The one where we demystified diversity with 50:50 Future
If we aren’t intersectional, some of us, the most vulnerable, are going to fall through the cracks. Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw
We had the pleasure of working with 50:50 Future and together we helped Demystify Diversity using LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®.
50:50 Future exist to be a catalyst for inclusion by demystifying diversity and providing solutions to break down barriers. An important aspect of how they work with organisations is their focus on ensuring the DE&I agenda is owned at the top and led from the bottom up. This is one reason why we were really excited to use LEGO® bricks in this workshop as the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology is all about including every voice by seeing, hearing, and feeling all perspectives.
But before we jump in, what’s DE&I? We see diversity, equity, and inclusion as the holistic approach that ensures individuals feel that they belong, whether it be in an organisational setting or otherwise. In the work 50:50 Future do, they approach it holistically too using their Seven Steps to Better Balance™ framework, helping organisations improve their performance in a way that aligns to vision, mission, and values.
And why should business care about this? Matthew Syed, in his book Rebel Ideas, highlights that people from different backgrounds see things in different ways. He demonstrates that mixed teams can solve complex problems when they bring insights from their diverse experiences. Interestingly he also cites that companies founded by immigrants survive longer and grow faster. McKinsey share some good data looking at financial outperformance through the lens of gender and ethnicity diversity. More worryingly, in January 2021 an Employment Tribunal awarded £2.5m following a finding against an employer for unfair dismissal and disability discrimination. The Centre for Economics and Business Research, based on 2018 data, reference that workplace discrimination could be costing the UK economy £127bn per year in lost productivity! We wonder if this was made worse during the pandemic and home working? Another study by the Boston Consulting Group found that companies with more diverse management teams have 19% higher revenues due to innovation. We keep coming back to the moral argument though – work will just be a nicer and kinder place to be, right?
The LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® approach fosters connectivity and shared understanding. It enables psychological safety, creating a space that involves everybody, encourages learning, contribution, and healthy challenge. Therefore, tapping into the expertise of 50:50 Future and exploring DE&I using LEGO® bricks, was super exciting.
With every LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® workshop, we start by helping people familiarise with the LEGO® bricks – it’s called the skills build. Part of this involved building a model of what DE&I meant for each person. It may be easy to cite a dictionary definition but seeing and hearing the stories that people told through their model helped everyone understand more about them and their experiences. It is also served to get everyone aligned very quickly and on the same page, further supported by 50:50 Future insight and thought leadership.
The group then individually built as many models, in rapid build mode, that represented what a non-inclusive or diverse organisation would be doing. Whilst no LEGO® Masters are required in the sessions we facilitate, some of the builds were exceptional, including the non-listening ear!
Other similar exercises that you can do back in the workplace include TRIZ, whereby you consider all the things that need to happen to achieve the worst possible result.
We asked the participants to place their builds on a continuum (a landscape) and discuss their models in relation to how big of an impact these actions have on DE&I, whilst also reflecting on who mainly influences them (individual, team, or organisation). The two groups told their story to the plenary, so everyone got to see and hear all perspectives.
50:50 Future continued the discussion addressing things like unconscious bias and their vast experience working with many organisations in this space.
We then moved to future state thinking and the group-built models representing actions, behaviours, and intent, that address the problems identified. The staircase of transparency was a particularly memorable story representing openness and honesty whilst also providing multiple support structures to help people progress, overcome barriers, and be the best they can be.
The group combined the most important part of their builds to create a shared model of what needs to happen – a physical representation of what an organisation would be doing if leading the DE&I agenda.
In less than 3 hours, we were able to delve deep into discussion surrounding DE&I and create a collective view, including every person’s perspective, on what great looks like. 50:50 Future consolidated further, drawing out first-step actions aligned to their Seven Steps to Better Balance™ framework.
We set out to Demystify Diversity using LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® and it resulted in some awesome builds and generated fantastic discussion.
Thank you to 50:50 Future. If you are serious about DE&I in your organisation, then get in touch with them via here or email.
Also visit www.prometheanplay.co.uk to see how building together could shape your organisation for the better.
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