The Future Fit Toolkit

Embankment's unique consulting model

Embankment's model distils for leaders a clear sense of priorities, so that they can make informed choices about how their diversity investment can best support business goals.

These informed choices flow through into a structured focus for action, tailored to business results.

Our innovative diagnostic approach mixes qualitative and quantitative data across 3 core plaforms.

Business impact is at the heart of the model. Embankment's exclusive structural analysis tool, ThinkDifference, establishes how far diversity goals integrate with business modes at all levels. A performance score is awarded that measures the business return on diversity-related investment, as well as identifying how this business leverage can be further strengthened in future.
Establishing an inclusive environment for diversity to thrive is key to sustaining tangible business returns on investment. Embankment's analytical expertise and access to research helps clients to understand the working environment's governing logic - the unquestioned organisational culture - through stories of inclusion.
Dynamic leadership influence is the third foundation stone. In appreciative mode, we explore leaders' individual and collective power and style within the culture, and their potential to positively transform business structures, their colleagues and themselves.

A range of co-dependent and embedded factors for diversity growth naturally emerge from applying the model. They form new revelations about how diversity and business work together.

Understanding about how opportunities or constraints to diversity growth come about, from a whole-organisation business perspective
Objective, structured information on the big picture and current state of play, that mean fresh insights and clarity of strategic-level vision
A robust baseline of evidence for strategy-makers to define the current and future drivers, scope and nature of their diversity-related investment.

Together, these revelations inform our clients' choices and enable them to identify how to create and sustain the right conditions to foster an inclusive atmosphere where diversity can thrive, not as an end in itself but as a route to better business.

The overall impact is to free constraints and maximise resources for our clients, at all levels and functions, creating the blueprint for a business environment that is structured and led with deliberate strategic intent to foster inclusion that strengthens business results and the wellbeing of wider society.

Measurement of progress over time is hard-wired uniquely into Embankment's consulting model, providing evidence to reward and sustain successes, as well as new emerging areas of focus for future investment.

Reframing Diversity research study report

Melanie Allison was co-author and research partner on behalf of Embankment.

Commissioned by a panel of the UK's top diversity professionals, the study's goal was to compare and contrast the perspectives of senior diversity professionals and Board-level Executives with a diversity remit. The full findings and recommendations are available for download at www.reframingdiversity.com.

In particular, Board executives interviewed experienced poor sightlines and lack of visibility about where investment in diversity programmes can measurably add tangible value to an organisation’s strategic objectives - in the short term.

The study identified this linkage as critical, but rare in practice, leading to ‘executive diversity fatigue’ at the top of organisations - where Board leaders grow weary from the lack of visible or meaningful return on their ongoing investment of significant resources in diversity efforts.

Among the recommendations, the need was identified for “better protocols for quantifying the strategic contribution of diversity” to business success.

ThinkDifference - Making the Intangible, Tangible

Since 2007 and the publication of the Reframing Diversity report, Embankment has invested intensively in R&D to help businesses to address its findings, particularly the need for better protocols for quantifying the strategic contribution of diversity.

Embankment is now proud to be the sole global licensee for an innovative diversity impact measurement tool for business - ThinkDifference. This unique tool:

Establishes tangible measures of impact from diversity in the heart of business strategy and execution;
Enables leaders to clearly identify, through these measures, how their inclusive leadership fosters greater diversity that strengthens business results;
Validates an organisation's investment in diversity efforts, sustaining ongoing investment and strengthening inclusive leadership motivation.

In this way, the eternal struggle among diversity professionals to obtain precarious leadership and management 'buy-in' to diversity investment is ended.

There is no longer a need for a generic 'diversity business case' - which many leaders have reportedly found uninspiring.
Instead, the measurable results from the impact of diversity investment are clearly identified, bespoke for each business, in tangible strategic (not just HR) terms, in the short and long term.

The effect is that leaders are strongly motivated by seeing these results directly. They are driven to purposefully invest further in diversity to strengthen their business, drive momentum and sustain progress.

Inclusive leaders choose to champion diversity because the tools proves that it makes good business sense - specifically for them.

DiversityProfessionals.Net - advisory resources

DiversityProfessionals.Net was established in 2007. It grew in response to a pathfinding UK research study, Reframing Diversity.

Among the study’s key findings, was a clear call to action to develop diversity professionals’ strategic capability through “further targeted work to enable senior diversity professionals … to more effectively direct the long-term achievement of diversity goals”.

The Network was therefore designed as a central online resource hub so that busy specialist professionals can better access the raft of academic and other information published in the field of equality, diversity and inclusion. Topical news and events of interest are also on offer.

The Fresh Thinking Seminar Series - thought leadership

The Fresh Thinking Seminar Series is designed as a bridge to help busy diversity professionals access high-quality analysis. Collaborative space is provided to put fresh thinking to practical use, for the benefit of organisations and wider society. The Series is :

Relevant : monthly 2-hour Fresh Thinking Seminars are designed for professionals, by professionals – focused on topics and themes of current concern.
High-Impact : Seminars deliver a bite-sized boost of information and fresh thinking for real-time exploration, based on topical academic papers and current or emerging themes.
No-Frills : the compact 2-hour format guarantees high-quality interaction for busy people with fresh thinking that will raise energy levels and broaden perspective on our approach.

The Fresh Thinking Seminar Series offer clear headspace to apply fresh thinking to the business of diversity management and professional practice, so that professionals who advise on diversity can be nimble, and make well-informed choices about how to respond or adapt to the shifting terrain of the global business environment.

It is a powerful engine for innovation.

Embankment Consulting