Embedding inclusion and equity into the first moments of onboarding
It’s easy to say that inclusion and diversity are important to an organization, but those words become meaningless if they aren’t followed up with action. Culture must be built with intention.
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) welcomes dozens of performers, artisans, and crew each year to produce the exceptional theatrical experiences they are known for worldwide. Building a culture of belonging and expansive self-expression begins at the first moments of onboarding and introduction to the organization.
The Three Musketeers (2023): Malik Bilbrew, Ernaisja Curry, and Ensemble. Photo by Jenny Graham. Courtesy of Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Building on a foundation.
OSF has committed to being collaborative, expansive, and fostering Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) as part of the very DNA of the organization. This meant revisiting the operational frameworks, business plans, funding strategies, and people policies.
The IDEA team wanted to make the process of giving and receiving feedback safe and effective for everyone involved throughout the season. They engaged Zahler Design to mentor them through a new process of experience design. They wanted to deliver the onboarding sessions effectively, empower other team members to lead, and feel confident creating new training sessions in the future.
A repeatable process.
Time was running short for the IDEA team. With only a few short weeks between the start of this project and the first actors and artisans arriving, efficiency was critical. Zahler Design facilitated an Experience Design Workshop focusing on:
Cultural Context + Research Synthesis
Training Curriculum, Activity Design, and Onboarding Agenda
Additional resources to create and ongoing support needs
Wireframe the intranet resource page and email communications
Reusable resources.
Despite the short turnaround time, the project resulted in a rich suite of resources the IDEA team could reuse and build on in the future.
Measurable Objectives. As a result of the IDEA onboarding session, participants would be able to:
Identify a stress trigger in themselves (and others)
Navigate to resources available to them
Make a connection between the work they’re here to do and embodying IDEA
Conflict Resolution Model. When differences between individuals inevitably arises, we mapped a path for resolving conflict.
Onboarding Facilitator Guide & Slide Deck. The Onboarding Facilitator Guide provides the session leader with the context, goals, and agenda to deliver a consistent and effective onboarding session. It includes roles and responsibilities, learning objectives and outcomes, and the key takeaways for each topic module.
IDEA Onboarding Resource Packet. The IDEA Onboarding Resource Packet is shared with every cast and crew member. It explains the definition and importance of IDEA at OSF, outlining how each person at the festival can take care of themselves during stressful performance cycles and contribute to a culture of inclusion and belonging.
Nonviolent Communication Resources. This resource includes selected passages from Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg and Difficult Conversations by Stone, Patten, and Heen. Key passages include identifying stories for connection and resolving differences, the four-stage process of nonviolent communication, and identifying emotional states in self and others.
Measuring impact.
By taking a deliberate approach to onboarding training sessions, the team is able to observe and collect evidence of impact toward OSF’s larger cultural goals. Measures include (but aren’t limited to):
Cast and crew acting in alignment with job and interpersonal expectations
Resolution of conflict and engagement with the resolution process
Consistency in training delivery and reduction of instructor preparation time
Cross-departmental collaboration and communication
Cast and crew able to show up authentically as self
Clarity of expectation and ease in working in the department and at OSF
Collective healing by safely addressing biases and wounds related to race, gender, class, sexual orientation, ability, etc.
Supportive practices for self-care during challenging times
ABOUT OREGON SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
Founded in 1935 by Angus L. Bowmer, the Tony Award-winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival is among the oldest and largest professional non-profit theatres in the nation. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival traces its roots back to the Chautauqua movement, which brought culture and entertainment to rural areas of the country in the late 19th century. Before the COVID pandemic in 2020, OSF welcomed more than 350,000 visitors each year with a $30-40 million annual operating budget.