Recent Conferences and Workshops
20 - 22 March 2012
Multicultural Forum on Workplace Diversity
Leveraging Peer-to-Peer Leadership for Organizational Change
During this session, Catherine Volk and Tara Whittle of KJCG, together with Bridget O’Brien from a Fortune 100 company, presented a breakthrough approach to change that replaces traditional, top-down, “cascade” implementation with peer-to-peer leadership and knowledge transfer. The formation and intensive education of core groups of influencers, they explained, creates a critical mass for spreading any change effort and accelerating its intended results. Besides the specifics of the model, participants also heard about its foundation in Inclusion as the HOW® and how its application has gained business-oriented, bottom-line results for Fortune 100 organizations.
30 October - 2 November 2011
Opening Doors: 4 Inclusive Behaviors That Change EVERYTHING
How can organizations open the door to enhanced interactions, greater collaboration, accelerated results, and higher performance? During this session in Baltimore, Maryland, Judith H. Katz and Frederick A. Miller answered the question by presenting the fundamentals of the Inclusion Mindset and four Inclusive Behaviors:
- Lean into Discomfort
- Listen as an Ally
- Notions, Stakes, Boulders, and Tombstones
- Street Corners
Kurt Lewin Master Class Series with Fred Miller
During this Master Class, Frederick A. Miller explored key implications of Inclusion as the HOW® to accelerate results and achieve higher performance. The Kurt Lewin Series presents an unparalleled opportunity to hear the latest thinking from the profession’s most respected thought leaders - including, in 2011, Peggy Holman, Carolyn Lukensmeyer, Bob Marshak, Bev Scott, and Diana Whitney.
25 August 2011
2011 NTL Annual Conference and Meeting
Inclusion as the HOW for Rapid Organization and Individual Transformation
During this session, Frederick A. Miller presented the details of KJCG’s foundational model for rapid transformation and higher performance. Participants saw the ways in which, through Inclusion as the HOW, Fortune 100 companies have been able to identify opportunities for breakthroughs?in their organizations, include more people in innovation and decision making, break down barriers to people doing their best work, and accelerate bottom-line results. In the process, Fred outlined the lessons learned from these experiences and how they might work in other organizations. The NTL Institute held this year's Annual Conference and Meeting in San Mateo, California.
29 July 2011
Diversity Recruitment Training Institute 2011
Inclusion Breakthrough: Unleashing the Real Power of Diversity
In their opening address, Judith H. Katz and Frederick A. Miller presented the foundations of KJCG practice to an enthusiastic audience at the Diversity Recruitment Training Institute. The presentation introduced the KJCG definition of inclusion, the basic premise of Inclusion as the HOW, the 12 Inclusive Behaviors, and the Inclusive Meeting Norms. Participants learned how making inclusion a central part of organizational strategy, rather than a peripheral program, can help organizations achieve success and gain competitive advantage. Sponsored by the University of Cincinnati, the 2011 institute carried the theme "Defining Diversity and Inclusion in Your Organization: Creating Sustainable Recruitment and Retention Initiatives."
Goddard College
On 3 May 2011, Frederick A. Miller and Judith H. Katz spoke on inclusive organization development and the Social Venture Network (SVN) to students in Goddard College's Master of Arts in Socially Responsible Business and Sustainable Communities Program. The presentation was part of an eight-day residency, featuring seminars from faculty members and guest speakers on organizational and community-based approaches to the field. Located in Plainfield, Vermont, Goddard specializes in MA, MFA, BA, and BFS low-residency degree programs for students of all ages.
Linkage's Summit on Leading Diversity
On 5 April 2011, Corey L. Jamison served in two capacities at Linkage’s Leading Diversity Summit. Corey moderated their executive keynote panel and she presented an interactive session on how participants can Build Great Strategic Partnership with Inclusion as the HOW for building great strategic partnerships that develop stronger interactions between people?the kind of partnerships that improve overall performance, drive productivity and accelerate results.
Presentation: Building Great Partnerships Using Inclusion as the HOWSM
Multicultural Forum on Workplace Diversity
As part of the Multicultural Forum's 23rd annual conference (22-24 March 2011) in Minneapolis, Judith H. Katz co-presented "The Power of a Critical-Mass Approach to Culture Change." The presentation included a wealth of ideas for accelerating change and engagement through peer-to-peer leadership that yields fast, sustainable results. Participants learned how to engage associates to make inclusion real at every level of their organizations.
