2021.05.04 Work Session Packet (1st)
4141 Douglas Drive North • Crystal, Minnesota 55422-1696
Tel: (763) 531-1000 • Fax: (763) 531-1188 • www.crystalmn.gov
Posted: April 30, 2021
City Council
First Work Session Agenda
Tuesday, May 4, 2021
6:30 p.m.
Council Chambers/Zoom
Pursuant to due call and notice given in the manner prescribed by Section 3.01 of the City
Charter, the first work session of the Crystal City Council was held on Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at
______ p.m. electronically via Zoom and in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 4141 Douglas
Drive, Crystal, Minnesota.
I. Attendance
Council members Staff
____ Banks ____ Norris
____ Budziszewski ____ Therres
____ Cummings ____ Gilchrist
____ Kiser ____ Elholm
____ LaRoche ____ Larson
____ Parsons ____ Ray
____ Adams ____ Revering
____ Sutter
____ Serres
II. Agenda
The purpose of the work session is to discuss the following agenda item:
1. Group IDI summary regarding cultural competency.
III. Adjournment
The work session adjourned at ______ p.m.
Auxiliary aids are available upon request to individuals with disabilities by calling the City Clerk at (763)
531-1145 at least 96 hours in advance. TTY users may call Minnesota Relay at 711 or 1-800-627-3529.
www.impactlives.org 7003 Oxford Street St Louis Park, MN 55426
City of Crystal Organizational Report:
IDI and Cultural Competence
Prepared by:
Dr. Ramón A. Pastrano,
President-CEO ImpactLives Inc.
May-2021
ImpactLives Dr. Ramon Pastrano 612-396-2537
www.impactlives.org 7003 Oxford Street St Louis Park, MN 55426
PROJECT HISTORY
October- 2020
Exploratory Meeting:
Teddi Anne Hasapopoulos, Anne Norris and Mayor Jim Adams
December-2020-January 2021
Proposal Created
Meeting: Teddi Anne Hasapopoulos, Anne Norris, Mayor Jim Adams and Dr. Ramon
Pastrano to discuss Proposal and Community Conversations
Zoom: Follow Up conversations
January-February 2021
IDI Proposal Approved
Multiple conversations about Logistics and Additional clarity about process
February 2021
IDI Codes sent out to participants
March 2021
IDI Inventory Report Profiles Completed
Data Analyzed
Individual Reports and Group Report Generated
March 11, 2021
Introduction to Cultural Competence and the IDI
Understanding the Group Profile and Working Your IDP
March-April 2021
Cathy Bergland Conducted individual IDI 1:1 Facilitated Coaching with Staff
Organizational Report
ImpactLives Dr. Ramon Pastrano 612-396-2537
www.impactlives.org 7003 Oxford Street St Louis Park, MN 55426
IDI Process, Goals & Potential Challenges:
1. Intercultural Developmental Inventory Goals:
•Use the IDI assessment results to aid in the design of developmental opportunities
for staff to engage more effectively across various diversity dimensions (internally
& externally).
2. Promote increased cultural awareness across the organization.
•Improve diversity recruitment and retention.
•Integrate cultural awareness into every element of organization’s work -
•including orientations.
•Improve how we discuss and dialogue about diversity in the organization.
•Expose staff to opportunities for cultural immersion.
Potential Challenges:
1.Lack clear concept of cultural diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Some staff may not
realize the need for increased intercultural competence.
2.Socio-political climate and Social/News Media
3. Limited resources /opportunities to take action based on the results
Outcome:
Overall-Outstanding positive reaction to City of Crystal Decision to engage in Cultural
Competence and DEI work.
Confidentiality:
Aggregate-group-subgroup, IDI conversations and group data is considered
transparent and is not identified with any particular individual. Individual data from the
IDI 1:1 facilitated coaching is not available except to the individual and/or his/her IDI
Qualified Administrator as agreed by City of Crystal and ImpactLives Inc.
