Diversity & OD Training
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MEMORANDUM
March 2, 2006
TO:
The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM:
Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Consultant Recommendation for Organizational Development and
Diversity Training
A Request for Proposals was issued in September 2005 for Organizational
Development and Diversity Training for the City of Dubuque.
Human Rights Director Kelly Larson worked with a staff and citizen committee and is
recommending staff be authorized to negotiate a contract with One Ummah Consulting
at a cost not to exceed $79,200.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
muJwoO U QA" r!Dl!y~
Michael C. Van Milligen ('J/f )
MCVM/jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Kelly Larson, Human Rights Director
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MEMORANDUM
February 14, 2006
From:
Michael Van Milligen, City Manager
Kelly Larson, Human Rights Director~\
Consultant Recommendation for Organizational Development and
Diversity Training
To:
Subject:
Introduction
This memorandum transmits the consultant recommendation for Organizational
Development and Diversity Training for the City of Dubuque, for review and approval by
the City Council. The proposal submitted by the selected firm is attached.
Backoround
Last budget season, the City Council allocated $7,500 per year for three years to
conduct diversity training for all City staff. The proposal approved by the Council
anticipated that we would hire a consultant to train one-third of the staff in each of the
three years, so that all staff would have participated in training by the end of the three
year period.
Beginning in July of this year, we established a committee consisting of: Planning
Services Manager Laura Carstens, Police Lt. Mark Dalsing, Housing and Community
Development Director David Harris, Human Rights Director Kelly Larson, Neighborhood
Development Specialist Jerelyn O'Connor, Personnel Manager Randy Peck, Police
Captain Tom Raschke, Police Lt. Scott Simpson, Assistant Police Chief Terry Tobin,
Police Chief Kim Wadding, Human Rights Commissioners Patricia Foster and Judy
Giesen, and community members Claudette Carter-Thomas, Cammie Dean, Chris
Doyle, Kris Hall, Hiram Melendez, Marcia Sola, Ruby Sutton, Jerome Thomas, and
Gabriella Vega. The Committee met monthly to discuss the structure for training and
the elements to include in a request for proposals (RFP). Ultimately these discussions
led the group to conclude that the most effective approach for improving the City's
ability to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse public would consist of a
combination of three elements: 1) an organizational assessment and strategic planning
piece that would help to identify areas that need attention, 2) training of city staff, and 3)
a train-the-trainer portion that would equip City staff to perform future refresher training
as well as training of new staff members. The Committee drafted the RFP accordingly,
which the Council approved at the September 19, 2005 meeting.
Discussion
We released the RFP on September 20, posting it on the City website and distributing it
to several local and regional contractors. We received five proposals in response to the
RFP, which were distributed to the consultant selection committee consisting of the
following representatives from our larger committee: Police Lt. Mark Dalsing, Human
Rights Commissioner Patricia Foster, Human Rights Director Kelly Larson, Personnel
Manager Randy Peck, and community members Cammie Dean, Chris Doyle, and
Gabriella Vega.
The committee ranked the proposals as follows:
Rank Firm Office Location Fee Proposal
1 One Ummah Consulting Fridley, MN $ 79,200
2 University of Iowa School of Social Work Iowa City, IA $113,680
3 Lambert & Associates Hoffman Estates, IL $231,500
4 TrainSmart, Inc. Rolling Meadows, IL $272,200
5 aha! Process Highlands, TX unclear
The consultant selection committee rated One Ummah as the top firm for the following
reasons:
. One Ummah's response to the requests set forth in the RFP was the most
comprehensive, and the diversity of their consultant team itself demonstrates their
commitment to and understanding of diversity.
. We believe One Ummah's approach will be effective with our staff, will not alienate
employees, and will lead to sustained change. The approach is focused on
changing behavior rather than belief systems, with an emphasis on helping people to
understand that being responsive to all community members is a job requirement for
employees in public service.
. The assessment tool is scientifically valid and will help us identify areas that need
development and appropriately target our training efforts. It also will provide an
objective way to measure our progress and the effectiveness of the training.
. One Ummah's approach specifically provides a way to keep diversity alive in the
organization not only by having trained trainers on staff, but also through the
evaluation of our overall manner of doing business, training, recruiting, hiring, and so
forth.
. One Ummah has worked with a county government health department and also with
a school district program. One of the consultants they propose to utilize also has
"real world" experience in government EEO compliance and investigations, which
could benefit our future planning in these areas.
. One Ummah has some familiarity with Dubuque. They have performed some work
with Loras College, and they also are utilizing Amer Ahmed as one of their
consultants. Amer previously served as the Intercultural Director at Loras and is
familiar with the community.
