In this session, hear from World Wide Technology’s For All leaders about their relentless efforts to elevate the voice of the employee – essential work that helps anchor the company’s strategies around diversity, equity and inclusion.
Information Technology Project Management, Revised 7th edition test bank.docx
For All Summit 2022: WWT Focus Session
1. How World Wide Technology uses
listening and storytelling to power a
purpose-driven employee experience
Ann Marr
EVP, Global Human Resources
Bob Ferrell
EVP, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
3. Looking back over the last few years
Change, disruption and anxiety was and is everywhere
Looking Forward
We see at least
another 2 years of
chaos before the
market settles down
Mental Health
Chip Shortage
Remote Workers
Global Pandemic
Frontline Workers
Supply Chain
Challenges
Social and Political Unrest
Great Resignation /
Workforce Transformation
War on Ukraine
Economy / Stock Market
Interest Rates, Inflation
Environmental Concerns
5. • Anchored by our Integrated Management and Leadership (IML) program that
allows us to scale that culture across the globe while cultivating leaders that
make employees feel safe, valued and inspired.
• Enables WWT to positively impact our people, communities and customers.
Building an innovative, inclusive culture
to make WWT a great place to work for all
Nobody invests as much
time in their leaders as WWT.
Your employee development
program is best in class.
“
Michael Bush
Great Place to Work CEO
A foundation
of trust
Long-term
business
continuity
Inspired and
inclusive culture
No bad
managers
IML Outcomes
6. To foster a diverse, inclusive workforce and culture that helps make WWT a great place to work for all
while positively impacting the communities where we live, work and play.
Vision
Head
Shot
Workforce Diversity
Business Impact
Community Engagement
Outcomes
Advisory Council
Bob Ferrell
EVP, D&I and Strategy
Ann Marr
EVP, Global Human
Resources
Erika Schenk
General Counsel & EVP of
Compliance
Shannon Lassen
D&I Program Manager
Emily Robinson
D&I Program Manager
Actions
Listening Sessions
Committed to understanding
our employees’ thoughts and
feelings
IML D&I Training
Focused on awareness,
unconscious bias, difficult
conversations and empathy
D&I Focus
Recruiting, retention and
development
Community Outreach
Giving back, creating
opportunity and development,
making the world a better
place
Employee Resource
Groups
Listening, learning and
connecting to strengthen our
diversity
Supplier Diversity
Helping develop and sustain
diverse businesses
WWT Storytellers
Building awareness, growth
and connections through real
stories and experiences
Dedicated D&I Team
Works closely with HR and
Executive Leadership
Mental Health
Diversity & Inclusion Strategic Plan
7. To foster a diverse, inclusive workforce and culture that helps make WWT a great place to work for all
while positively impacting the communities where we live, work and play.
Vision
Head
Shot
Workforce Diversity
Business Impact
Community Engagement
Outcomes
Advisory Council
Bob Ferrell
EVP, D&I and Strategy
Ann Marr
EVP, Global Human
Resources
Erika Schenk
General Counsel & EVP of
Compliance
Shannon Lassen
D&I Program Manager
Emily Robinson
D&I Program Manager
Actions
Listening Sessions
Committed to understanding
our employees’ thoughts and
feelings
IML D&I Training
Focused on awareness,
unconscious bias, difficult
conversations and empathy
D&I Focus
Recruiting, retention and
development
Community Outreach
Giving back, creating
opportunity and development,
making the world a better
place
Employee Resource
Groups
Listening, learning and
connecting to strengthen our
diversity
Supplier Diversity
Helping develop and sustain
diverse businesses
WWT Storytellers
Building awareness, growth
and connections through real
stories and experiences
Dedicated D&I Team
Works closely with HR and
Executive Leadership
Mental Health
Diversity & Inclusion Strategic Plan
8. • Our Listening Sessions initiative began with informal feedback sessions our
employees hosted after the death of George Floyd.
• Formal sessions for the entire global workforce were created and facilitated by
members of our executive team.
• Listening Sessions were key to creating continuous feedback between leadership
and our workforce, which is crucial to fostering a sense of belonging.
How Did Listening Sessions Start?
9. EMPATHY
Empathy is NOT Sympathy!
