The Diversity Movement Licenses IDC's Industry-Recognized Diversity Certification System

The licensing partnership creates a powerful blend of online education and research-based strategies to deliver better business outcomes

RALEIGH, NC, USA, June 30, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Society for Diversity Inc.¹ is excited to announce a licensing partnership with The Diversity Movement², an innovative North Carolina-based Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Training and Digital Communications enterprise. The collaboration is a part of the Society for Diversity's overall strategy to leverage the intellectual property of the Institute for Diversity Certification (IDC)^3® and impart formal knowledge in a growing field.

Since the global Black Lives Matter protests, more employers are challenged to design meaningful interventions to eliminate racism, inequity, and bias in hiring, compensation, management, and promotions. Leah Smiley, President of the Society for Diversity says, "This level of culture change requires inclusive excellence to go beyond the Office of Diversity so that it's fully integrated with other corporate functions, such as marketing, product development, and the supply chain, to name a few. Simultaneously, organizations must ensure that traditional employee groups don't experience reverse discrimination. This is what IDC's diversity certification program is designed to do: develop more leaders who are equipped to create opportunities for everyone, while minimizing organizational risks associated with managing diversity well. This is also why a licensing partnership with The Diversity Movement is so valuable. They provide these services, and more, under one roof."

IDC designed its rigorous certification system to serve as a standard for inclusive excellence and to distinguish professional achievement in the field. As the number one global credentialing program for equity and inclusion, IDC has thousands of certification candidates and designees in 46+ U.S. states and 15 other countries. The diversity certification process is designed for all types of employees, from C-Suite executives and supervisors to human resources and diversity champions. IDC's process consists of a standardized test and a peer review of a work-related project to ensure that employees have both the knowledge and skill to lead culture change in the workplace. Through IDC, the Society for Diversity owns the Intellectual Property for the Certified Diversity Professional (CDP)^® and Certified Diversity Executive (CDE)^® designations. It also owns the federal copyrights and trademarks for both the CDP^® and CDE^® through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, as well as several state trademarks. The company is in the process of completing its accreditation process with the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). Additionally, IDC is a current member of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence.

The Diversity Movement will be the exclusive provider of the CDP^® and CDE^® credentials in the State of North Carolina. Donald Thompson, CEO of The Diversity Movement, says, "Achieving culture change is not an automatic process. It takes knowledge, skills, abilities, and intentional strategies. Through education and certification, our work will help companies foster a community of inclusion. Further, our advanced market insight into different identity groups and new behaviors will provide more value for the companies who participate in this program." In fact, the Diversity Movement's entire executive leadership team has achieved the CDE^® credential. The executive certification is an important component of challenging the status quo in management practices, as well as demonstrating the value of inclusion in corporate growth strategies. IDC's certification program specifically focuses on the triple bottom line advantage from diversity interventions, which is a shift from traditional notions of equity and inclusion. Thompson adds, "Moving the needle forward indicates that the nature of diversity work has changed. Every day we must continually discover new ways to serve customers better and develop the type of organizational culture where current and prospective employees want to be."

The Diversity Movement is a subsidiary of Walk West, a full-service digital-first agency. The Diversity Movement offers a comprehensive set of online courses, videos, podcasts, events and consulting offerings to both equip individuals with the cultural readiness to thrive in a global market and empower organizations endeavoring to embed D&I into the core of doing business. In addition, The Diversity Movement enables Walk West to add diversity education and training to its expansive list of capabilities. In 2018 and 2019, Inc. Magazine ranked the firm as the fastest-growing agency in North Carolina via the annual Inc. 5000 recognition.

To build the foundation for its D&I certification offerings, The Diversity Movement launched Diversity: Beyond The Checkbox - an online, self-guided course to help organizations build foundational D&I competence to generate business value. The Diversity Movement continues to expand its network of partnerships and suite of offerings including diversity gamification platforms, virtual privilege walks, CEO consultations and Chief Diversity Office buildout.

For a complete listing of classes, or to register for any of The Diversity Movement's upcoming prep courses, visit www.thediversitymovement.com.

Leah Smiley
The Society for Diversity Inc.
+1 317-777-7632
email us here

¹ http://www.societyfordiversity.org
² http://www.thediversitymovement.com
³ http://www.diversitycertification.org