. References universally described One Ummah as having a successful, non-
confrontational approach with employees, an ability to work effectively with people
who are opposed to the concept of diversity training and who come from a broad
range of experiences, and a willingness to work with an organization to discuss
options, weigh the pros and cons of various approaches, and determine what will be
most effective for a particular organization. Several references indicated that the
work One Ummah performed for their organization was more successful than
approaches to diversity training they had tried in the past, and that their work
resulted in an understanding amongst employees of shared responsibility and an
environment to sustain ongoing change.
At the Human Rights Department budget hearing on February 7, a representative from
our immigrant community requested that immigrant perspectives be included in our
training efforts. As I indicated at the hearing, our RFP requested that consultants
incorporate the views and experiences of community members of various backgrounds.
One Ummah's approach recognizes the role of community members as the "on-site
experts" that help inform the kinds of skill development that is needed. A second
community member requested at the budget hearing that immigrant members of our
community be contracted with as paid co-facilitators. With respect to the initial
assessment and training efforts, this request is outside of the scope of the current RFP
and proposed contractual arrangement with our recommended consultant. However,
because the RFP also includes a "train-the-trainer" portion to meet future training
needs, one option may be to interview and select community members to become
trained trainers along with some City staff. This approach would provide us the option
of contracting with these trained community members to co-facilitate refresher training
and training of new employees in the future.
BudQet Impact
Our current budget for this project consists of $7,500 in each of the following fiscal
years: 2006, 2007, and 2008. The original budget estimates were premised on the
assumption that we would seek only to train our current staff. Since that time,
discussions amongst a group of city staff and community members has led to the
conclusion that a more effective and durable approach would include an organizational
assessment, strategic planning, and training trainers who will then be available to
conduct future training of employees.
One Ummah's cost is estimated at $64,200 plus travel expenses, which reflects a
savings of $16,050 if we contract for all three components (assessment, training, and
train-the-trainer) at the outset. We must add to this cost an additional $15,000 in
estimated travel expenses, for a total project cost of $79,200. Consequently, we would
need an additional $56,700 spread over fiscal years 2007 and 2008 to meet these
expenses. We have submitted a budget decision package to reflect this additional cost,
and have held the committee's recommendation until now for submission to allow the
Council the opportunity to view this decision package in light of the entire budget
situation for the coming fiscal year.
In the event that additional appropriations are not approved, one option is to evaluate
whether it would be appropriate to utilize funds previously budgeted for customer
service towards this project. In addition, preliminary conversations with One Ummah
have convinced me that we could save some money, without sacrificing statistical
validity of the assessment tool, by curtailing the number of people who complete the
written assessment.
Reauested Action
The requested action is for the City Council to approve the selection of One Ummah
Consulting to perform assessment, organizational development and diversity training
with City staff, and to direct City staff to negotiate a contract not to exceed $79,200 for
this project. The contract would contain terms that would allow us to scale back the
scope of the project in the event that full funding is not approved for fiscal years 2007
and 2008.
Proposal for
Diversity Training
and
Assessment
One Ummah Consulting
"ChanBe is Inevitable, ProBress is Optional"
www.oneummahconsulting.com
Letter of Transmittal
Let us first thank you, again, for the opportunity and privilege of possibly being a part of
your organization's continued growth and development. The work you do is invaluable
and it is truly an honor to be considered
Following is a tentative proposal for what we hope will be an on-going collaboration
between the One Ummah Consulting team and the City of Dubuque, Iowa. We feel
strongly that we have all the necessary resources to fulfill every aspect of the request and
look forward to adding other elements to the project from which the City will greatly
benefit.
Along with our proposal are resumes and brief biographical statements of the members of
the consulting team that will work directly with this project. From educational to Fortune
500 companies - our team brings years of experience with an unmatched breadth and
depth to ensure your organization gets the very best of what the field of multicultural
organizational development has to offer.
Primary Administrative Contact:
Aminah Amatullah
729 Kimball Street N.E.
Fridley, MN 55432
1 uconsulting@gmail.com
(612)309-1610
Secondary Contact (on-site primary): Nehrwr Abdul-Wahid
729 Kimball Street N.E.
Fridley, MN 55432
nehrwr@gmail.com
(612)599-6716
Again, we are excited and honored for the opportunity to work with the city of Dubuque
and are eager to continue this journey.. .together.
Sincerely,
Aminah Amatullah
One Ummah Consulting
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Consultant Profile and Qualifications
We describe ourselves as a "collaborative" in that we are a small group of like-minded
consultants and trainers who've come together around a common philosophy. That
philosophy is best described as "challenging individuals and organizations at a pace that
maximizes engagement and success." We are made up ofa mixture of full-time and part-
time consultants. Our part-time consultants typically get involved with 5-10 projects per
year. While our full-time team are usually involved with 3-4 major projects each year
and any number of smaller projects as the need arises. Major projects are defined as
anything requiring more than a 3-month commitment. This can range from an
assessment project with a follow-up session to a year-long monthly training series.