Empathy is the ability to share the
perspective of another, to stay out
of judgement, to understand
another person's feelings, and to
communicate the understanding
of that person's feelings.
EMPATHETIC
LISTENING SKILLS:
1. Be Present –
Quiet your Mind and Voice
2. Connect with the Person
3. Acknowledge their Feelings
4. Show them Understanding
5. Provide Empathetic Responses
EMPATHETIC RESPONSES:
1. Understanding vs. Dominating
2. Recognizing vs. Avoiding
3. Accepting vs. Judging
D & I S K I L L S A N D B E H AV I O RS
10. • 90-Minute Sessions
• 1 - 2 Sessions per week
• Focus/Select topics
• Performed by the Executives
• Assisted by D&I Team
• Supported by the Learning Team
• Quarterly Broadcast (Feedback)
Listening Session
2020 - 2022 Listening
Sessions
5,600 ATTENDEES
264 SESSIONS
Listening Sessions YTD
Top Topics
Work and WFH/Return to Work
Social Unrest
Great Resignation / Transformation
Diversity / Diversity Hires
Benefits / Career Structure
COVID/Mental Health
11. LISTENING SESSIONS
Aspire Program
Management Foundations
Promotion Awareness
Identify, Develop
and Promote More of
our Diverse Employees
Listening Sessions
Storytelling
Corporate Updates
Townhalls
Maintain employee
communication and
collaboration
Increase Candidate Pools
Interview Panels
Internship Program
Executive Accountability
Be More Intentional
with our Diverse
Recruitment and
Hiring Process
IML D&I Training
Employee Resource Groups
Heightened Awareness
and Training on
Diversity & Inclusion
WWT Connection
Employee Involvement
Improved Tracking
On-going Visibility
to our Community
Outreach Initiatives
What Are We Hearing:
What Are We Doing:
14. To foster a diverse, inclusive workforce and culture that helps make WWT a great place to work for all
while positively impacting the communities where we live, work and play.
Vision
Head
Shot
Workforce Diversity
Business Impact
Community Engagement
Outcomes
Advisory Council
Bob Ferrell
EVP, D&I and Strategy
Ann Marr
EVP, Global Human
Resources
Erika Schenk
General Counsel & EVP of
Compliance
Shannon Lassen
D&I Program Manager
Emily Robinson
D&I Program Manager
Actions
Listening Sessions
Committed to understanding
our employees’ thoughts and
feelings
IML D&I Training
Focused on awareness,
unconscious bias, difficult
conversations and empathy
D&I Focus
Recruiting, retention and
development
Community Outreach
Giving back, creating
opportunity and development,
making the world a better
place
Employee Resource
Groups
Listening, learning and
connecting to strengthen our
diversity
Supplier Diversity
Helping develop and sustain
diverse businesses
WWT Storytellers
Building awareness, growth
and connections through real
stories and experiences
Dedicated D&I Team
Works closely with HR and
Executive Leadership
Mental Health
Diversity & Inclusion Strategic Plan
15. • We learned a lot from employees in our Listening Sessions, including compelling,
heartfelt and emotional stories about their lives.
• With the support and willingness of our employees, we wanted to capture these
stories and use them as educational opportunities for other employees at WWT.
• We started with a small pilot group whom we encouraged to share stories (either
through video, written, etc.) to learn, educate and inspire others.
How Did Storytellers Start?
16. WWT Pride Virtual Event
WWT Speaker Series
Presents: Chely Wright
Hispanics in Tech Event
WWT Storytellers is a forum for employees to
share their stories of challenge, growth,
inspiration and triumph to help connect our
employees globally.
• Employees can submit stories as videos, essays,
poems, artwork, and many other mediums
• The DEI team will work with any interested
storytellers to guide them through the process
• Stories are submitted and shared through an
internal SharePoint page which includes detailed
instructions, ideas and best practices for
storytellers
• The WWT Storytelling repository has over 4,500
views
17. THE POWER OF STORYTELLING
Effective storytelling increases empathy, which can lead to change. When employees feel
safe and valued, they are more likely to make meaningful contributions to their teams,
invest in their physical, mental and financial health, and seek ways to improve the
community.
