We employ a rigorous approach to our work that aims to leave no stone unturned. And we underpin our approach with common best practices from higher education and social justice movements: Social Identity and Dominant/Counter Narratives.
Nova leverages a Social Identity Model in all aspects of the business. Social Identity provides a framework to better understand complex ideas like Unconscious Bias, Allyship, and Oppression. By understanding and utilizing Social Identity, we acknowledge the lines of difference that exist in interpersonal relationships, as well as the historical socialization that occurs intra-personally.
Social Identity can provide an accessible entry point into the DEI conversation for your participants. By focusing on an Identity Framework, we personalize the experience and the conversation…we aren’t talking about theoretical, abstract ideas. We are talking about you, us and how we all operate within the organization.

Nova’s programs are built on the following structure:
Nova’s curriculum is tailored to the specific organization and outcome objectives. We work with your core stakeholders to tailor discussion prompts and action planning so that participants aren’t left in a state of “So What/What Now?”.
Sessions may be customized based on roles, business units, or other determining factors. All sessions are tailored to an organization’s context and needs – below overview is example only.

Choose your curriculum pathway:
Foundational Pathway
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DEI Core: Social Identity & Communicating Across Difference
Participants Develop and Walk Away With:
- Awareness and shared understanding of key DEI terms and concepts
- Understanding of Social Identity and how social identities impact experiences, perspectives and biases
- Tangible listening and dialogue tools
- Understanding of power dynamics in group and 1:1 interactions
- Deep recognition of key language and its impact
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Bias Awareness & Microaggressions
Participants Develop and Walk Away With:
- Ability to utilize identity as a lens for how we communicate and work on teams
- Ability to notice bias in workplace interactions and navigate those moments
- Deepened understanding of power dynamics in group and 1:1 interactions
- Practice scenarios and situational applications
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Effective Allyship & Bystander Intervention
Participants Develop and Walk Away With:
- A clear understanding of Allyship, what it is and what it isn’t
- Tools for interrupting bias and an awareness of the impact of oppression
- A critical understanding of what gets in the way of allyship
- Actions to impact power dynamics in group and 1:1 interactions
- Awareness of situations where they can practice allyship in action
Expanding & Scaling the Learning



Core Competencies for Individual Contributors

Foundational Pathway
-
DEI Core: Social Identity & Communicating Across Difference
Participants Develop and Walk Away With:
- Awareness and shared understanding of key DEI terms and concepts
- Understanding of Social Identity and how social identities impact experiences, perspectives and biases
- Tangible listening and dialogue tools
- Understanding of power dynamics in group and 1:1 interactions
- Ability to notice bias in workplace interactions and navigate those moments
- Deep recognition of key language and its impact
-
Bias Awareness & Microaggressions
Participants Develop and Walk Away With:
- Ability to utilize identity as a lens for how we communicate and manage teams
- Effective listening and dialogue tools, tactics for holding space for difficult conversations
- An understanding of tangible applications
-
Effective Allyship & Bystander Intervention
Participants Develop and Walk Away With:
- A clear understanding of Allyship, what it is and what it isn’t
- Tools for interrupting bias and an awareness of the impact of oppression
- A critical understanding of what gets in the way of allyship
- Awareness of situations where they can practice allyship in action
-
Developing Multipartial Leaders
Participants Develop and Walk Away With:
- Understanding the value of shifting from impartial to multipartial leadership
- Tools for expanding personal reference points and approach
- Agility to recognize and shift workplace dynamics
Expanding & Scaling the Learning



Core Competencies for People Leaders

Foundational Pathway
-
DEI Core: Social Identity & Communicating Across Difference
Participants Develop and Walk Away With:
- Awareness and shared understanding of key DEI terms and concepts
- Understanding of Social Identity and how social identities impact experiences, perspectives and biases
- Tangible listening and dialogue tools
- Understanding of power dynamics in group and 1:1 interactions
- Ability to notice bias in workplace interactions and navigate those moments
-
Leading Across Lines of Difference
Participants Develop and Walk Away With:
- Ability to utilize identity as a lens for how we communicate and manage teams
- Effective listening and dialogue tools, tactics for holding space for difficult conversations
- An understanding of tangible applications
-
Organizational Identity
Participants Develop and Walk Away With:
- A clear vision for how DEI is relevant and can be a lens to all work across their organization
- An understanding of their individual role and accountability in moving this work forward
-
Coaching Multi-Partial Leaders
Participants Develop and Walk Away With:
- Understanding the value of shifting from impartial to multipartial leadership
- Tools for expanding personal and team reference points and approach
Expanding & Scaling the Learning



Core Competencies for Executive Leaders

Foundational Pathway
-
DEI Core: Social Identity & Communicating Across Difference
Participants Develop and Walk Away With:
- Awareness and shared understanding of key DEI terms and concepts
- Understanding of Social Identity and how social identities impact experiences, perspectives and biases
- Ability to notice bias in workplace interactions and navigate those moments
-
DEI for Communicators (Intro)
Participants Develop and Walk Away With:
- Ability to utilize identity as a lens for how we communicate in spoken, written, and visual formats
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Comms Toolkit Review & Practice Session
Participants Develop and Walk Away With:
- A deep dive to review the content and applications of the Comms toolkit and how it’s rollout cascades throughout the organizational comms channels
Expanding & Scaling the Learning