IDI data is in the custody of ImpactLives Inc. and is accessible only by IDI Qualified
Administrators as designated by City of Crystal and ImpactLives Inc.
ImpactLives Dr. Ramon Pastrano 612-396-2537
www.impactlives.org 7003 Oxford Street St Louis Park, MN 55426
ORGANIZATION GROUP RESULTS
ImpactLives Dr. Ramon Pastrano 612-396-2537
www.impactlives.org 7003 Oxford Street St Louis Park, MN 55426
Perceived Orientation: 124.38 Acceptance
Developmental Orientation: 103.79 Minimization
Orientation Gap: 20.59
Themes
•Don’t really know what “my culture” is
•Most are engaged and interested in the work
•Some have tried a few projects and initiatives, perhaps just need more
time to develop processes/systems
•Is there even more “pressure” to develop systems and make decisions
based on the “common denominator” because of a city governance
setting? More likely to stay in Minimization?
•More specific and targeted training/discussions about the implications of
culture in the different roles — staff versus elected officials
•Some in the group could serve as role models.... how to learn from them?
•How to hold to own values and opinions and “culture” even while having
effective relationships with others
•How to deal with strong opinions
•Struggling a bit with the “messiness” of how to do this work
•How do I get others in my department or in this group to see the value of
this work?
•Some (council members) have more IC experience outside of these roles
and may need encouragement to bring those lessons learned into this
setting
ImpactLives Dr. Ramon Pastrano 612-396-2537
KEY THEMES:
www.impactlives.org 7003 Oxford Street St Louis Park, MN 55426
Potential Organizational Implications of Group
Developmental Orientation: Minimization
General
•Lack of cultural self-awareness and understanding, particularly among the
“dominant” culture.
•Focus on commonalities and universal principles masks/neglects cultural
differences.
•Assumption that we are all alike and a tendency to ignore differences as to not
offend.
•Assumption that all is working well leads to silence.
•Discomfort and lack of skills bridging across differences.
•Tolerance and “color-blind” policies may lead to poor recruitment & retention of
diverse resources.
•Difficulties experienced by ethnic minorities.
•Some members of non-dominant culture may be responding through the lens of
polarization
•Minorities might “go along to get along” in order to avoid conflicts and difficult
conversations
•Uncomfortable with ambiguity (wants the right answers)
Impact on “Diversity”
•Lack of cultural diversity (absence of difference) representation in the organization.
•Lack of internal consensus on “Diversity” definition. Diversity could feel ignored and
not valued
•Overestimation of sensitivity to diversity issues can lead to lack of preparation when
working across different cultures
•Extreme emphasis on “cultural conformity” results in loss of diversity as a resource.
Lower cultural awareness among dominant culture.
Impact on “Inclusion”
•Since “Inclusion” is: Leveraging differences to increase contributions &
opportunities for all…then, the practice of “Inclusion” at your organization might
be hindered.
•Over-emphasis on corporate culture creates strong pressure to conform.
Impact on “Equity”
ImpactLives Dr. Ramon Pastrano 612-396-2537
www.impactlives.org 7003 Oxford Street St Louis Park, MN 55426
Acceptance of institutionalized privilege; disavowal of power, while unconsciously imposing
cultural norms will hinder the ability to create equitable environments. Diminished systems
thinking/change abilities.
Recommendations for Next Steps:
Continued training on specific subjects (Unconscious Bias, Systems Thinking, Emotional
Intelligence, etc.)
Focused conversations or support to help those who don’t know they have a culture or
what it looks like to develop a stronger understanding. Offer opportunities to learn more
about own culture.
Offer group conversations about Steps 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0. of the IDP
Pull out selected exercises from the IDP and create group conversations (ie.,
Discuss your definitions of “culture,” “diversity,” “equity,” etc. and other terms to gain
shared meaning
Schedule another 1:1 conversation with each of the team members mid-way through the
year and before retake.