Currently, we are involved in two major projects. One is an assessment project for a
small community college, the other is a three-year project with a private college that
includes assessment, training and curriculum design. Given the current workload, our
team is adequately equipped to handle another 4-5 major projects, of which we hope the
City of Dubuque will be one of.
We have conducted assessments of various types of over 40 organizations and a wide
range of trainings with over 5,000 individual contacts. From large organizations like the
University of Minnesota, to small non-profits with a staff of 8 - our trainings are always
customized to fit the clients needs. Our training topics have included;
1. Sexual harassment
2. Equal opportunity / affirmative action
3. General diversity awareness
4. Organizational development
5. Workplace safety
6. Sexual orientation / homophobia awareness
7. Religion in the workplace
8. Successful recruitment and retention
The above list is just a small sample of the range of topics we have the ability to cover
and will work with you to identify those areas of greatest concern and challenge to you.
We will then implement a process that will ensure a level of depth and breadth of
knowledge and expertise in those areas in order for on-going work to continue
effectively.
A sample of some ofrecent projects in the last 5 years
Client
Lockheed-Martin
Edina, Minnesota
Loras College
Dubuque, Iowa
Project
Sexual orientation in the
workplace
Assessment of level of
Intercultural Competency
with recommendations for
action
Consultants
Beth Zemsky and Nehrwr
Abdul-Wahid
Nehrwr Abdul-Wahid
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University of Minnesota
Duluth, Mpls/St.Paul,
Crookston, Morris, MN
Mental Health Resources
St.Paul, Minnesota
College of St.Scholastica
Duluth, Minnesota
University of Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Hennepin County (largest
county in the state of
Minnesota)
Training and Development
on a wide range of diversity
issues and programs
Assessment and training of
all staff & internal training
team
On-going assessment and
training of staff, programs
and curriculum
Leadership program
creation and facilitation for
students of color
On-going assessment and
training of staff and various
programs with an internal
training team
Client References
Monika Helmen, Adventures Plus Program, 763-506-1272
Jim Collins, Loras College, 563-588-7647
Jonathan Hanft, Hennepin County, 612-348-5964
Larry Goodwin, College ofSt.Scholastica, (218) 723-6035
Nehrwr Abdul-Wahid, Beth
Zemsky, Phyllis Braxton,
julius erolin
Beth Zemsky and Nehrwr
Abdul-Wahid
Nehrwr Abdul-Wahid, Beth
Zemsky, Phyllis Braxton
and julius erolin
Nehrwr Abdul-Wahid
Nehrwr Abdul-Wahid and
Beth Zemsky
Aminah Amatullah will handle all of the project's logistical and administrative
responsibilities. Finalizing contracts, setting up visits, materials preparation, and
consultant coordination.
Nehrwr Abdul-Wahid, a full-time consultant, will be the project's on-site coordinator
responsible for each of the three phases of the project; assessment, training/internal
capacity, and strategic planning for next steps. Having recently spent some time in
Dubuque on another project, Nehrwr is familiar with some of the community dynamics
and will be well suited to meet some of the challenges and tap into some of the wonderful
resources of the community.
Sara Gleason, a full-time consultant, will assist Nehrwr in each of the three phases, but
will be primarily involved in the assessment and training phases (of staff).
julius erolin, a full-time consultant, will also assist Nehrwr in all three phases, but will be
primarily be involved in the training (of site-based team) and strategic planning.
Amer Ahmed, a part-time consultant, brings a wealth of knowledge of the Dubuque
community having recently been employed at Loras College for a number of years as the
Director ofIntercultural Programs.
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Phyllis Braxton, and Beth Zemsky, part-time consultants, will all be involved in the
training phases as needed.
Our program, philosophy and approach all continue to prove to be exactly what our
clients are looking for, and so much more. Our developmental and skills-based approach
are of particular use with organizations with high interpersonal contact. We avoid any
form of shame or blame tactics and focus on using a positive learning environment to
maximize participants' level of engagement.
Note about Non-Discrimination/Equal Opportunity
As we are not an employer, but rather, a collective of consultants, we as organization do
not have an employer's EEO/AA statement. However, we have been instrumental in the
creation of many organization's statements on EEO/AA and have, as a philosophy (See
attached document on "Educational Philosophy") a strong commitment to equal
opportunity and affirmative action. Our work centers on building such "equal
opportunity" in organizations and it is our hope we may be able to assist the City of
Dubuque in this regard.
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Proiect Goals / Scope of Services
1. Organizational Assessment that will define where the organization
currently stands with regard to diversity issues and that will provide a
roadmap for future development.
