest a repeat of some of first years’ themes, which indicated a bit of a chronology to our theme selections.

We tried to address their needs in the ways we presented the information about the themes and topics. We provided more background information and more extensive rationale about the selection of the theme and topics on the website. We worked harder on delivering skill practice and identifying how to apply the learning back on the job.

The NW Diversity Learning Series was an organic process; it started with a kernel of an idea, and in collaboration with the employers/sponsors, grew and responded to their needs. First and foremost, the NWDLS was a collaborative approach to diversity education. Although companies and organizations had their own internal initiatives, the Series expanded their thinking and challenged their plans. It helped them include more people in the process and utilized their ideas. The Series offerings grew to include not only the bi-monthly morning workshops, but also a diversity professionals’ network that met monthly — and for several years, an annual executive session.

Note: The GilDeane Group, Inc. became the sole owner and organizer of the Series beginning its second year in 1999. Susan Adler Funk, the other co-founder, left to launch a diversity network of tech companies. Tri-Partners, Inc. became the owner in 2009. Washington Employers, now Archbright, became the owner in 2012. In 2015, the Series became part of the non-profit Institute for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion, led by Barbara Deane, one of the original co-founders, and Effenus Henderson, Chief Diversity Officer of one of the sponsor organizations (Weyerhaeuser).