Building an inclusive culture

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

Atticus Finch to Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The story begins at a pivotal moment in time we will all never forget. On May 25, 2020, the death of George Floyd fueled a movement across the U.S. against racial and social injustice.

As the details of that and some other horrific events emerged, The Kroger Company, America’s largest grocery retailer with nearly 500,000 employees across 35 states, decided to take a stand and collaborate with associates and the communities in which they serve to help promote change. By October of that year, the organization had committed to 10 specific steps for improvement with its Framework for Action: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Plan to Uplift Associates, Customers and Communities.

The actions included developing an executive level advisory council, establishing mentoring and advocacy opportunities between high-potential diverse talent and senior leaders, advancing diverse partnerships, and making a significant investment in training for all associates, at all levels.

Advantage Performance Group Partners Peg Ruppert and Amy Kahn, based in Cincinnati where the first Kroger store opened its doors in 1883, had been working with the company for almost 2 decades and knew they had a unique opportunity to help them meet their new goals. They introduced Kroger to The Inclusive Leader: Maximizing the Mix, a popular learning experience from one of our longtime thought leader partners, Brent Snow and his team at 10,000 Feet.

With the pandemic in full force, however, most face-to-face learning opportunities were not possible, so Brent and his team went to work fine-tuning a version of the experience for Kroger that they could facilitate virtually. The Inclusive Leader game-based experience gives participants insight into uncomfortable topics and practical ways to initiate conversations and become more empathetic and inclusive.

To date, more than 6,775 leaders across the Kroger organization have completed the program. It is now being offered for all incoming and promoted leaders in all divisions, general office, manufacturing, and stores, and the company is considering adapting it into a learning program that can be experienced by all of its associates.

Last week, the initiative was recognized with a prestigious Brandon Hall Group Bronze Award for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. In 2021, Advantage and 10,000 Feet shared the same award for an Inclusive Leader initiative with Synopsys.

If you’d like to know more about The Inclusive Leader, please contact us or talk to your Advantage partner. We have 2 upcoming opportunities for you to attend a free public session to evaluate it for your organization: September 22 and October 20.

Plan now to join us at one of these sessions!

One great thing for 08.23.22 – Get comfortable with inclusion  [interactive infographic]
Practical ways you and your organization can heed the call for a more inclusive world