Talent development program drives business performance through inclusion
CHICAGO, Oct. 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The enrollment period opens today for Chicago United's Corporate Inclusion Institute (CII), which helps organizations harness the power of inclusion and deliver cultural transformation as they develop and retain critical talent.
Cohort IV of the program will begin on Feb. 5, 2021. Organizations and companies seeking to enroll their team members should visit chicago-united.org.
CII is a rigorous talent development program that helps organizations improve employee experience and retention, which in turn strengthens their ability to return value to shareholders. Over a period of nine months, the program links four representatives from various levels of an organization into an "Inclusion Cluster". The participants in each Inclusion Cluster include four professionals: Executive Sponsors, Corporate Guides, Fellows and Direct Managers.
"CII implements a multidisciplinary approach that's proven to have sustained impact in organizations that are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion," said Chicago United President and CEO Tiffany Hamel Johnson. "In our first two cohorts, 78% showed improvement in cultural competency scores, and about 43% of the participants have been promoted in their companies."
When Cohort III graduates in November, more than 100 corporate guides and fellows will have come through the program since it launched in 2019. ComEd, CII's platinum sponsor, has engaged more than 19 Inclusion Clusters over the last two years. Gold sponsors Peoples Gas and the Financial Services Pipeline have sponsored six Inclusion Clusters over the last two years. In organizations with more than one enrolled Inclusion Cluster, the positive impact is greatly multiplied, expanding peer networks and speeding the progress of the organization's workforce goals.
CII's comprehensive and carefully chosen learning opportunities, workshops, web-based courses and other resources put participants on a path toward breakthrough experiences with lasting impact. Research shows that companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 35% more likely to have financial returns above national industry medians.
Organizations interested in enrolling teams in CII may contact Chicago United's Director of Programs, Doris Salomón via email at dsalomon@chicago-united.org.
About Chicago United
Chicago United is a corporate membership and advocacy organization whose mission is to achieve parity in economic opportunity for people of color by advancing multiracial leadership in corporate governance, executive management, and business partnerships. Founded in 1968, the organization is focused on transforming the Chicago region into the nation's most inclusive business ecosystem by engaging the top publicly and privately held corporations in leading talent management and inclusive diversity practices. Chicago United's signature programs include its Business Leaders of Color publication, which showcases a diverse pool of corporate director candidates; the Five Forward Initiative™, designed to invigorate job creation in communities of color by increasing the scale of large Minority Business Enterprises in the Chicago region; Inside Inclusion featuring the Corporate Diversity Profile, the region's only longitudinal study of inclusion on the boards of directors and executive ranks of the top 50 publicly held corporations in Chicago; and the Corporate Inclusion Institute, the first-ever citywide business talent development program. www.chicago-united.org.
CONTACT: David C. Rudd, david@ruddresources.net
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SOURCE Chicago United