From Band-Aid to Buckingham Palace, a glance at recent headlines shows what a hot topic diversity and intercultural literacy has become. But amid all the bandwagon-jumpers, one organization existed long before the trend. The Emotional Intelligence and Diversity Institute (EIDI) was founded in 2004, way back when new episodes of Friends were still airing, Windows XP was cutting edge, and the Razr flip phone was a thing. For these trailblazers, intercultural literacy isn’t a fashionable topic du jour; it is their life’s mission.
Indeed, Jorge Cherbosque Ph.D. one of three partners at EIDI, is the very embodiment of intercultural diversity’s many benefits. Born in Mexico, and the recipient of university degrees in both Israel and the United States, Dr. Cherbosque deploys what he aptly describes as a “tricultural” background to his work with organizations and individuals alike. Fellow EIDI partners Dr. Lee Gardenswartz and Dr. Anita Rowe, meanwhile, can accurately be said to have written the book on this burgeoning field with their award-winning Managing Diversity: A Complete Desk Reference and Planning Guide.
EIDI’s three visionary experts bring decades worth of experience to diversity and inclusion issues. Prominent companies and institutions they have worked with range from AT&T, Nike, Pfizer and Starbucks, to Ford Motors, Harvard University, and yes, even NASA.
For EIDI, however, diversity and inclusion is not just a moral imperative, it’s a business one. Gardenswartz and Rowe point out that “diversity and inclusion is a pragmatic business strategy in today’s global business environment, allowing companies to leverage the power of different ideas and build stronger and more productive teams.” Cherbosque, who also heads up UCLA’s Staff and Faculty Counseling Center, adds “Intercultural literacy is one of the skills that leaders will need to both do right and be effective in the next decade”.
At the same time, the overriding importance of soft skills is borne out by cold hard facts as well. Skills such as resilience, collaboration, communication, adaptability, creative thinking and social savvy are ‘more important than knowing how to code in today’s workforce’, according to former Linked CEO, Jeff Weiner. In fact, even companies like Google have found that soft skills, not STEM or technical skills, account for the success of their most effective teams and managers, a notion confirmed by a recent IBM study. And as technology continues to accelerates and automate jobs, “soft skill intensive occupations will account for two-thirds of all jobs by 2030” (Deloitte Access Economics).
To counter these two major workforce needs, Divon Academy, a pioneer in soft skills training and development recently joined forces with EIDI to launch an innovative certificate program for companies and organizations. The program fuses two of today’s most essential topics for performance and growth, diversity and inclusion as well as soft skills, into one powerful certificate. This six-part program is designed to propel companies into the next decade, build future leaders, enhance emotional intelligence, and create inclusive and collaborative work teams.
Summing up, Divon Academy President & CEO Elan Divon says “We’re thrilled to partner with EIDI in bringing diversity training and crucial soft skills to companies and employees. Skills like intercultural literacy and emotional intelligence, as well as mindset, resilience, problem solving, and the ability to manage change and uncertainty, are vital for any company that wants to survive — let alone thrive — in the next decade. This unique certificate distills the best of the best from each of our offerings”.
To learn more about this exciting program and to explore bringing it to your team or company, visit DivonAcademy.com or contact Consultation@DivonAcademy.com for details.
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