CIICPD 2023

corroborated his realisation by noting that the training provided him valuable “tips how to make their work more pleasant and improve the working atmosphere” . Third, the participants also seemed inspired and motivated to implement the knowledge and skill into their practice. While appreciating “ enough tangible practical examples that they can learn from” during the training sessions, many of them highlighted the set of nudges introduced, explained and used on examples of situations from their own practice. Many of the participants confirmed that they will continue working with the set of nudges provided to them in the form of a toolbox as soon as they return to their work. Some of the most inspiring or practical nudges the participants planned to implement into their managerial practice included ‘walking meetings’, ‘diversity breakfasts’, and ‘shadowing’ a colleague, to name a few. Last but not least, the participants found the opportunity to meet with other managers across departments and managerial ranks and share mutual experiences as an added value of the training, as summarised in the following quote: “ I liked the idea of connecting people from different departments in one training. I realised that people may have limited perspectives and here we had the opportunity to hear how other colleagues perceive varied issues .” On a similar note, an interesting observation was shared by one of the junior managers who “highly appreciated to be given a chance, to be lucky enough to share a group with a manager from the highest ranks and solve the tasks while listening to his and all the other colleagues’ opinions” accentuating this to be a “great contribution to his future practice” . He also stressed that mixing managers from varied ranks into the participant groups contributed to his positive feelings about the training, enforced his loyalty and affiliation with the company, as well as fortified the company team spirit as a whole. Sharing ideas, opinions, knowledge, experience and skills, to conclude stands as a prerequisite to breaking down the barriers to diversity, inclusion and equity. This was one of the highlights resonating across groups that signify hope for modern leadership. 4. Conclusions and Discussion Companies on their way to reaching and profiting from diversity face numerous challenges, as the findings above indicate. It became clear that diversity does not occur in the company profiles but in their everyday dynamics and practice. To present themselves as a diverse workplace, companies must focus on creating an inclusive and equitable environment. The first step to achieving inclusion and equity, as shown in the analyses above, is to learn how to deal with unconscious biases, a natural phenomenon for survival but a frequent barrier to fully utilising human potential in diverse teams in the workplace. Indeed, the analyses above show that unconscious biases occur both during the recruitment processes causing companies to lose potential talent, as well as inside the organisational structures affecting first-hand encounters, and long-term relationships. As such, they impede the quality of cooperation, and employee satisfaction, and might cause a loss of competitiveness on a global scale. Whole teams as well as individuals frequently confine themselves within their comfort zones, being inclined towards their own social networks and everyday routines. The examples the participants of this

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