About this event
In this Diversity Practitioners Association (DPA) event, veteran D&I practitioner and pracademic, Dr Carolina Bouten-Pinto will lead a discussion around using a sensemaking approach to identifying, analysing, and developing effective strategies for inclusion. In particular, she outlines helpful approaches to move people from resistance to creativity.
Carolina will begin by exploring the everyday complexities encountered in current practice, which may inadvertently contribute to uncertainty and fear. In particular, as it relates to the business case vs human rights, difference vs sameness, individual vs group and change vs status quo.
She will outline how a focus on sensemaking processes, rather than the complexities outlined above, can help organisations embed inclusion into overall business strategies and guide individual, business unit and organisational activities.
The session will concludie with an opportunity for a wider discussion around participants’ own experience with embedding inclusion into organisations.
This session will be held via zoom. Click here to register.
About Carolina
Carolina’s work revolves around creating effective, respectful, and productive relationships amongst people. She articulated the principles that continue to underpin her work more than 30 years ago as:
· Respect: respecting self and others
· Relevance: it has to make sense now
· Inclusion: seeking and valuing participation.
Cultural and linguistic diversity has been a constant in Carolina’s personal and professional life. She grew up in a culturally and linguistically diverse working-class neighbourhood in the province of Limburg, Netherlands. Following migration to Canada, she worked with Aboriginal and Multicultural communities, and subsequently took the lead in developing policy related to the participation of culturally diverse people on behalf of the Alberta government. For the last 20 odd years she has worked in Australia with government, private sector, community, sports and Aboriginal organisations navigating the dynamics of diversity.
In 2018 Carolina completed a critically reflexive analysis of her consultancy approach which evolved from decades of practice. This approach underpinned her work with three different Australian organisations. The aim of the study was to explore, consolidate and distil learnings and to contribute to the field. The endeavour resulted in her PhD thesis, Culturewise Practice – From Managing Diversity to Practicing Inclusion, where she outlines a change framework for practicing inclusion in organisations. The framework enables organisations to focus on dynamics and sensemaking that takes place when diverse people work together, examine taken-for-granted practices, and create effective, respectful, and productive relationships. Moreover, the framework provides a means by which organisations can analyse to what extent its existing organisational conditions and D&I approaches may inadvertently create D&I resistance.
Carolina is passionate about enabling others to develop their capabilities and she does this through ongoing consultancy work and one-on-one coaching of managers and Diversity Practitioners. In addition, she influences managers and leaders by embedding a diversity and inclusion lens into the People and Culture, Leadership, and Business Strategy subjects she teaches into several Ducere Global Business School MBA programs, delivered on behalf of university partners in Australia and the UK.
Carolina is contactable at carolina@culturewisepractice.com, or on 0413761916.