Consider 1:1 coaching sessions or group coaching for some/all of the team
Schedule time to re-take the IDI to determine movement along the continuum
Processes to challenge “Minimization” thinking:
• Categories and frameworks for understanding their own culture, including values
and beliefs
• The privilege of dominant groups
• Use authentic materials (advertising, media, etc.) from their own culture
Process:
• Facilitate contact with ethno-sensitive resource persons in structured activities
• Structure opportunities for difference-seeking
• Focus primarily on cultural self-awareness
• Use selected and trained ethno-sensitive resource persons
• Build on positive affect to motivate further exploration
ImpactLives Dr. Ramon Pastrano 612-396-2537
www.impactlives.org 7003 Oxford Street St Louis Park, MN 55426
DEI+B Workshop Series:
The workshop series are designed to support the organization in their DEI+B Journey. These
workshops will be led by our ImpactLives Team.
1. Increasing your Intercultural Competence: A Workshop to Advance
your IDP (Individual Development Plan)
In this hands-on workshop, participants will receive new ideas on strategies and tactics to
advance their intercultural competence based on the IDI findings and specifics of their
Individual Development Plan. Participants will complete their plan and develop practical
action, metrics to measure progress related to the IDP.
2. Being an Effective Leader in the 21st Century Part 2: The Role of
Unconscious Bias and the Power of Making the Unconscious Conscious:
Everyone has unwritten scripts and biases. It is what makes us humans!
We often make questionable decisions because mental distortions and biases sabotage
our reasoning. Scientific research has demonstrated how these unconscious, automatically
activated, and pervasive mental processes can be manifested across a variety of contexts
producing significant impacts. When we unconsciously link whole groups of people with an
attribute or behavior, we might make an implicit association that may be in direct conflict with
our stated values and beliefs. And, because these actions happen in our unconscious, they
may cause us to be unfair even when we think we are being fair. As we seek to lead in
transformational ways among multicultural diverse groups, it is important to identify those
mental processes which affect social judgements and operate without our conscious
awareness or conscious control. This immersive interactive session includes exercises and
small group discussions.
3. Leading in Multicultural Environments
Part of leading with culture competence is gaining knowledge and understanding of the
powerful dimensions of culture and how those dimensions are manifest in specific cultures.
Come to learn about the role of power distance, time orientation, context, uncertainty
avoidance, and gender in cultures. Participants will also identify the cultures with which they
interact most often and develop an action plan for greater intelligence when in relationships
with people from those cultures.
4. Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
Emotional Intelligence has become widely acknowledged as an important way of thinking
about human abilities. It provides a balance to more cognitive and rational theories and
teaches us how to be more effective in the different relationships in our lives, so this has a
ImpactLives Dr. Ramon Pastrano 612-396-2537
www.impactlives.org 7003 Oxford Street St Louis Park, MN 55426
personal, ministry, school, or business application. Emotional Intelligence measures social
and emotional competencies, which can be learned and improved. Our workshop
administers the Emotional Intelligence instrument and provides interpretation of the results
with participants. We go one step further to help participants understand the application of
the findings and EQ concepts to their daily lives and provides strategies to improve in
needed areas.
5. Equity Mindsets for Business Leaders
Every day leaders make thousands of business decisions. These decisions can have an
enormous effect on employees and business outcomes. In this session we will explore day
to day decisions and interactions between leaders, peers, and reports. In this session,
individuals will develop a set of equity mindsets that will help build the internal capacity for
an inclusive, equitable, and adaptive culture that values the contributions of employees
across difference.
6. Recruiting, Hiring, and Retaining
How do you create a pipeline for equity and inclusion in your organization? This module will
help you think through the various systems in your organization and how they may
contribute to or prevent diversity, equity and inclusion within the organization.
Any recruiting, hiring and retaining strategy must contain well-defined measures to assess
effectiveness and to evaluate whether outcomes support organizational objectives and
targets. Such measures must be straightforward and clear so that all employees and leaders
clearly understand what is expected.
