Dear _____________________
INVITATION
As a valued member of Israel’s human resources, training and management
consultancy community, you are hereby invited to a seminar introducing the Diversity
Icebreaker® training concept.
The Diversity Icebreaker® was developed by Human Factors AS, one of Norway’s
top management consultancy companies. Today, it is used by leading multinationals
(i.e. Total, Siemens, STATOIL, Aker Solutions, etc.), business schools (i.e. IMD,
INSEAD, Bocconi, North Eastern University, etc.), international organizations (i.e.
OSCE, Medecins Sans Frontieres, etc.), and public institutions (municipalities and
government agencies) in various countries.
Human Factors AS is operating internationally via a network of partner agencies and
consultants in Denmark, Sweden, France, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Serbia, Russia,
Lebanon, Ghana, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
Today, it is with great pleasure that we seek to build bridges and partnerships with
Israeli firms, as part of the constant expansion of our international community of
users, clients, consultants, and researchers.
In the program:
09.00-12.00 - Introductory Seminar to the Diversity Icebreaker® concept
12.00-13.00 - Presentation of Human Factors and its International Network
13.00-14.00 – Lunch
14.00-16.00 – Informal business networking and discussions
During the introductory seminar, Bjørn Z. Ekelund will present the Diversity Icebreaker® (DI), a
psychological instrument capturing cognitive, communication, and thinking styles. DI was developed in
1998 following extensive experience in using team role concepts like Belbin, MBTI, TMS etc. The use
of the DI in seminars and training represents a stronger focus on involvement, language and collective
reflection than what is normal when using these traditional tools.
Practically, the use of DI in seminars has multiple functions including: increased self-understanding,
communication training, creating a psychological safe climate for dialogue and learning, demonstrating
social dynamics, managing diversity and collective reflection.
It is used in personal development seminars, communication / conflict / negotiations training,
leadership training seminars, kick-offs of projects, team development and in the creation of better
cooperation in organizations.
The concept has been translated into18 languages, including Hebrew, Arabic, and Russian.
The participants will be presented with an overview on how to use the concept in different settings.
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The Diversity Icebreaker®- easy to use, easy to understand and scientifically well
documented.
The classical use of the concept
Alternative applications of the concept can in different settings.
Scientific background for the concept.
Questions and Answers
Biographical notes of people you can meet:
Bjørn Z Ekelund
Bjørn is an accredited psychologist (1983) by the University of Oslo, and holds an MBA (1997) from
Henley Management College, London, UK. He has been managing director of small consultant
organizations since 1987. Since 1993 he has been prime owner and managing director of Human
Factors AS in Norway. Throughout the years he has worked closely with academic and professional
institutions in order to leverage quality of own consultancy and increase practical relevance of
academic knowledge.
In his consultation business he has used various academic measurements/concepts and in that way
created a shared platform for academics and practitioners to create knowledge. At the same time, he
has been lecturing at management schools on international management and knowledge
management. He has published articles, books and presented his work and views of the field in
different international conferences, worked with cross-cultural issues since early 90-ies and certified
more than 700 consultants in use of different psychological tests used for analysis and development.
Rotem Shneor
Rotem is an associate professor at the University of Agder in Norway, specializing in international
management, cross-cultural management and firm internationalization. He is currently serving as
member of the Human Factors AS board of directors, and engaged in both business development and
scientific validation studies related to the DI concept. He is originally from Israel and holds a bachelor
of economics and international relations from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a master degree of
international business from the Norwegian School of Economics, and a PhD in international
management from the University of Agder.
To know more about Diversity Icebreaker: http://www.human-factors.no/diversity_icebreaker.aspx
To know more about Bjørn Z. Ekelund: http://www.human-factors.no/consultants/bjorn.aspx
Seminar details
Time: please choose one of the following dates:
Sunday, the 27th of November 2011, 09.00–14.00
Tuesday, the 29th of November 2011, 09.00-14.00
Language: English with Hebrew support.
Place: Kfar Ha-Maccabiah Convention Center, Perets Bernstein 7 st., Ramat-Gan
Participation fee: NIS 150 per person (to be collected at entrance)
Confirmation:
As number of participants is limited, please confirm your attendance as soon as possible, and no later than
November 10th 2011.
Attendance confirmation, choice of seminar date, and full contact details should be sent to:
Ms. Tanja Münchausen
E-mail: tanja@human-factors.no , Telephone: + (47) 22423030