Taylor Cooper
Jay Santiago Shay Gillespie Doug Yokoyama
“This is Part of My Story”
19. STORY LISTENING EXERCISE
Individually (2 mins.)
• Review the story prompts below
• Select one
• Be ready to share your 2-3 min. story in the breakout group
Story Prompts
A. Tell a story about a person (ex: mentor, leader, friend, teacher) in your life who was
influential in your growth.
B. Tell a story of a time when you took a risk connecting with another human being. What
happened, and if given the chance, what would you do differently?
C. Tell a story about a time when someone challenged you to be better. How were you
challenged and what was the result?
D. Describe a small act of kindness that you received from another and the impact it had on
your life.
E. Share a story about a time that you weren’t included. What was the impact on you?
Breakout Group (15-20 mins.)
• One person will share their 2-3 min. story while their partner listens empathetically
• Partner listens to the story and responds with empathy
• Partners switch roles and repeat the exercise
20. Call To Action
1 2 3
Identify the feedback
mechanisms in your
organization. How are you
collecting information from
your employees, and does it
help foster a sense of
belonging?
Identify opportunity for
storytelling in your
organization. Look beyond
business/process
improvement as an outcome
and toward opportunities to
forge connection and foster
empathy.
Leadership buy-in is crucial
– does your executive
leadership understand the
value of listening and
storytelling?
Editor's Notes
`
Living with COVID/WWT’s Return to Office
Global Supply Chain Constraints
WWT’s Support for Ukraine, (introduce Ukraine Video)
Business Strong
Behind each of our successes is a team, inspired and empowered by an inclusive culture. One that is built on trust and aims to help each of our 7,000+ employees reach their full potential while catapulting WWT to ours. The foundation of our culture is our Integrated Management and Leadership program. Anchored by the vision of being the best technology solution provider in the world and the mission to create a profitable growth company that is also a great place to work for all, our IML program is an ongoing investment in the growth and development of our team so they can better serve our customers..
And, that investment has proven to be a sound one. Our employees—and the business world at large—repeatedly recognize our culture, a culture where employees feel safe, valued and inspired to offer diverse ideas, collaborate freely and innovate.
Leadership wanted to connect with our employees on a personal level, specifically our Black employees.
During these sessions, candid discussions across a variety of topics resulted in actionable recommendations we have effectively included in our programs.
Topic-specific sessions have proven to be particularly popular, confirming our teammates are looking for opportunities for connection and discussion.
PURPOSE OF SLIDE (Recommended Time: 3-5 mins.)
With the group's input, briefly define Empathy and highlight key skills + examples of empathetic listening.
KEY TALKING POINTS
Ask the question. (Q) – So, what stood out to you from the video? Take a few minutes and allow the group to respond. Click the animation/definition and fill in any gaps they may have missed.
Empathy is pretty straightforward to understand, but not always easy to put into practice. The good news here is that there are some practical skills to help shift into a more empathetic space.
Click the animation/skills. Take a minute to read through the skills and responses, and we'll talk about them. Allow the group to read through the verbiage.
Ask the question. (Q) – What stands out to you in either of these lists, and why? Take a few minutes and allow the group to respond. Allow for the discussion to incorporate the perspectives of the group. Adjust as necessary based upon the group’s response.
Thank you all for sharing your perspectives – empathy is obviously a key component of what we're doing not only with D&I at WWT, but more broadly in how we are expected to work with one another. We're going to take an additional look at empathy on the next slide.
Great stuff and thank you for all of your input and perspective on empathy and why it matters. It's clearly foundational to how we need to continue to move forward in this space. With that in mind, we are going to have you do one final exercise to help reinforce the idea that empathy is a skill that can be learned, practiced, and improved upon.
ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
If time allows, ask the group What tends to get in our way or prevent us from being empathetic or listening empathetically?
Employees shared stories about racism, struggles growing up, perspectives on working at WWT, personal challenges, and many other insights.
Storytelling has become an important part of D&I as it greatly informs our ability to listen, learn and act. The willingness of our storytellers to be vulnerable as well as the enthusiasm of those who watch or read these stories created a greater connection that reached across departments, regions and countries.
