Diversity Icebreaker

Our market surveys indicate that the use of the Diversity Icebreaker in team and project work is one of the tool's most frequent areas of application.

In order to succeed, the team members need to be aware of their similarities and differences, acknowledge each other's uniqueness and be clear about the roles and processes they operate within. 

The Diversity Icebreaker can bring a unique value to team-building and team-development processes:
 

• the positive atmosphere of the workshop and the Diversity Icebreaker's three colours (Red, Blue and Green) complementary and egalitarian character makes the process of mapping differences in the team a painless, functional and a remarkable experience;

• it can serve as an alternative team role model: Red, Blue and Green bear relevance to different tasks and responsibility areas and can be used to better understand nature of the different stages of team-work and help to create a self-managed team;

• the shared language created by the participants in the workshop adds a new value, enhancing clear communication and shared identity.

The Diversity Icebreaker classic workshop and follow-up activities can be applied to start a new team from scratch as well to revitalise or help a well functioning one in becoming even better.

► Case studies

Read a case study where the Diversity Icebreaker was used to establish ground for clarification of key business processes in cross-professional teams in a research oriented pharmaceutical company. The case features an interesting application of one- and multi-colour workshop groups in follow-up exercises after the workshop.

More case studies

The differences in the way we communicate with others are in the centre of the Diversity Icebreaker. A communication training is a robust application of the concept in practice.

The history of the Diversity Icebreaker is rooted in an original marketing campaign and following consultant training. The different ways people perceive information were categorized in order to enable a more efficient and customized communication with the target. 
 

Red, Blue and Green - the Diversity Icebreaker's three dimensions - can be looked upon as three different communication styles. The three colors can be applied in group exercises (workshop-groups with participants with the same or mixed preferences), for individual development (role-play exercises), and in communication strategies on organizational level.

The tool is relevant for you as a team leader to create a shared language and promote cooperation. It can help you using different leadership perspectives.

You – the leader

The tool gives you new insight. The workshop demonstrates the value of asking and listening to others who think differently and can help you see things that you have not noticed. Reflecting on the workshop experience is the most important learning process, whether you do it alone or with others.

Your team

Red, Blue and Green is a simple model applicable to different roles and perspectives in team. A shared understanding of differences promotes good communication, psychological safety and tolerance. It is easier to give personal feedback and talk about difficult topics using Red, Blue and Green. Taking your coworkers’ profiles into consideration when distributing tasks is both motivating and promotes belonging.

Shared language

Red, Blue and Green is a language that can be used across different levels and departments in the organization. A shared language with vocabulary that everybody understands ​​incites trust and the sense of community. An important quality of this language is that you are acknowledged as different but still feel included.

Cooperation

Good leadership is about giving the employees means to perform their tasks. Red, Blue and Green becomes a language that they can use to solve both tasks and interpersonal conflicts better – an important tool helping them to cooperate better.

Dimensions of leadership

Red, Blue and Green reflect different aspects of leadership: Red reflects the human side of leadership; Blue is about tasks and execution; and Green reflects the focus on change and future. For a leader in an organization, all these three perspectives are important.

Communication during change

During change processes, coworkers have different needs depending on their colour profiles. An awareness of that on part of the leadership contributes to better planning and communication of change.

► CASE STUDY

Discover how the "Diversity Icebreaker" was integrated in two training courses for disaster response coordination teams within the UN and EU systems. Through innovative training programs focusing on cultural awareness, team building, and leadership, experts are better prepared to tackle the challenges of chaotic disaster situations effectively.

► CASE STUDY

Read about how the Diversity Icebreaker has been used in a two-day cross-cultural leadership development program.

► BLOG

A blog post about the approach to using Red, Blue and Green in change leadership. Read more.

Everyone can relate to the Red, Blue and Green preferences – regardless of profession, culture, gender or age. 

WHAT YOU GAIN FROM THE WORKSHOP:

A new language

- that includes everyone. A language that can be used to provide feedback and solve problems.

 A collective, emotional experience

- characterized by positivity, humor and trust: essential in order to start learning from each other.

A positive encounter with someone who is "different"

- which makes it easier and gives motivation to take learning points from the workshop to other, more challenging arenas.

SOLID FUNDAMENT FOR FURTHER WORK

With this as a starting point it is easier to talk about the professional, cultural, gender and age differences and work with them. The foundation that the Diversity Icebreaker provides can also be used as a safe gateway to address unconscious bias, promote culture of inclusion and open communication across diversity.

