Inclusion, diversity and social change in the workplace

Challenge

Direct-Path Consulting is a social impact consultancy which strives to create innovative routes to bring in collective change. The company wanted to develop new training and coaching services for SMEs, particularly in the area of inclusive leadership and social change.

Solution

The project provided the company with primary and secondary research on the themes of diversity, inclusion and social value for 21st century leaders, and included evidence-based recommendations for the development of new training provision. The research focused on three key areas: Content (what kind of knowledge could be taught), Format (what are the best technologies to deliver the training), Pedagogy (what methods/approaches to learning could be used to achieve learning outcomes). In particular:

Research on Content included a review of relevant governmental policy documents, empirical research and case-studies;
Research on Format included a SWOT analysis to evaluate options on content delivery format, considering what strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats each option presented for the task at hand;
Research on Pedagogy applied a multiple case-study methodology, tailored to the company’s vision and goals.

Impact

Researchers co-designed a robust training programme that draws on the latest research and best practice in Diversity and Inclusion Training.

Extensive research in three key areas, Leadership, Pedagogy and E-Learning, spanned academic journal articles, industry best practices, business case studies, media reports and government documents.

The findings of this project will shape the design, content and marketing of Direct Path’s workplace training course, providing them with a strong basis for a stand-alone training programme of much value to SMEs.

Research team

Andreina Carrillo – PhD Researcher in Development Policy and Management (University of Manchester, School of Environment, Education and Development)
Ajinkya Deshmukh – PhD Researcher in Philosophy (University of Manchester, School of Social Sciences)
Erlend Hegstad – PhD Researcher in Business and Management (University of Manchester, Alliance Business School)
Nikolai Kazantsev – PhD Researcher in Business and Management (University of Manchester, Alliance Business School)

See more on this project

Collaboration Labs Case Study – University of Manchester