Response: This approach fits perfectly with our "Road Map" model
A
"Road
Map"
For building an inclusive organization
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which we have used successfully with several organizations. Assessment is the first, and
possibly, the most important intervention an organization can implement. Assessment
instruments are designed to focus on specific patterns of human and / or organizational
behavior in order to assist in better understanding the dynamics of interactions. The best
assessments are those that will provide relevant data upon which training and
development can be based. Every instrument provides very unique information and
deciding the most appropriate assessment is a critical step in any process. One Ummah
Consulting offers a wide range of assessments to assist individuals and organizations in
their efforts of personal and professional development. Our team of consultants is all
highly skilled in administering and interpreting information to help clients maximize the
information provided. This project would likely incorporate the use of two such
instruments. The Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) and the Multicultural
Organization Development (MCOD).
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Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI)
The IDI is a statistically reliable, cross-culturally valid measure of intercultural
competence based on Dr. Milton Bennett's Developmental Model of Intercultural
Sensitivity (DMIS). The IDI can be used for a wide variety of purposes, including;
I. Individual assessment in coaching, counseling situations
2. Group analysis in teambuilding efforts
3. Organizational-wide needs assessment for training design
4. Program evaluation to assess effectiveness of various interventions
5. Research
The IDI is a theory based instrument that assess the major stages of intercultural
competence as conceptualized in the DMIS theory. The instrument is easy to complete,
and it can generate a graphic profile of an individual's or group's predominant stage of
intercultural development and textual interpretation of that stage and associated transition
Issues.
Other measures of "intercultural competence" are criterion-referenced, in that they
measure how close the respondent matches a set of characteristics or behaviors thought to
be associated with intercultural competence. It is difficult to establish reliability and
validity for such tests. As a theorv-based test. the IDI meets ri1!orous scientific criteria
for a valid psvchometric instrument. Further, the ID I measures cognitive structure rather
than attitudes. Thus, the instrument is less susceptible to situational factors, it is more
stable, and it is more generalizable than other tests commonly in use.
Multicultural Organizational Development (MeOD)
The MCOD is a model used to assist organizations in developing concrete steps to aid in
its effort of building intercultural competency within the context of organizational
demographics, policies and procedures (organizational development - OD). The model
aims to move beyond strategies designed to raise individual awareness and address
larger, systemic challenges that may be impeding the organization's progress. The
MCOD assumes a cyclical change process that begins with assessment, moves to
strategic planning and possibly various training / educational interventions, and returns to
assessment. Further, it assumes that change efforts need to be (and thus, will be) linked
to the organization's overall mission and be initiated by constituents in local units of the
organization.
Our assessment process is simply unmatched in the field of diversity and intercultural
competency. We are bringing a completely new approach by bridging the fields of
intercultural communication and diversity, then, contextualizing them within a
framework of organizational development. This empowers our clients to look at all seven
elements within the 7-S framework to make the necessary organizational changes to
insure lasting change.
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The 7-8 Framework
Assumptions of the 7- S model
Productive organizational change is not simply a matter of structme. Effective organizational change
is really the relationship between the 7 factors below. Organizational effectiveness stems from the
interaction of the factors. You can't make significant progress in one area without making
corresponding shifts in the other areas. Failure in implementation of change is often due to inattention
to other S's. The model suggests no starting point or implied hierarchy. When all 7 needles are
pointed in same direction, one can say that you are looking at an organized organization.
Hard S's
o Structure: Organizational structure helps divides tasks and then provides coordination. It
decentralizes and then re-centralizes tasks through trades offs between specialization and
integration. It can be expressed in an organizational chart.
o Strategy: Those actions an organization plans in response to anticipation of changes in its
external environment. Structure should follow strategy. Clear ideas about strategy can make the
job of structmal design more rational.
o Systems: All procedures, formal and informal that make the organization work; such as,
budgeting systems, training systems, accounting procedmes, etc. Systems are how an organization
gets things done. This variable can dominate others. It is possible to change an organization by
changing its systems without disruptive restructming.
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Soft S's
o Style: Style is the way leaders come across to the organization. Style is a reflection of an
organization's culture. Style is conveyed not just in the words, but in the patterns of actions are
that decisive. Style includes symbolic behavior.
o Staff: People of the organization. At "hard" end, this variable includes systems such as appraisal
systems, pay scales, formal training programs. At "soft" end, this variable includes morale,
attitude, motivation, behavior, and organizational socialization processes. Superior organizations
manage people as aggressively and concretely as others manage organizational structure.
o Skills: What the people need to know in order to get the organizational tasks done. Strategic
organizational shifts often require new skills. It is often helpful to audit current skills because
sometimes new skills come onlv when old ones are reconsidered and reconstructed.
o Super-ordinate Goals: Guiding concepts, a set of values and aspirations, often unwritten, that
goes beyond the conventional formal statements of organizational objectives. Fundamental ideas
around with an organization is built, its main values, broad notions for future direction the leaders
want to infuse throughout the organization, ways in which the team wants to express itself and
leave its mark. Super-ordinate goals pull an organization together and provide stability in what
would otherwise be a shifting set of organizational dynamics. To be readily communicated,
super-ordinate goals need to be succinct. Producing and making meanings is one of the main
functions of leadership.