Entitled "Integration: The Path to Inclusion," this year’s conference was presented by the Opus College of Business at the University of St. Thomas, in partnership with the Twin Cities Chapter of the National Black MBA Association. Previous conferences have attracted attendees from 35 U.S. states and over 400 organizations.
Bainbridge Graduate Institute
On 10 - 13 March 2011, the Bainbridge Graduate Institute (BGI) hosted Frederick A. Miller as a Change Agent in Residence. He shared his substantial expertise as a change agent for the type of social justice and non-profit efforts that align with BGI’s sustainability goals.
BGI’s mission is not only to prepare their students to build financially successful, socially responsible and environmentally sustainable enterprises but also to help other business schools integrate sustainability into the heart of their programs.
Be BIG at The World Bank
Too many people believe that the safest way to get through life is to be small. In their way of thinking, it is far too dangerous to think BIG, speak out, or take risks. But the sheer complexity of today's world demands big, breakthrough ideas—and BIG people to make them happen. On 17 March 2011, Corey L. Jamison lead a session where attendees learned how to step up, bring more of themselves and their skills to the workplace, build better solutions with colleagues, and make a BIG impact on the World Bank. The specific mindsets and behaviors from this workshop will equip attendees not only to be BIG yourself, but also to encourage others to be BIG in an inclusive environment.
Presentation: Be BIG at The World Bank
Women in Leadership Summit
Linkage, a global leadership development company, hosted the Women in Leadership Summit which took place 8 - 10 November 2010 in San Francisco. Now in its 12th year, the Summit boasts over 6,000 alumni and is touted as one of the most effective leadership development program for women in business. 
Corey L. Jamison presented a working session entitled Work-Life-ME! Integration, on 10 November 2010. Corey said, "For better or worse, working mothers quickly develop survival tactics and strategies that involve high speed, superhuman endurance, and attention to a mind-bending variety of concurrent and often conflicting priorities nearly every minute of every day."
The working session was intended to remind women of the precious time to slow down and consider the possibilities inherent in putting ourselves first and the associated benefits both at home and at work. Sharing with each other our dreams, worries, experiences and counsel, we created a safe space for participants to begin to shape a plan for putting ourselves at (or near) the top of the "priority list." Participants in this session worked in a supportive community of women to develop their "list" with an eye toward prioritization of "ME." Together, group members worked to identify self-care strategies, learn how to make intentional choices, and commit to self-preservation. Participants considered how to leverage silence, reflection, and other - often untapped - tools for reenergizing.
"People always ask me how I ‘do it all.’ I’m forced into being clear about my priorities - my seven children, my wonderful husband, my career, my family and friends, volunteer board work, and doctoral studies" says Corey. "I never waste a minute. My mother died of breast cancer when she was 53. I learned from her to be present, be ALIVE, in every moment. I never use, "lack of time" as an excuse. Never. The key to work-life integration is to be intentional about what we do and how we do it."
The Net Impact Conference, 2020: Vision for a Sustainable Decade
The Net Impact Conference, 2020: Vision for a Sustainable Decade is the only gathering in the world for both graduate students and professionals to explore the latest ideas, tools, and careers that use business to achieve social and environmental good. The Conference is designed to help members expand their vision of possibilities in the world of business. It mobilizes hundreds of students, alumni, and innovative business leaders through an exciting and collaborative few days, featuring an array of keynotes, panels, case studies, simulations, and special events.
While it isn’t always acknowledged, the largest and most influential group of stakeholders in any company is their employees. Successful companies invest significant time and money in building a diverse and inclusive workplace. Leading companies have shown that with a diverse workforce comes a strong corporate culture and dynamic brand.
The Net Impact Conference took place 28-30 October 2010 at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business with over 2,500 attendees. Thank you to everyone who visited KJCG at our expo booth.
OD Network Conference 2010: Recovery, Revitalization, Renewal
The OD Network Conference: Recovery, Revitalization, Renewal was held 17-20 October 2010 in New Orleans.
With its backdrop of initiatives geared toward local recovery, revitalization, and renewal, New Orleans was the perfect spot for thinking and learning about complex change. The energy, ideas, and future planning in that city are particularly exciting and will add important perspectives and increased value to the conference experience.
Frederick A. Miller and Valerie Davis-Howard presented A Peer-to-Peer Process for Accelerating Culture Change. This presentation focused on an organization’s aspirations toward co-creation of ideas, innovations, and problem solving. Organizational mindsets, behaviors, and structures must be transformed for organizations to fully capitalize on their greatest asset: their people. When asked what attendees were most likely to take away from the presentation, Valerie had this to say: "Change agents at all levels will benefit by learning tried-and-true methods to create accountable and passionate leaders to partner in the organization’s change effort."
