Navigating Power Dynamics
Creating the conditions for honest dialogue across employee groups and executive leadership – without flattening the power dynamics in the room.
Green Shield Canada (GSC) is a Canadian not-for-profit health and dental benefits provider serving over 1 million Canadians. With more than 60 years of experience, GSC has established itself as a leader in delivering innovative health management solutions. Its extensive portfolio includes individual and group health and dental benefits plans, reflecting its commitment to improving access to comprehensive, affordable, and sustainable healthcare across Canada.
The Challenge
Green Shield needed a way to hear candid perspectives from Employee Resource Groups while involving HR, DEI leadership and the Executive Team. The central design challenge was not simply inclusion; it was making participation credible when people held very different levels of organizational power.
How We Worked:
Our Comprehensive Participatory Approach involved:
- Mapped the existing DEI landscape with HR and DEI leadership.
- Held separate dialogues with ERGs to surface distinct experiences and concerns.
- Prepared executives before joint sessions so they could listen productively rather than dominate the conversation.
- Facilitated cross-level conversations and synthesized themes into concrete next steps.
What Changed
- DEI work became more visible in organizational metrics and leadership practice.
- Communication across employee groups and executives became more transparent.
- The work informed a more coherent DEI framework aligned with organizational goals.
Client Feedback
Manal did an exceptional job leveraging her consulting and creative skills while working with us in the process design, and in the facilitation of the sessions themselves.
She was able to set each group at ease during the time she spent exclusively with each group in preparatory discussions, and during the time that she facilitated the sharing with the executive team. Manal modelled empathy and compassion, and a strong business mindset, throughout the sessions and in the follow up. At our request she synthesized the key themes emerging from the sessions, and provided some concrete suggestions on potential next steps for our consideration. We received very positive feedback from the participants and from our executive team on the work that Manal did with us. I highly recommend her to other organizations on their own DEI journey for this type of work.
Mila Lucio, MBA, CHRE, GPHR
Executive Vice President, Head of Human Resources and Social Impact