Our assessment process will incorporate both models/tools to provide the organization
with reliable data and a framework it can use in its on-going strategic planning. We can
produce a detailed report for on-going reference or, a profile summary with an overview
of the data and its significance.
The two primary consultants working with this component of the project will be Nehrwr
Abdul-Wahid and julius erolin. Nehrwr recently conducted a similar assessment for
Loras College and provided the College with a detailed report and plan of action that has
since caused a number of major organizational developments. julius brings years of
experience as an EEO officer, a lawyer (specializing in EEO/ AA), and a skilled
investigator. julius also is a certified conflict negotiator/mediator in the state of
Minnesota.
This first phase of the project, Phase A (Assessment) will be detailed in the "Proposal
Cost Estimate." However, it should be noted here that it will likely occupy the first
month of the proposed time line and will require no less than 4 visits, possibly more.
We close this section with brief responses to the questions posed in the original RFP:
1. How will the assessment ofthe organization be performed?
Select Group for IDI analysis - group selected in collaboration with client
-Using the ID! to gather "baseline" data
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-Using the illI for interaction data: To predict problems and
strengths in a group
-Administer the IDI
Prefer administration in a face-to-face context:
Enables administrator to better "inoculate" participants around issues of:
Confidentiality
Developmental goal vs. evaluation of person (e.g., performance appraisal)
-Administrator to conduct focus group interviews with participants following completion
of the IDI using the MCOD questionnaire and other client-specific questions:
Sample question: "What are some of the challenges facing your org. I group"
-Members of the organization's upper management interviewed individually
-Selected members of the community interviewed individually
-Profile I report produced based on data and interviews with recommendation
-Present general intercultural communication workshop (II2 day) to group
-Present DMIS workshop to group (112 day)
-Present IDIIMCOD group profile analysis with recommendations to leadership I site-
based team
-Present IDIIMCOD group profile feedback to organizational members (II2 day)
Results presented in context ofDMIS & focus group information obtained earlier
Action planning concludes feedback session
-Selected individuals receive individual IDI profiles with feedback
2. Will the assessment focus on individual attitudes, organizational strategies, outside
perceptions, or a combination of these elements?
Assessment will focus on level of intercultural competency and level of organizational
development with respect to multicultural development.
3. What type of report or plan will be developed by the Consultant based on the
assessment results?
A profile summary is often useful as it will emphasize the "next steps." However, a
detailed report, while costly and time-consuming, can provide the organization a long-
lasting reference to which it can refer and build upon for years. We generally leave it to
the client to decide what approach it finds most suitable to their needs. We will propose
both scenarios in the "Proposal Cost Estimate."
2. Training that will provide the City employees with skills that will insure
they have a well developed ability to respond to the needs of an
increasingly diverse public.
Phase B (Building Skills) will be co-created with members within the organization and
the community utilizing the data and interpretation we generate during Phase A. Our
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experience has shown that "diversity training" coming out of the Affirmative
Action/Equal Opportunity Office (or paradigm) is not the most effective (and in some
ways can be counter-productive) approach. This is usually what separates, what we
identify as, an organization in "compliance" and an organization operating from a
"commitment." The "compliance" organization will do enough to keep it in compliance
with most state and federal laws, but will not do much beyond this. The organization that
is "committed" will make efforts that go well beyond the law and will actually move the
organization closer toward a truly inclusive organization. To make diversity an asset of
the organization as opposed to something it must legally monitor to be in compliance
with the law is a paradigmatic shift we know we can help the City of Dubuque make.
Diversity training must come from the whole organization through a diversity steering
committee made up of employees from a representative cross-section of the organization.
Also, if the training is being developed and lead solely by external diversity consultants
and trainers, the training runs the risk of being viewed as the consultants' vrOf!ram and
not a program developed by the employees of the organization, for the organization. No
ownership or buy-in is solicited and thus none is secured and the program eventually
perishes and the external diversity trainer is the "scapegoat." We propose that, if
selected, we work closely with an internal group of employees that will be empowered to
continue the work beyond the life of the consultant contract and to provide a level of
organizational ownership. If no such group exists, we will add an outcome to the
consulting services agreement to identify and develop such a group.
Lastly, we feel it would be counter-productive to propose a detailed training plan without
knowing what type ( stage appropriate) of training the organization is in greatest need of.