TESTIMONIALS

“We are all different, and it makes cooperation easier when we have a shared understanding of how others contribute.”

“It's OK to be different and say something different when I expect this will be received well by others.”

► CASE STUDIES

Download a case study about the Diversity Icebreaker application in a building a shared organizational culture across different national cultures. Read more.

More case studies for this application area

There are multiple ways of using the Diversity Icebreaker (DI) with online means of collaboration. We have conducted R&D and delivered virtual DI-solutions since 2015 in order to bring the effects of our tool – increased trust, cohesion, closeness and open communication – to people who collaborate without face-to-face contact.

The DI online questionnaire is robust and versatile, and easy to administer regardless of the virtual medium. Secondly, it is about combining this with a suitable software that can be used via screen. We have developed our own guides for using DI together with MS Teams and Zoom which can be downloaded for free.

VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS

DI-workshops are about discussion and group work, and any videoconferencing software can be used to conduct them. Some apps (e.g. Zoom, MS Teams or WebEx) have a dedicated function for break-out sessions perfect for one-colour groups. With others, like Skype, the facilitator can easily use separate call-groups.

ASYNCHRONOUS AND ON-DEMAND LEARNING SOLUTIONS

E-learning, collaboration platforms and employee training and onboarding apps can all be used to deliver in-depth training with DI on demand.

This form can be relevant for leadership trainings, sales trainings, individual development, peer-coaching and feedback groups, etc.

We have delivered learning modules for groups and individual training content based on the Diversity Icebreaker for large organizations (e.g. using Motimate).

More information?

Piotr Pluta MSc in Psychology, is the Managing Director responsible for consultancy in Human Factors. Piotr has facilitated a number of virtual Diversity Icebreaker workshops. Piotr has also supported our clients with tips and help both prior and during their virtual DI use. Piotr is also involved in many of our R&D projects and delivers consultancy in the areas of communication, trust building, cross-cultural work and diversity management.

Contact Piotr Pluta if you want to learn more about facilitating virtual DI-workshops yourself or are interested in having one of our trainers deliver it.

Diversity Icebreaker is applied by many higher education institutions as part of orientation days in freshman courses or as an element of development programs throughout the semester.

Diversity Icebreaker is applied by many higher education institutions.

Beyond academic success

• Create an empowering learning culture, where students learn from each other
• Introduce simple team-roles model to facilitate project work
• Give students a shared language and common ground to shape their collaborative experience together

Collaborative and communication skills are crucial for both academic and professional success for students and it is the universities’ role to help them in developing these competencies. Many of our university clients use the Diversity Icebreaker as kick-off of orientation days in freshman courses as well as an element of development programs throughout the semester.

Diversity Icebreaker facilitates better teamwork for students at the university, which helps them to enter the professional life better equipped for working with others.  

We offer 50% discount for use with students. 

► CASE: 2000 STUDENTS
Read this LinkedIn post on how IESEG School of Management in France used the online version with 2000 students during Covid-19 restrictions during fall 2020. Read more..

This use of Diversity Icebreaker is also mentioned in the AACSB International July 2021 Insights "Fostering International Collaboration". AACSB International accreditation is one of the largest and most recognized specialized accreditations worldwide. IESEG is one of the 856 institutions in 56 countries who have earned AACSB International accreditation.

► ACADEMIC WHITE PAPER

Learn more about how Diversity Icebreaker is used in various university contexts in this white paper: Read more in this PDF-file.

► TESTEMONIALS

Read more on this page

The dynamics of a Diversity Icebreaker workshop can be replicated on a larger scale (200+ participants). This makes the Diversity Icebreaker the single tool in its class to kick off large projects and conferences in a meaningful, positive and memorable way.

The Diversity Icebreaker workshop may be applied in very similar formats in groups from 12-15 to 200 and more participants. Logistics of the workshop are predictable and easily manageable, but what's best is that it allows replicating the same kind of intimacy and focus that is characteristic for small groups and combine it with humor and collective reflection with many participants from all organizational levels involved at once.

In practice it means a very cost and time effective (the workshop takes approx. from 1 h to 1 h 30 min) way to kick-off a project, start a conference or conduct an annual meeting of a big organisational unit.

(Don't hesitate to ask us about details and tips for facilitating workshops for large groups!)
 

► CASE STUDY

Read how the Diversity Icebreaker was used to start off an international conference. Read more.