NTL Festival of Learning
This year’s NTL Festival of Learning took place in Singapore.The festival ran 1-6 October 2010.The NTL Institute’s vision was to bring together a range of opportunities for learning, teaching, and discovering with some of the world’s leading teachers and facilitators.
Judith H. Katz and Frederick A. Miller presented Be BIG: Step Up, Step Out, Be Bold on 2-3 October 2010. They believe that too many people have decided the safest way to get through organizational life is to be small. They have decided it is too dangerous to think BIG, to speak out, to take risks. But, particularly today, organizations need people to step up, to bring more of themselves to the workplace, to connect and build solutions with their colleagues, and to contribute more and have a bigger impact on the success of the organization.
Judith H. Katz and Frederick A. Miller partnered with participants to enhance their understanding of the many - sometimes subtle- ways they make themselves and others small. Judith and Fred presented some specific mindsets and behaviors that enable anyone and everyone to be BIG as individuals, with our co-workers, and working on teams.
"This session was for people who want to find more ways to increase their effectiveness in both their professional and personal lives.The two days focused on ways to enable you to bring more of yourself to every interaction and engagement and to be more of the person you want to be." - Judith H. Katz
Cape Cod Institute
Frederick A. Miller and Judith H. Katz shared their experiences of creating cultures of inclusion and discussed methodologies for individual, team, and system transformation at the Cape Cod Institute.They presented Making Inclusion Real: Creating Breakthroughs for Higher Individual and Team Performance.
"What often prevents people from being able to do their best work is a sense of not being included in the flow of the community or organization. They feel their ideas and perspectives do not matter and are not particularly wanted or valued. An inclusive culture is one that enables ideas, perspectives, and experiences to be leveraged fully, creating a wide bandwidth for problem solving and innovation," says Miller.
Christie Hardwick, an attendee of Judith H. Katz and Frederick A. Miller’s course at The Cape Cod Institute, offered the following thoughts:
"I have attended many events, keynotes, and workshops purporting to be about inclusion and diversity, and, frankly, most of them left me without anywhere to go in terms of my own behavior. I would often become more aware but not have the tools to change the ways that I was personally contributing to a less-than-inclusive environment. The way Judith and Fred have you look at yourself, with your own initiative and their new tools, changes the impact you are having on others and the entire culture where you work. It is nothing short of transformative! I appreciated their gentle yet firm guidance to look within and be courageous enough to change. And, by the way, we had fun doing it."
Miller and Katz suggest that inclusion is not an endpoint in and of itself; it is a means to an end. It is how individuals and teams can continually raise the bar on performance and foster an environment that is as limitless and resourceful as the members themselves. It establishes new mindsets and expectations for how people treat each other and operate within the community to get results. The result of an inclusive culture is that breakthroughs in operations and performance occur daily as people are more connected and partnerships are strengthened.
11th Annual Summit on Leading Diversity
Now in its 11th year, The Summit on Leading Diversity is the nation's premiere diversity event and plays an integral role in creating and sustaining inclusive work environments that enable organizations to operate more effectively in a global marketplace. Linkage, a global leadership development company, prides itself on the quality and depth of the program and remains committed to showcasing a collection of the most vital tools, strategies, and best practices available in the field of diversity. Judith H. Katz and Frederick A. Miller presented Inclusion as the HOWSM to Creating an Engaged Workforce at this year’s summit. Many organizations aspire toward greater co-creation of ideas, innovations, and problem solving. Organizational mindsets, behaviors, and structures must be transformed for organizations to fully capitalize on their greatest asset: their people.
Listen to the audio of the presentation
Organization Development Network Conference
Judith H. Katz and Frederick A. Miller assisted OD Practitioners to build Connected Organizations at the OD Network Conference. More than ever, organizations need to call on individuals and teams to work more effectively across traditional organizational boundaries to ensure speed of knowledge transfer and application. Building a Connected Organization enables people to focus on their partnerships - rather than reporting relationships - to achieve collective goals. Inclusion is a necessary condition that would allow the Connected Organization to break down the silos that often divide individuals and teams and the walls that limit people's ability to engage effectively with others. This session addressed how to build a Connected Organization with an inclusive culture that drives higher operational performance.