Kennedys DE&I chief on the important thing takeaways of Dive In 2023

A sociolinguist by coaching, the hyperlink between language and society has lengthy been of curiosity to Dr Marianne Blattès (pictured), international range, fairness and inclusion (DE&I) senior supervisor at Kennedys, forming the inspiration for her route into translating DE&I analysis into motion. These excited about how language is impacted by social components akin to gender, class and ethnicity have few higher viewing stations than the Dive In Competition and its host of worldwide occasions.

“To see the worldwide engagement with Dive In – with occasions from Peru, to London, to Hong Kong is a robust factor,” she mentioned. “Additionally what’s fairly attention-grabbing about Dive In is that among the occasions are accomplished in native languages, and having folks discuss their matters of their first language is vital when it comes to accessibility and international attain.”

Introduction to Dive In

Blattès introduction to the competition – which is among the largest DE&I occasions of its sort – got here when she joined Kennedys in 2021 and she or he shortly grew to become concerned, quickly serving to to prepare and promote occasions and the broader competition. The worldwide nature of the competition is kind of extraordinary, she mentioned, because it permits attendees to be taught concerning the range points prioritized in several international locations, in addition to to develop a stronger understanding of how the business can work as one to maneuver the dial on DE&I.

“At its core is collaboration,” she mentioned. “To place collectively an occasion you may have a number of organizations coming collectively. And that’s fairly an progressive mind-set about issues as a result of, traditionally, folks like me labored inside our personal organizations attempting to unravel range issues. However actually what we must be doing is collaborating and speaking with our friends and developing with collective options to frequent issues.

“So it’s actually useful to fulfill folks from different organizations, hear that they’re most likely going by way of comparable challenges – after which to come back collectively by way of thought management and placing collectively occasions to lift consciousness about completely different matters.”

The evolution of Dive In

Concerning how the initiative has developed when it comes to its attain, visibility and engagement, she famous that since 2015 over 128,000 folks have participated within the Dive In Competition. As a member of the competition’s steering committee, Blattès highlighted the continued dedication to repeatedly redefine and refine the competition, to enhance it year-on-year and guarantee it stays as impactful as attainable.

For instance, she mentioned, this 12 months has seen the implementation of a ‘reverse mentoring scheme’ which sees junior colleagues mentoring their extra senior friends on a spread of well timed matters. When signing up, the attendee can select a subject – whether or not that’s speaking about their lived expertise coming from an ethnic minority background, or speaking about expertise and so on. – and it’s aimed toward bringing collectively individuals who may not in any other case have the prospect to work together and community on this method.

“We’ve really carried out one thing fairly comparable at Kennedys which now we have referred to as “reciprocal mentoring” and it’s a good way of fostering larger understanding,” she mentioned. “It’s good to see how some senior insurance coverage leaders are taking [the spirit of Dive In] additional than simply displaying as much as an occasion and actively participating in a six-month program the place they should decide to assembly their mentee for as much as an hour a month.”

The reverse mentoring program is an attention-grabbing instance of the continued evolution of Dive In to turn out to be as significant and actionable as attainable, she mentioned, an evolution which may be very in step with this 12 months’s theme of “Unlocking Innovation: The Energy of Inclusion”. For Blattès, unlocking innovation is about accessing a wider expertise pool and tapping right into a extra numerous group of people that carry completely different expertise and experiences to bear.

Collectively, she mentioned, these completely different backgrounds carry completely different views, which ends up in higher problem-solving. She firmly believes {that a} numerous staff gives a richer, extra nuanced understanding of the right way to remedy even probably the most advanced issues.

“It’s not likely rocket science,” she mentioned. “If you happen to’ve acquired 10 folks within the room, all coming from comparable backgrounds with comparable expertise, that’s not going to be as wealthy as individuals who include varied experiences, varied linguistic backgrounds, views, religions, or just from completely different walks of life.”

Variety with inclusion

That’s the innovation a part of Dive In’s 2023 theme, she mentioned, however range with out inclusion doesn’t actually make a lot sense. The inclusion component is crucial, and for her, it’s about organizations making certain a way of belonging amongst their folks, and committing to their psychological security so that they really feel valued and revered, and capable of voice and share their ideas, opinions and views.

“It’s about actually harnessing that expertise, and unlocking the variety and the potential to reap the advantages of range,” she mentioned. “Individuals usually speak concerning the enterprise case for range, however I at all times say, really, it’s the enterprise case for range and inclusion, as a result of, with out the inclusion piece, you don’t actually get the total advantages of range.

“[…] And for me, that’s the important thing takeaway of Dive In 2023. It’s not a one-off however it’s about taking away some tangible actions and outcomes from these occasions, whether or not that’s personally or to make use of inside your group. It’s about implementing what you’ve discovered or simply bringing it with you and sharing it with others. That’s the worth of the competition, it’s meant to drive change, to drive a extra inclusive agenda and it’s meant to diversify the business. It’s about turning ideas and concepts into actions.”

What are your ideas on this story? Be happy to share them within the remark field under.