It’s a fact that companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity see financial returns above national industry medians. But laying the groundwork for a cohesive and diverse workforce takes vision and structure. This value proposition is at the heart of the Corporate Inclusion Institute (CII).
Chicago United founded CII in 2019 to help organizations harness the power of inclusion and deliver cultural transformation. Through CII’s rigorous program, corporations are improving their employee experience and retention and strengthening their ability to return value to shareholders.
INFORMATION SESSIONS — LEARN MORE!
Now in its seventh Cohort, Chicago United’s Corporate Inclusion Institute (CII) is proven to build a community of inclusive leaders.
Contact Gail Arrigo, Executive Vice President, at 312.977.3066 or garrigo@chicago-united.org to schedule a virtual information session.
Watch our informational video below
Benefits of diversity on business
Companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 35% more likely to have financial returns above national industry medians.
Diverse firms have 2.3 times more cash flow per employee.
Companies with high DE&I see 45% improvement in market share compared to peers.
For every 10% increase in racial and ethnic diversity on a firm’s senior-executive team, EBIT rises 0.8%.
An overwhelming 84% of directors say board diversity enhances board performance.
A Success: CII-COHORT VII
Chicago United held the CII-VII Closing Reception in October 2024. This reception marked the culmination of a nine-month inclusion journey for the program's Corporate Guides and Fellows, who were presented with a Certificate of Completion.
Cohort VII included:
- 18 Corporate Guides
- 18 Fellows
- 18 Direct Managers of Fellows, and
- 18 Executive Sponsors
Including the most recent cohort, 558 leaders have completed the CII program, made up of 289 Corporate Guides and Fellows and 269 Executive Sponsors and Direct Managers who have benefited from workshops and resources on inclusive leadership competencies. They are now prepared to drive business performance through inclusion.
The Corporate Inclusion Institute would not be possible without the support of our 2024 Platinum Sponsor: The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; and our 2024 Gold Sponsor, Peoples Gas.
The Impact of CII-VII
Satisfaction with the program is high with CII faculty, content, and applicability, averaging a 4.7 rating on a 5-point scale.
60% of Corporate Guides and Fellows who completed the program showed significant improvement in their cultural competency scores and self-awareness from the Intercultural Development Inventory.
THE TRANSFORMATIONAL JOURNEY
BEGINS HERE
The business case is clear: Study after study has shown a direct positive correlation between an organization’s level of diversity, equity, and inclusion and its problem-solving capacity, creativity, and team cohesion. The Corporate Inclusion Institute can be a major component of your DE&I strategy, yielding long-lasting and far-reaching benefits to your organization.
CII is an innovative platform for bolstering cross-cultural competency and achieving corporate inclusion goals. The program is equally effective in small- to medium-size firms as well as large corporations and interfaces seamlessly into leadership development or inclusion initiatives already in place.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CHICAGO UNITED'S CORPORATE INCLUSION INSTITUTE, PLEASE CONTACT:
Gail Arrigo
Executive Vice President
312.977.3066
garrigo@chicago-united.org