MT Consulting Group
Creating Sustainable Culture Change through 'Sticky Learning'

The concept of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is not new to the business community. The recent societal spotlight on racial inequality, however, has mandated companies to view it in a new light—as a key pillar that revitalizes their workforce and business. Yet, despite this ever growing need for DEI adoption, organizations often scramble to bring the values of DEI into their ecosystem as it requires a lot of heavy lifting—from strategic planning to culture changes.

MT Consulting Group is a leading, women-owned DEI consultancy in Canada that pushes the boulder uphill to help organizations drive this much-needed transformation. The company’s renowned panel of certified and experienced academicians, researchers, and coaches master the art of empowering clients to benefit from holistic DEI measures. Their deep-rooted academic background and track record of working with marginalized communities around the globe give the company an edge in devising customized DEI strategies.

In an interview with Manage HR, Sherilyn Trompetter and Sky McLaughlin, founders and principal consultants of MT Consulting Group, share their insights on how they use a unique ‘sticky learning’ approach to create and sustain systemic culture change that transforms organizations.

Expertise that Stood the Test of Time

MT Consulting Group is the result of Sherilyn and Sky’s passion for equipping organizations with the necessary toolkits that enable them to nurture a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. It’s backed by their professional skills and extensive experience in working globally with people, specifically in conflict and post conflict zones.

Coupled with in-depth trauma-informed coaching expertise, MT Consulting Group is positioned as a client’s trusted partner, addressing all aspects of a DEI project cycle. Sherilyn, Sky and their associate consultants have decades of experience in the public (unionized) and not-for profit sectors, enabling them to navigate bureaucracy and governance structures and practices with ease.

MT Consulting Group, with their credentials in trauma-informed coaching, inclusive education, and curriculum development, creates best-in-class DEI strategies and training programs that facilitate measurable culture change across the organization. Needless to say, their ‘sticky learning’ approach has made them the most sought-after Canadian consultancy for DEI training, workshops and curriculum development, and they have been contracted as subject matter experts to write and design online DEI courses for a range of purposes, including: staff onboarding, diversity recruitment and retention, inclusive leadership development, etc. They are an ongoing DEI partner for many post-secondary institutions, municipalities, arts and culture organizations, as well as private sector organizations operating in the tech, health, and wellness spaces.

Challenges That Impede DEI Sustainability

One of the key challenges facing organizations is an overall trepidation when addressing their DEI issues. Large organizations often don’t have a culture that encourages trial and error. Many business leaders fear being called out internally or externally by stakeholders and partners for doing something wrong. This fear stops them from getting started, but MT Consulting Group’s Executive Certificate in Inclusive Leadership program combines a unique teaching and coaching approach with a personalized growth plan that moves leaders out of fear and into inclusive action.

Lack of meaningful culture change after completing DEI training or programs is also emerging as a fear for most companies. The reason is that companies often set DEI goals that don’t align with their day-to-day operations, and they don’t clearly articulate the problems that the training is designed to help solve. The lack of dedicated resources, people, and budgets further contributes to DEI initiatives not taking root and flourishing. In addition, nearly three years of a global pandemic have led to employee and leadership exhaustion, which often delays or deprioritizes DEI programming.

A well-rounded DEI strategy and set of programs can positively energize clients’ work environment and help them align with their ‘true north’ in terms of organizational values, instead of blindly following DEI trends. That’s precisely where MT Consulting Group excels.

A Unique Way to Create and Sustain DEI initiatives

MT Consulting Group believes that change starts with leaders, and their own journey of self-reflection and commitment to DEI. Their Executive Certificate in Inclusive Leadership course is a six-week program with a cohort-based model that helps leaders identify their own biases and the leadership practices they rely upon which may be causing harm, especially for employees from historically excluded and marginalized groups. Sherilyn and Sky are authorized users of a series of third-party, internationally accredited benchmarking tools that assess the intercultural competence of individuals and organizations. Their programs have been transformational for many executives, primarily because they create a safe space for leaders to communicate their struggles and learn the tools they need to lead their teams effectively. MT Consulting Group emphasizes cultural safety and humility in all their endeavors.

As a case study, one of their clients looked at their current employee base and wanted to accommodate a more diverse talent pool in managerial and director level posts. They were looking for ways to attract and encourage candidates from different backgrounds. In this regard, MT Consulting Group helped the client draft gender-inclusive job descriptions to attract a broader candidate base. Their team also ensured that a diverse interview panel handled the processes, enabling the client to recruit three executive level candidates from diverse backgrounds.

Differentiators that set MT Consulting Group a notch above the rest

A crucial differentiator for MT Consulting Group is that their services are embedded within a trauma-informed lens because there is an undeniable intersection between trauma and DEI. They empower organizations to use evidence-based research and industry best practices to achieve their DEI goals.

A relatively new subject matter addition for MT Consulting group is the issue of body diversity and size inclusion. Training in this area is structured to break down the weight stigma and weight bias that holds employees back in the workplace.

Sky and Sherilyn’s nearly 50 years of combined experience give MT Consulting Group a unique insight into what makes DEI programs successful.