Client Profile
Genesis Energy is one of the key energy providers in Aotearoa and is 51% government owned.
The Challenge
Genesis has had a long-standing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I), and having developed a DE&I strategic plan in 2021, they recognised the need to refresh their strategy to be able to respond to new internal and external business pressures and changes. Their desire was to build a genuine commitment from all leaders and employees to support DE&I and to take a more intentional and strategic approach. As an organisation, they wanted to move forward with clarity and direction that would allow them to lead the way in the energy sector and move beyond the ticks and accreditations. This strategy needed to build connection between DE&I, sustainability, the business strategy and commitments to further the journey in Te ao Māori.
Our Approach
We designed an approach that factored in the DE&I progress made by Genesis to date, uncovered the current needs, challenges and priorities and described a way forward for DE&I that ensured buy in from all stakeholders (from leaders to frontline staff). This took the form of a DE&I review and discovery process, using an equity centred co-design approach, which put the voices of Genesis people at the centre.
The first stage began with discovery process to understand the existing documentation, policies and communications in DE&I, which helped ground us in the history of the organisation.
With that understanding in hand, we undertook in-depth interviews and conducted workshops with senior leadership and employees from across the organisation to build a picture of the current state of DE&I. We delved into the lived experience of people at Genesis and worked alongside leadership and employees to co-design a clear purpose and solutions that meet the needs of people now and into the future. In doing so, the strategy speaks from the bottom up and the top down to bring together heads and hearts around DE&I with the people, by the people.
What We Delivered
A tailored 3-year DE&I strategy that includes a DE&I statement of intent, key objectives, measures and an implementation process that integrates best practice with the co-designed solutions. This strategy authentically connects to the needs of people and the organisational values and provides a roadmap for DE&I at Genesis based on their current needs and aspirations.
Kiely Evans shares a bit about the process and what it meant for them. Watch the video below:
