Vectors™ Concept and Training

Vectors™ is a unique and powerful tool created by OneTeam Consultants to help leaders become more effective.  The Vectors™ concept moves beyond unconscious bias training so that organizations can actually change behavior and maximize the potential of all employees.

The Theory:  Borrowing from the “Physics 101” concept, a “vector” is a force that has both magnitude and direction – like a thrown object or a moving vehicle.  Sometimes a Vector™ is difficult or impossible to see, but still has considerable force, like currents in a river or a gust of wind.  People who happen to be moving with the currents or the wind will arrive at their destinations faster than those who are pushing against these hidden vectors.

If you didn’t know the invisible forces existed, you might conclude that one group of people was stronger, faster or more capable than the others.

How does this relate to the workplace?  Over the past 20 years, Terry Simmons, Managing Director at OneTeam Consultants has identified 100s of these invisible forces – Vectors™ – that exist in most workplaces.  The more a new employee resembles people who have been successful in the organization (in upbringing, race, gender, personal style, educational background, business background, etc.) the more the forces – Vectors™- tend to act as tailwinds and help them succeed.  For those who are a bit different, the Vectors™ tend to act as headwinds and work against them.   This may be true regardless of how hard they work, how intelligent they may be and how capable they are of contributing to the organization’s success.

In our competitive, fast-paced, global market workplace, organizations need every employee to go full force, to accelerate.  It is important to ensure that tailwind forces assist all employees.  And, of course, headwinds need to be removed or reduced.  How is this done?

First, there is a need to understand the invisible forces, Vectors™ that affect many employees who may be “different” based upon age, race, gender, thinking style, culture, disability, prior work experience or other DEI-related factors.  Next, people must identify those forces (often hidden) working as headwinds, that slow people down.  And finally, leaders and employees must work together to find ways of reducing or removing the headwinds and/or overcoming their impact by creating sufficient tailwinds.

All of this is done in an interactive exercise designed by OneTeam Consultants to develop powerful DEI-related skills for managers and employees in its Vectors™ Workshops.

How Vectors™  Can Help:

•  A New Vocabulary: Vectors™ Theory allows leaders, associates and teams to address specific DEI-related issues with precise behavior-based language.

• Reduces Emotional Blockage: For the first time, people can examine and discuss difficult issues of diversity without anger, guilt, blame and fear.  This vocabulary virtually eliminates the need for emotion-laden terms like “sexism”, “racism”, “homophobia”, etc.

• Enhances Efficiency of Learning: Vectors™ provides the comfort of an analytical structure to a very complex subject, thereby facilitating the learning process for many participants.  Also, because Vectorsä is behavior based, it bridges the gap between “awareness” and “skills”, allowing participants to advance toward the acquisition of practical skills in about half the time.

• On-The-Job Application: A frequent complaint about many DEI training programs is that very little is transferred back to the work setting.  Vectors™ smashes this paradigm because it is business-based and totally applicable to the utilization of new skills back on the job.

• Connects With Many Human Resources Processes: As indicated above, Vectors™ works beautifully in DEI training for Leaders and for team members.  In addition, the concept enhances the effectiveness of other Human Resources processes such as Performance Management, Employee Development, Mentoring, Employee Orientation and Career Strategies & Planning.

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Vectors™ Concept and Training