We use a competency-correlated system to determine how much actual training time a
group needs in order to justify the appropriate levels of training and development. These
times vary between 6-20 contact hours. Ideal training situations will cap groups between
30-50 participants. We also emphasize the importance ofre-assessing individuals before
"checking-off' that they've received adequate training. We do not merely just conduct
workshops and allow participants to submit questionnaires/evaluations. We make every
effort possible to ensure that the knowledgebase (content) is connected to some tangible
experience to improve an individual's ability to build skills and interest in on-going
learning. We use just one illustration ofthis point.
Our workshops all begin with some ground rules in some form or another. While some
of the ground rules might change depending on the group, we always keep the first as the
context for having the session. It says;
"We believe cross-cultural competency is learned and will focus on tools people can
Icarn to use if they choose. We are not about changing attitudes but about providing
skills. We focus on behaviors. not versonal beliefs and value svstems. "
This important philosophical principle is a very different approach from some of the
more traditional "anti-racism" and "awareness building" approaches. We feel this is
11
another of the many reasons our approach is unique, and, exactly what the City of
Dubuque needs to make real transformational change in its organization.
Because our training programs are not canned programs (off the shelf) it is difficult to
present a budget or outline for what kind of training (or how much) the City of Dubuque
needs and we hope our hesitancy in this regard will be taken into consideration as you
make any final decisions. We will propose a very general training plan with projected
cost estimates but it should be understood that these are over-estimates and the actual cost
will likely be considerably less, once
1. The necessary data has been generated and interpreted.
2. The site-based training team is established and developed
3. Logistical plans of who /how many/when/where to train employees is finalized.
While the details of the "How will..." questions will be decided and agreed upon in
concert with the site-based team, we offer some general responses here.
a. How will the Consultant provide employees with skills to help them better serve a
divcrse public and work more effectively with co-workers of diverse backgrounds')
This will be achieved by basing our training on the most reliable and globally recognized
assessment data and theory. The training approach will focus on skills, and not just
awareness.
b. How will the Consultant include awareness and skill building around issues of race,
ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, gender and religion without providing
employees the perception they are the sole cause of problems or the target of blame?
Our training approach is not shame or guilt based, but rather get participants to focus on
taking responsibility for their roles within the organization. We define resvonsibilitv as
"having the appropriate response according to your ability. "
c. How will thc Consultant ineorporatc, with assistancc from the planning committee,
the views and experiences of community membcrs fh1l11 various backgrounds?
We recognize the intellectual capital of the community is a valuable asset and see them
as the on-site experts. We will utilize this capital as much as possible emphasizing our
role as providers of tools for those internally with the capacity to continue the work.
d. How will the Consultant motivate employees to be leaders in combating racism?
By creating a positive learning environment and utilizing high energy experiential
activities that call for low risk on the part of participants.
e. How will the Consultant instruct cmployees on ways to creatc an atmospherc where
people feel comfortable coming forward for assistance or express concems?
This will be done with the assistance and support of the site-based team to articulate the
organization's support to address and resolve these issues. A process must be articulated
(and possibly created) for employees to express concerns. A level of trust and
transparency will have to be established by the organization to ensure concerns will be
addressed in a timely fashion.
12
f. How will the Consultant address specialized training needs for each of the following
layers of the organization: senior management supervisory management, field
training officers for lirst responders, and rank and tile employees?
We bring a tremendous amount of experience in developing "Tiered- Training-Modules"
(TTM). While there will be some concepts and skills that every level of the organization
will be exposed to and develop - there are a number of level-appropriate concepts that
will only be relevant to specific areas of the organization. Our thorough assessment
process will provide the necessary information to best address this issue.
g. How will the Consultant provide senior management with the skills to demonstrate
commitment to diversity and to develop support Jar diversity throughout the
organization')
By implementing our "Diversity Works" and ARSR (Attract-Recruit-Support-Retain)
models, senior management will understand the difference between compliance and
commitment and will know specific strategies and interventions they can implement to
reflect a high level of commitment.
h. How will the Consultant structure training taking into consideration the diffcrcnt
types of issues faced by employees in different job categories (i.e., first responders,
payroll clerks, utility billing staff, water treatment plan cmployees, etc.)?
See response to Question f
The primary consultants working with this component of the project will be Nehrwr
Abdul-Wahid, julius erolin, Amer Ahmed, Sarah Gleason, Beth Zemsky and Phyllis
Braxton. We would make use of such a wide range of trainers to maximize the cost-
effectiveness of visits by being able to facilitate multiple groups at once. We also make
use of different areas of emphasis depending on the level of the group. Some trainers
will work more effectively with a group of mid-level managers while other trainers will
be more effective working with front-line staff. Amer Ahmed, having formerly been
employed by Loras College as the Intercultural Programs Director brings a very high
level of experience of the cultural context of Dubuque that will be necessary during
program design and content delivery. Phyllis is the currently the Director of
Multicultural Programs for the entire state of Minnesota's Independent School
Collaborative. Phyllis is conducts workshops and training programs throughout the state
and is also a nationally recognized SEED facilitator. Sarah Gleason, formerly of Wilder
Foundation is a well-known local human rights activist and is an extremely skilled
facilitator, mediator and trainer. Again, we will make use of the site-based team to
ensure what will be the most effective way to conduct the workshops in terms of group
demographics, and facilitation team.
