The bridge between word and deed

In the quest for personal growth, social justice and – why not? – a better world, the path is not straightforward. For a start, it is hard work to define and prioritize your personal values and those you desire for your organization (just ask the participants of any Catalyst Europe symposium).
 
As with a New Year’s resolution gone wrong, however, we know that soul-searched intent is often not enough. In the workplace, when values are subverted or downright violated, what prevents us from rocking the proverbial boat? The phenomenon may now be proven by science, but it doesn’t get us closer to an antidote.
 
The distance between knowing what we want to do and doing it may be one of the greatest to overcome when it comes to effecting change. It may also be, paradoxically, the most compelling reason to keep trying.
 
Best wishes,
The Catalyst Europe Team

Special acknowledgment

We would like to thank C-cubed co-sponsors General Motors Europe AG and Shell International B.V. for their very generous support of C-cubed over the past year. Catalyst Europe greatly appreciates both member companies’ role in the growth of C-cubed, which has more than doubled its readership since its launch. (Please see story below on future C-cubed format.)

Catalyst Europe Symposium gets to the core of inclusion

On 12 March, 65 managers and professionals gathered in central Paris for the third Catalyst Europe AG Regional Symposium. Revisiting Workplace Inclusion: The Missing Link, sponsored by Sodexo, proved to be a provocative exploration of the challenges related to engaging men in workplace inclusion efforts. Through the key findings of new Catalyst research – presented by Catalyst President and CEO Ilene H. Lang – as well as active learning exercises, the day fostered critical discourse in order to bridge the “knowing-doing” gap and give participants a more ambitious, nuanced understanding of diversity and inclusion. The event drew leaders from the business community, including panelists from Dow Europe GmbH, Shell International B.V., IBM Corporation, Sodexo and Ernst & Young. Please note that the next Catalyst Europe AG Regional Symposium will take place on Tuesday, 10 November in Brussels.

Advisory board focuses on future innovations

The Catalyst Europe Advisory Board (CEAB) met in Paris on 11 March to review Catalyst Europe activities and discuss future convening events and partnerships. Special focus was given to the evolution of other diversity and inclusion organizations operating with a regional scope, as well as the upcoming re-launch of C-cubed to build on its orientation as a platform of innovation and exchange (see next story).

Catalyst steps up member e-news and “thought-starting” platform

International Women’s Day celebrated with global member panel

Catalyst Europe team expands

Media Corner: Catalyst work on stereotyping captures attention

Catalyst Awards Conference: Registration still open

Places are still available at the 2009 Catalyst Awards Conference, which will take place on 31 March in New York City. This year’s event will feature high-caliber speakers, discussions and presentations by the 2009 Catalyst Award winners. Please note that the Catalyst Awards Dinner is sold out.

Conference: Professional development for women (Brussels)

Catalyst Europe Internships: Calling all candidates

Catalyst Europe Event: Re-sourcing D&I in tough times

Catalyst Membership: Big picture, Europe-centric

Notes from a Catalyst Europe Thought Leader: Bias and innovation

“When we are confronted with an organizational problem – especially one related to deeply held biases – it is tempting to think that identifying, revealing and analyzing it will, eventually, lead to a solution. As rational as it seems to compare our espoused values with the ones we actually see in use, insight and logic alone will not likely lead to the behavior or culture change we seek.
 
This is because bias and judgment are embedded in the way we see, think and interpret; the way we process information could very well and unknowingly be corrupted so that our ‘solution’ also contains the very biases that were the problem in the first place. It’s hard to learn something new if we think we already know everything about it. And it is difficult to encourage change if we unwittingly cling to our biases, which cause us to judge and continue to expect the same behavior instead of be ready to receive a new one. It’s nearly impossible to create a solution out of the same figurative space as the problem. True innovation comes from a different ‘space’ and a new skill: it demands that those who imagine an improved outcome participate in creating it.”
 
Dr. Jean L. Kahwajy is part of the Catalyst Europe Thought Leaders’ Circle and an expert in theories of communication, interaction and leadership. She is the founder of Effective Interactions, a global consulting and senior executive advising firm located in Los Altos, California, and a former professor of Organizational Behavior and Leadership at IMD.

Double-Take – Counting on men in the “new arithmetic”

Catalyst’s upcoming report on engaging men as champions of inclusion presents a different way of regarding the business case for a diverse and inclusive workplace: every individual – men included – can lose when gender disparity exists. Put another way, when the Cost of Bias (COB) goes up, the Return on Inclusion (ROIncl) goes down. In fact, the link between inclusion and performance is not new: in previous research, Catalyst has established that the number of a company’s women board directors is directly connected to the future numbers of women in its senior management ranks. Furthermore, there is a clear and positive link between women in senior leadership roles (both as executives and as board members) and enhanced financial performance.