7. Professional Leadership Development
Professional leadership development is key to the success of DEI initiatives. Organizations
must view professional leadership development as a necessary part of their DEI initiative, in
order to develop and maintain effective and sustainable DEI policies and practices.
How do you provide for people you are leading? Are you creating opportunities that are
relevant to everyone? This session will help you examine your organizational culture and
identify where you may be leaving out certain identities in your leadership development.
8. Performance Management: Coaching Across Cultural and Diversity
Differences
Leaders and managers within organizations are primarily responsible for the successful
execution of DEI policies and practices.
ImpactLives Dr. Ramon Pastrano 612-396-2537
www.impactlives.org 7003 Oxford Street St Louis Park, MN 55426
What is the difference between coaching and mentoring? This module will help one
recognize your own strength and challenges in coaching and understand how to bridge
across differences as you seek to develop leaders who are different than you.
9. From a Crisis Mindset to a Recovery Mindset: Leading Through
Coronavirus and Other Uncertainties
COVID19 disrupted the world with a massive, messy storm of confusion, panic, and reactions
that are causing tragic losses of lives and livelihoods, and with no end yet in sight. The crisis
hit so rapidly that numerous organizations including government were unprepared. This is a
critical time requiring us to remain calm and focus. What we need during a crisis is not a set
of preconceived strategies but behaviors and mindsets that will prevent us for falling trap to
reactive and remediative action. This webinar is for everyone in the trenches trying to
navigate our current reality and emerging future.
10. Intercultural Conflict Management and Reconciliation:
Communication misunderstandings, conflicts and problems across cultures are often
grounded in the different approaches individuals take for resolving difficulties with one
another. The goal of this experiential learning is to increase cultural self-understanding of
one’s own communication and conflict resolution approach by learning about the diverse
approaches others use to communicate ideas and resolve conflicts. Participants learn how
to more accurately interpret the statements and actions of others and discover ways to
better manage stress and anxiety that is often present in conflict situations.
11. Critical and Systems Thinking in DEI:
Systems thinking means understanding a system by examining the linkages and interactions
between the elements that compose the entire systems. Systems thinking is understating
the conditions that are holding a problem in place.
“Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully
conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered
from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as
a guide to belief and action. The essence of critical and systems thinking and practice, is in
'seeing' the world in a particular way, because how you 'see' things affects the way you
approach situations or undertake specific tasks. (Michael Scriven & Richard Paul)
12. Driving Accountability Through Culture
People are intrinsically motivated to fulfill their responsibilities by a range of reasons, none of
which include being mandated. For leaders it is necessary to first discuss what
ImpactLives Dr. Ramon Pastrano 612-396-2537
www.impactlives.org 7003 Oxford Street St Louis Park, MN 55426
accountability should look like and encourage more responsibility among employees by
creating a culture that promotes and drives accountability.
In this session participants will be able to clearly define and communicate what
organizations and employees are accountable for and committed to achieving. Furthermore,
participants will increase awareness of their own culture and the effect our worldview has on
understanding and driving accountability through culture.
13. Building a Race Equity Culture Series:
The attainment of race equity requires us to examine all four levels on which racism
operates (personal, interpersonal, institutional, and structural), recognize our role in enduring
inequities, and commit ourselves to change. As a sector, we must center race equity as a
core goal of social impact in order to fulfill our organizational missions. individuals, and to
center race equity in our life and in our work. A Race Equity Culture is the antithesis of
dominant culture, which promotes assimilation (Monocultural Mindsets/Minimization) over
integration and dismisses opportunities to create a more inclusive, equitable environment.
The work of creating a Race Equity Culture requires an adaptive and transformational
approach that impacts behaviors and mindsets as well as practices, programs, and
processes. Equity in the Center, “Awake to Woke, to Wake.
ImpactLives Dr. Ramon Pastrano 612-396-2537