3. Training that will identify a core leadership group who will receive
further training that equips them to train new employees as they arrive
and to insure that diversity remains at the forefront of organizational
operations.
13
Response; Phase C (Capacity Building)The One Ummah Team has been conducting the
nationally recognized "Diversity Explorations" program for over 6 years. Beginning at
the University of Minnesota as a way of developing more internal capacity for the various
departments to deal with issues of diversity and intercultural competency, the program
has since grown to attracting over 30 participants from across the country with a wide
range of professional interests and backgrounds. The program will serve as an excellent
"starting point" for a similar program for the City of Dubuque, adding levels of depth,
intensity and one-on-one coaching that will ensure a high level of skill and ability in
order to continue the work.
The Train-the- Trainers program we will propose will consist of no less than three full
days, up to five, that will focus on building competency in the following areas:
Foundations - Mastery in understanding and teaching basic diversity models and
concepts. This includes in-depth training and development on some of the most
innovative experiential activities in use in the field today.
Facilitation - In-depth understanding of one's preferred facilitation style and tools to
improve identified areas of weakness. This includes in-depth training and development
on;
· Training design - balancing content and process
. Dealing with difficult / resistant participants
· How to identify and address "hot-button" issues
· How to create a "safe" training space for maximum participation
Assessment - Knowledge and application of various assessment tools to aid the
organization in on-going developmental work. This will include developing a strategic
plan to re-assess the organization to measure its growth and development.
The primary consultants working with this phase of the project will be
, Lead Consultant of One Ummah Consulting, and , Coordinator of
Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness at the University of Minnesota, Amer
Ahmed, Phyllis Braxton andjulius erolin. Together, this group brings more than 50 years
of mentoring and coaching experience.
14
Proposed Project Schedule
The Project Schedule will follow a general outline according to our "A-B-C" process.
Phase A - Assessment
Time Period: 15-45 days (business)
Process:
Visit 1 - 1-2 days: Consulting team representatives (max. 2) will make initial visit to
finalize project details, make initial contact and survey various proposed training sites.
Focus group demographics will be established, and members in the organization to
receive the IDl instrument will be finalized (as this may not necessarily be the entire
organization, but rather a sample size that will include managers and supervisors). City
leadership will formally announce the relationship between One Ummah and the City to
ensure a high level oftransparency about the intent and goals ofthe project.
Visit 2 - 2-5 days: Conduct IDl and MCOD assessments. Focus groups would also be
visited during this visit to obtain qualitative data. Depending on number of focus groups
and logistics of the ID I assessment, between 1 and 5 consultants may be necessary during
this visit.
Visit 3 - 1-3 days: Conduct community needs analysis of the availability, and
compatibility of local trainers / facilitators. We will also conduct some assessment of the
community's view / relationship of the City's intercultural competency and how that
impacts its relationship with the community.
Visit 4 - 3-5 days: (This visit needs at least 14 days from the previous visit in order to
compile all of the necessary data and depending on the report format requested by the
City, may need additional time to prepare an adequate report). Presentation of data
findings, training recommendations and recommendations for the site-based training team
will be made during this time. Individual IDI profiles will be presented during this time
and depending on how many are requested by the client will determine how many
consultants are necessary to accommodate the request. Example; if the City wants 50
managers and supervisors to receive individual profiles, allowing 30 minutes for each
profile session, we will need approximately 25 hours. Taking 8 hours / day, we could
accommodate this request using 3 consultants for a one-day (which may be very difficult
to schedule) or 2 consultants over 2 days. We will leave these logistical details to be
finalized upon initial approval of the project.
Visit 5 - 1-2 days: Meeting with site-based training team to finalize training program,
initial training-of-trainer materials presented. Also, one-on-one coaching teams will be
set-up.
15
Phase B - Building Skills
Visits 6-? - 1-3 days each: First round of staff-development trainings and workshops
with one-on-one coaching teams to meet and check in. Train-the-trainers work continues.
This number is currently unknown because we will make use of the site-based team to
analyze the logistical process that would maximize time and effectiveness. Does the
organization typically have all-staff training days at certain times during the year? Are
there new-employee trainings that need to be revised to include more intercultural
competency curriculum? Are some days generally better for two, or four-hour trainings
than others? These are questions we leave to the experience and expertise of the site-
based team. The training content will also be developed based on the data in Phase A
and thus can not be specifically identified as of yet. However, it will be sufficient here to
note that given the size ofthe organization, our focus will be on internal capacity building
to ensure that the training is not seen as coming from outside, but rather, from within to
establish a higher level of credibility and buy-in. We will likely use the first round of
trainings to further the development and training/facilitation capacity of the site-based
team.
