The first and critical step in self development and growth is self-awareness and recognising where you are in your journey. This takes courage and a willingness to open up and to "stretch into your discomfort".
This is also true for organisations. I worked with an organisation recently where they found this step very challenging. Despite information from frontline workers the senior leadership team viewed themselves as being further ahead in their journey and being at Stage +4 of the Six Stages Framework (SSF).
The SSF Developmental matrices are part of the toolkit and they can be used to support individuals and organisations in understanding that whilst they have made some progress there is still some more work to be done. They can be used to support supervision and appraisal.
We must not become complacent and think just because we have done a few EDI/DEI workshops (or are working towards a DEI award) that our work in the DEI space is complete. If your employees are raising issues concerning feeling unsafe you need to listen to what they are saying and reassess your progress.
Burying your head and not doing so is like continuing to build a house on what you know are unsteady foundations. Sure you can complete the build and you can complete your DEI training and tick the box but sure enough those foundations will let you down and the whole thing will come crashing done!
"At the heart of the Six Stages Framework is a psychological tool that is designed to assess where individual people and whole organisations are in their journey towards understanding and dealing with the issues surrounding racial equity, inclusion and racism. "
"The Six Stages Framework recognises the importance of tackling broader issues pertaining to diversity and inclusion – not just in the area of racial equity and diversity, but also related to other areas such as cultural, gender, disability and sexual orientation. It explores the importance of understanding issues of identity and intersectionality and the key barriers that exist in terms of inclusion."
The Six Stages Framework helps individuals and organisations to stretch into their discomfort in a compassionate and none judgemental way, however, it also makes it clear that the work needs to be done.
Come and learn more about the Six Stages Framework.
Check out my book: Understanding and Dealing with Everyday Racism: The Six Stages Framework
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