Operationalizing Equity & Inclusion

The Challenge

Most established ways of working reinforce patriarchy and white supremacy. They uphold an inequitable status quo that keeps individuals and organizations from doing their best work.

How We Help

We’ll help you operationalize equity and inclusion through changes that are technical (policies and practices) and relational (values and mindsets). By adopting new ways of working helps that redistribute power, redefine professionalism, and are radically inclusive, we can get better business results and create a more just world.

Our Experience

We’ve guided nonprofit, philanthropic, and corporate organizations of all sizes to make impactful changes around equity and inclusion, shifting from good intentions to meaningful practices that create tangible change. This shift leads to increased authenticity, empathy, and trust, better decision making, and retention of top talent.

“August was instrumental in helping us set the foundation for a more inclusive team. Their tools and techniques to identify inequity in the workplace such as unconscious bias and microaggressions were simple, yet effective. The team has wholeheartedly adopted the August principles and we look forward to sharing these with our broader organization.”

— Imtiaz Hussain, Senior Director at Bayer Pharmaceuticals

In the words of our partners

Client Spotlight

Bayer Pharmaceuticals wanted to increase inclusion and innovation, but had done little education and reflection about how bias and oppression affect its employees. It made a new commitment to diversity and inclusion but needed support with foundational training.

We co-designed an interactive training series that covered three key concepts: Implicit Bias, Microaggressions, and Psychological Safety alongside a toolkit of 14 everyday inclusion practices. The everyday practices included a focus on Vs. Impact, Rounds, Decision-Making Checklist, Microaffirmations, and more. This foundational training gave participants common language, understanding, and practical actions they could begin to use right away.

Over the course of a year, we trained 530 leaders across the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific in 15-person cohorts. Participants reported that their new language and skills will help them more effectively lead diverse teams. Participants said they were very likely to recommend the training (8.5 out of 10).