Phase C - Capacity Building
This phase of the project will actually begin simultaneously with Phase A and will run
throughout the project's time-line. We see this as the most important aspect of the
project - building enough internal capacity to continue the work well beyond the direct
involvement of the external consultants. We will place an emphasis on our use of the
nationally-recognized InsideOut coaching techniques, our facilitator's ToolKit, and our
developmental approach to training. These will be areas the site-based training team will
most benefit and the organization will have a much greater return on its investment. We
will ground the team, as well as the entire HR department, on our ARSR model (Attract,
Recruit, Support, Retain) for continuing to improve the demographic profile of the
organization as well. We will also train the HR department on some of the newest and
more innovative interviewing process, conflict mediation and other tools that will further
enhance the internal capacity of the City to continue this work in the most effective
possible way.
16
If afforded the honor and opportunity to serve as your consultant, we will assist the
City of Dubuque in...
Creating Policy that supports the Practice of the organization
Develop skill and awareness that facilitates a Practice that redevelops Policy
Policy that gives form to the Vision of the organization and a
Vision that authentically and accurately creates effective Policy
Vision that empowers the Practice of the organization and
Practice that gives life back to the Vision.
VISion
Policy
eEECY M
Fahelcp;
~
By BethZem>kyforOne lhnmh Consultint9 2W1
UXWl~rom
Practice
-Errploymn Practices
~cPractices
Competitive Analysis
Competitors
Although market rates for comparable work including fees and expenses could
range between $200-$1000 per hour. We offer our services at significantly lower
rates. It is our hope that by providing these quality services at discounted rates to
organizations devoted to social service and education - organizations historically
plagued with budget constraints - they will take advantage of the opportunity to
gain much needed knowledge and skill in the areas of diversity and
multiculturalism.
Proiected Bude:et
Below are projected estimates of a two-year consulting project. The estimates are based
on full participation by every member of the organization and are therefore expected to
be overestimates. The intention is to provide a ceiling under which the project can be
reasonably be expected not to exceed.
Initial Assessment (IDI) and Qualitative
· $35/instrument for group profile only (X up to 175 staff)
$6,125
· $15/instrument for group and individual profile (X up to 75 leadership /
management / site-based training team)
$1,125
· $75/hour data processing, profile and report preparation X 20 hours
$1,500
· Materials fee for focus groups, MCOD assessment
$500
· Costs for ALL materials related to the !DI (group and individual profiles) are
covered by the above fees
· $1,000 X I-day visit X consultant
· $1,500 X 2-day visit X consultant
· $2,000 X 3-day visit X consultant
. $2,500 X 4-day visit X consultant
· $3,000 X 5-day visit X consultant
"There will be no additional charges for any work conducted during a
visit. Whether it be meetings, conductingfocus groups, coaching, or
facilitating workshop - the charges for the visit are all-inclusive (with
the exception of any materials that may be necessary). It may be
possible. in fact recommended, to combine visits for improved cost-
effectiveness
not to exceed $10,000
Assessment total: $19,250.00
Training and Development - Building Skills
. Materials for workshop and trainings
o These fees are for initial printing, copyright use and digital information
sharing. As a cost-saving measure, we propose to have all reproduction
done by the City
$5,000
. $1,000 X I-day visit X consultant
. $1,500 X 2-day visit X consultant
. $2,000 X 3-day visit X consultant
*Until a detailed training plan is established in collaboration with the
site-based team, these estimates will serve as a point of reference.
not to exceed $20,000
Building Sills / Training total: $25,000.00
Capacity Building
. $1,000 X I-day visit X consultant
. $1,500 X 2-day visit X consultant
. $2,000 X 3-day visit X consultant
*Coaching sessions may coincide with training sessions in the early
stages of the project but will eventually need days and times devoted
specifically to capacity building. This would also include the HR
development work we've proposed, conflict-mediation training, and the
train-the-trainers components
not to exceed $15,000
. Materials fee for coaching sessions
$1,500
. $75/hour for logistical and coaching correspondence
not to exceed $1,500
. $75/hour for consultation time X (up to) 10 hours per month X 24 months (with
an additional 40 hours per month during the first 3 months) - time includes
meetings, event planning, capacity-building with current staff investigation,
general correspondence and mediation services
not to exceed $18,000
Capacity Building total: $36,000.00
Estimated Budget: $80,250
One Ununah Consulting can offer up to an additional 20% reduction of core consulting and training fees
to educational programs, social service agencies and non-profit organizations.
$16,050 reduction in core consulting and trainingfees
Final Estimated Two-Year Budl!et: $64,200