What is your diversity tech initiative? Please provide an overview.
Our diversity tech initiative is called the “Virtual Career Ladder.” It is a data-driven and AI-powered tool designed to help leaders in professional services and creative industries build more inclusive workplaces. The Virtual Career Ladder takes leaders on an interactive virtual journey through their organisation, guiding them through a series of game-like quizzes and questions focused on various aspects of the employee experience, such as recruitment, culture, performance, promotion, learning and development, retention, compensation, and complaints.
Using cutting-edge data analytics and AI algorithms, the tool analyzes the leaders’ responses and generates comprehensive reports that highlight areas of improvement, recommend specific actions, and offer best practices to enhance inclusivity, engagement, and overall organisational performance.
How did your initiative come to fruition?
Our initiative came to fruition as a result of our years of experience working as a strategy consulting and change management firm in the field of diversity and inclusion. While working with various big brands, we realised that truly embracing diversity and inclusion requires a significant leadership mindset change. Understanding the psychology of change management became crucial to improve the success rate of inclusion strategies and initiatives.
We observed that individuals often resist change before accepting it, as change can be perceived as a threat or as an opportunity for growth. Recognising this, we decided to develop a tool that creates a learning environment for leaders, promoting self-reflection and introspection. By engaging leaders in a virtual journey and providing thought-provoking scenarios, we create a safe space where they can gain a deeper understanding of their organisation’s strengths and weaknesses in the employee experience areas related to diversity and inclusion.
Why do you think you have been nominated for this award?
We believe we have been nominated for the D&I Tech Initiative of the Year Award because our Virtual Career Ladder tool represents a groundbreaking and innovative approach to advancing diversity and inclusion in workplaces. It stands out due to the following factors:
a) Use of Advanced Technology: Our tool leverages generative AI, data analytics, and cutting-edge algorithms to provide leaders with personalised insights and data-driven recommendations.
b) Comprehensive Approach: The Virtual Career Ladder covers various aspects of the employee experience, including recruitment, culture, performance, promotion, learning and development, retention, compensation, and complaints. This comprehensive approach ensures that leaders gain a holistic understanding of their organisation’s inclusivity.
c) Fostering Real Change: The tool’s emphasis on self-reflection and identifying policy gaps allows leaders to align their actions with their aspirational identity, driving real change within the organisation.
d) Continuous Improvement: Our iterative approach involves evaluating the effectiveness of initiatives and refining interventions based on data, ensuring sustained progress toward inclusion goals.
e) Tangible Impact: The tool’s implementation leads to enhanced inclusivity, engagement, employee satisfaction, and ultimately, positive financial outcomes for organizations.
What impact you have had on your target audience?
The tool is in development but elements of the tool are already being provided to clients which have had a significant impact on our target audience, which includes leaders in professional services and the creative industries. Some of the key impacts include:
a) Increased Awareness: By engaging leaders in a virtual journey and presenting them with targeted questions, weraise awareness about their organisation’s strengths and weaknesses concerning diversity and inclusion.
b) Informed Decision-making: The data analytics and AI-powered insights enable leaders to make better decisions regarding HR policies, initiatives, and strategies, ensuring they are aligned with the organization’s goals and values.
c) Tailored Strategies: Based on the analysis of policy gaps, we collaborate with leaders to develop personalised strategies and action plans, optimising the effectiveness of their diversity and inclusion initiatives.
d) Improved Inclusivity: Through recommendations, organisations can foster environments that attract diverse talent, drive innovation, and create a more inclusive workplace culture.
e) Measurable Progress: The continuous evaluation of initiatives allows leaders to track their organisation’s progress and make data-driven adjustments, leading to sustained improvements in diversity and inclusion metrics.
Overall, the impact of our initiative has been instrumental in helping organizations create positive changes and build more inclusive workplaces that benefit both employees and the business as a whole.
Please provide an endorsing statement from someone who can support this nomination (Max. 500 words)
We were advising business leaders on the benefits of investing in a diverse workforce for both moral reasons and economic ones. Kiltered presented a series of great statistics, findings and insights that prove the value of investment in diverse recruitment… in fact form, not moralistic vague narrative form.
Kiltered showed us that we need to provide motivations of all kinds to make change occur. Different businesses need different push strategies. So here we are to say that it’s both the right choice and the smart choice.
I always love the way Morag (founder of Kiltered) can share serious information and handle intense discussion in such a human and often funny way. She makes people feel safe and at ease, but also holds them to account in terms of the reality that they hold power and they’re not using it for good.
(Sabine Zettler, Founder of Zettler – strategic communications agency)
