King’s College London, founded in 1829, is an internationally renowned university with a community charter that states: ‘To achieve our ambition to make the world a better place, we want everyone in our community to flourish and to contribute to all aspects of university life‘.
Challenge
The university approached Pearn Kandola to carry out a new, comprehensive diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) audit.
The objective was to get an accurate understanding of their current DEI maturity and gauge their advancements in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion across the university over the past five years.
Having carried out a DEI audit five years prior, the purpose of the new one was to assess the progress made since their last. They also sought to identify new opportunities for further action to enhance key areas of their strategy.
Solution
To address this need, our team of seasoned psychologists collaborated closely with the client to meticulously design and execute a two-stage diversity and inclusion audit.
The first stage involved conducting 15 confidential focus groups. These focus groups provided a psychologically safe and secure environment for participants to share their perceptions of the progress achieved and their current experiences of inclusion.
Next, we conducted a series of one-to-one interviews to gather even more nuanced insights.
Stage two involved collating and analysing the data gathered for the audit. Our experts then compared it with the feedback obtained during the previous staff assessment (conducted in the last audit) to form our findings and a comprehensive set of recommendations. These recommendations aimed at both sustaining and advancing the prevailing culture.
Impact
Upon completion, our findings and recommendations were meticulously compiled and reported to the President of King’s College London. This collaboration proved instrumental in shaping the university’s robust new five-year Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategy.
As a result, the university established dedicated action groups to spearhead the implementation of this strategy, ensuring its effective execution and a tangible impact across the institution.
Pearn Kandola’s work with King’s College London stands as a testament to the transformative potential of our comprehensive audit approach in driving positive change and fostering inclusivity within organisations. We were delighted to work with the university to support their continued DEI efforts and overall ambition to make the world a better place.
If you’re looking to measure your current DEI progress, assess your company culture or create a strategy for the future, contact us via email: info@pearnkandola.com.
