We’ve worked with some really excellent people!

The ask:

QuakeLab was tasked with creating training modules based on a research report the ICN developed titled “ Towards a Decolonial, Anti-racist and Feminist Public Engagement”.

What we did:

We began this work with an extrinsic exploratory phase that investigated the current landscape of the networks and the intention behind the report, as well as the design phase which centred around decolonizing curriculum design and creating a structure that promotes engagement around hard conversations and the co- creating of solutions.

The impact:

Developed a curriculum rooted in research that was qualitative and quantitative.

We used the QuakeLab method to explore the landscape and bring it all the data points together to create a structure.

Using our design thinking for inclusion process, we were able to rethink the original scope and define a new scope that centred inclusion, function and highlighted the decolonial approach to training.

The ask:

Operationalise commitments made on the Health Equity Charter (HEC) and create guidelines that ensured that the charter was being followed for years to come.

What we did:

Clarified the roles, responsibilities and capabilities of the board, took on research and familiarization exercise, and got familiar with the HEC.

Developed a framework to address the charter items in an impactful and measurable way. Each framework consisted of guiding questions and a checklist for the board needed to guide their policy writing and rewriting.

The impact:

Leveraged a large amount of academic and anecdotal data to identify equity challenges in the Canadian health industry;

Built a brand new framework to translate research into a rationalized assessments;

Through a process of assessment and creation, generated data informed recommendations.

Led a series of workshops with board members. Each session was designed to test the framework and put it into practice.

The ask:

QuakeLab was engaged to support an organization in reimagining their mission and vision, as well as expanding into a new physical space for their community. They envisioned a space of radical imagination where artists could gather and express themselves in a resourced and accessible multi-disciplinary space.

What we did:

We began by facilitating consultations with organizations’ their team and their board of directors to clarify their expansive, unprecedented vision.

We conducted desk research and held discovery calls with analogous organizations in North America and Europe. This research produced a report that highlighted organizations in their ecosystem, specifically those serving distinct art communities.

We hosted a 3-hour exploratory session with the organization's staff to collaboratively develop their vision and mission. During this session, we delved into questions about their identity, desired identity, target audience, envisioned world, and other key aspects that centered and humanized “the artist”.

Finally, we facilitated a 3-hour design session with the organization's board of directors. The objective was to collaboratively capture insights for the purpose of distilling “directional language” for their mission and vision statements. Additionally, we discussed the strategies to expand board membership, attract new members, and enhance the organization’s value proposition in changing times.

The impact:

We garnered insights from specialized leaders of arts organizations to develop guiding documents, conduct comparative analysis, and develop other essential assets that poised the organization for the launch of their physical space.

We aimed to reimagine how organizations can enable communities that have historically been the "afterthought", to feel reflected and respected. We helped this organization explore new pathways by using tailored guiding themes such as professionalism, humanity in the artists, historic storytelling, Black representation, and AfroFuturism.

The ask:

QuakeLab was engaged to support Invest Ottawa in reviewing their existing performance management process and provide tailored recommendations. The goal was to create a performance management process and rewards mechanism to retain top talent, reduce instances of inequity, and ensure consistent implementation by leaders.

What we did:

We conducted consultations to understand their current performance management process, the new one that they were testing and their vision for how the new process would impact employees and senior leaders.

We focused on identifying opportunities for inequity to arise in the development of goals, the employee appraisal process, and when providing developmental feedback. Combining this research with an analysis of their structures, we compiled a report with an analysis and recommendations.

We Facilitated a 3-hour, interactive workshop with the organization's senior management team. During this workshop, we discussed various topics and facilitated group exercises to identify potential areas of inequity within the performance management process.

The impact:

With the launch of their new performance management system, we equipped leaders with valuable insights on areas where inequity might arise and guidance on embedding equity throughout the process. Overall, our contribution poised the organization for an intentional launch of this new tool.

Performance management is a topic that often perplexes organizations, but our aim was to dispel the myths surrounding its complexity and assist this organization in ensuring equity is integrated at every stage of the process.

The ask:

National Gallery of Canada reached out QuakeLab to help systematize their recruitment process with an equity and inclusion lens. As NGC is going through some internal procedural restructuring, this was also done to make sure any new recruitment processes were equitable.

What we did:

QuakeLab went through a custom designed process of first conducting interviews with members of the staff who were most familiar with the recruitment process.

We reviewed previous documentation, including a process map for the recruitment process which outlined actions and departmental responsibility.

We then designed an interactive design thinking workshop for managers in charge of recruitment across the organization to draw insights on how to improve NGC’s recruitment process.

The impact:

We created a comprehensive document outlining equity recommendations for the entire recruitment process from start to finish. This was tailored for NGC’s process as it stands and included an action plan to address the length of time specific actions should take and how accountability can be measured throughout.