Customized Solutions

NAMMBA offers a wide range of diversity strategy planning and consulting solutions including:

• Employee Resource Groups (ERG)
• Corporate Board Training
• Fractional Chief Diversity Officer

Employee Resource Groups (ERG)

NAMMBA provides valuable support throughout the ERG lifecyle.

ERGs, also known as affinity groups, have existed within companies since the 1960s and are generally defined as a group of people who come together based on a common trait or experience to foster a diverse, inclusive workplace in line with the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategy of the organizations they serve. While participation in a group is completely voluntary, they are generally led and participated in by a group of people within the workplace who share a characteristic whether that be gender identity, ethnicity, race, or even native language.   

When implemented well, these groups become a critical part of an organization’s diversity and inclusion strategy and lead to opportunities for members to expand their network, interact with senior leadership, expand their own cultural awareness and grow both personally and professionally. According to TopMBA, ERGs exist in 90% of Fortune 500 companies.  

There are several characteristics that successful Employee Resource Group programs have in common.

• Participation or sponsorship from senior executives
• Alignment with the mission, value, and goals of the broader organization
• Formation of a charter that guides the activities of the group
• Buy-in from a top-down AND bottom-up perspective
• Democratization such that organizational job titles and reporting structures cease to exist when ERG meetings are in session

NAMMBA Consulting provides valuable support throughout the lifecycle of an ERG program from corporate strategy and policy setting to group promotion formation to the facilitation of group charter, mission, and goals.  We advise and guide group leadership to ensure positive outcomes that benefit members, the broader employee base, and the organization as a whole.  

Some benefits of ERGs include:

• Helping marginalized or low retention rate groups of individuals feel connected through a common interest, cause, or experience.
• Improving the physical work environment for all employees through the implementation of snack areas, casual dress days, appreciation and observance of cultural holidays and observances, and quiet spaces for meditation or prayer.
• Providing a safe space for employees to discuss experiences and brainstorm conflict resolution with others that have similar backgrounds, experiences, or perspectives.
• Identifying strong leaders within ERGs whose leadership skills may be overlooked in the normal course of company business.

If you have employees who have expressed interest in creating an ERG, you feel that your organization could benefit from an ERG or you have an ongoing program that needs support, we can help you design and implement the optimal program for your employees using proven best practices.

Corporate Board Training

Board-level training on topics related to culture, diversity, and inclusion sets the stage for a successful Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) program and ensures a corporate culture where the benefits of diversity are appreciated and strategically embedded starting with the highest levels of corporate oversight. NAMMBA offers training topics ranging from how to expand board diversity to how a board can ensure they have fulfilled their fiduciary responsibilities to stockholders or other stakeholders where DEI is concerned.

The NAMMBA Corporate Board Training program offers the following formats.

• Board participation – A NAMMBA team member, often acting as a Fractional CMO, participates in board meetings to facilitate discussion between the board and senior leadership regarding company culture and to report on the progress of DEI initiatives.
• Board Diversity Planning – We will design a customized program to ensure the board itself accurately reflects the diversity of both current and aspirational corporate stakeholders. Planning includes a roadmap for maximizing the benefits of board diversity once an optimal board composition is achieved.
• Board-level Cultural Competency Training – We offer a flexible program that informs corporate boards about a variety of DEI and corporate culture-related topics including state and federal legislation, industry best practices, and overall benefits of a positive and inclusive corporate culture.  Materials are prepared and presented at a depth of detail appropriate for corporate boards.

Benefits of NAMMBA corporate board training include:

• Positively address potential unknown biases and prejudice within the board and C-level leadership
• Create a minimum standard of understanding of corporate culture, DEI initiatives, and state and local legislation among board members.  Board members are often one of the best sources of word-of-mouth information about companies, so it is important that everyone is telling the same story.
• Ensure the board accurately reflects the interests of corporate stakeholders
• Maintain corporate governance that complies with state and federal mandates
• Improve board performance through cognitive diversity

Fractional Chief Diversity Officer

The Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) is a position that many organizations have not yet added to their leadership team and yet the function is one that no company can do without.  A CDO is the person within an organization who is in charge of defining and executing the DEI strategy in alignment with overall corporate strategy and goals.  This role generally works across the organization to optimize culture, as well as respond to changes or policies from outside of the organization having an effect on culture, work, and hiring practices. Specific responsibilities of the CDO may include:

• Creation of the overall corporate diversity and inclusion policy
• Data-driven recruiting and hiring policy and analysis
• Oversight of benefits to ensure they meet the needs of diverse employee populations
• Facilitation of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
• Management of employee complaints, demonstrations, or harassment allegations
• Implementation or support of corporate change or culture initiatives

Working with a NAMMBA team member as a Fractional Chief Diversity Officer allows our clients to benefit from the knowledge and skills of a well-qualified, experienced, and talented CDO while not incurring the time and expense of adding a dedicated C-level position. Even before the decision has been made to engage a Fractional CDO, NAMMBA Consulting will work with the client leadership team to help define the strategic functions and goals of the position in accordance with the allocated budget.  

There are several scenarios where hiring a Fractional CDO may be the most beneficial choice for an organization.

1. The scope and budget for the CDO position are completely undetermined.  At this early stage in a company’s journey to implement the CDO function, NAMMBA’s years of experience across companies are invaluable in defining the position, determining a budget, and driving program success.
2. The senior management and board of directors have determined the need for a Chief Diversity Officer and have allocated a budget, but the recruiting team has yet to find the right individual.  NAMMBA Consulting can step in and begin to develop the position and its functions until such time as the organization is able to hire a permanent employee.
3. The need for a CDO is understood but there is not a sufficient budget for a full-time C-level position.  Under this scenario, NAMMBA Consulting can augment a C-level staff with a diversity and inclusion professional who is able to perform the most essential functions of the Chief Diversity Officer based on industry best practices.

A combination of strong secondary and primary research, multilingual capabilities, resourceful data sources, and thousands of man-hours of industry expertise has helped us deliver a range of simple to complex consulting solutions to our clients, thus offering a value-add and customized solution whether the need is for ERG strategy and implementation, corporate board training, fractional CDO support, or even more customized solutions.