In order to highlight this difficult and often somewhat abstract subject in an impactful way, theatre makers Anne Gehring and Vera Ketelaars set to work and developed a theatrical lecture. As preparation they held dozens of interviews and asked questions such as: “What is the culture at KPMG? What is alpha male behavior? What about the work-private ratio? What does a woman need to become a top woman? Or does she not want that at all?” From the answers they made a theater text for no less than 160 voices. The text was pronounced by 160 women, in the presence of members of the Executive Board and Supervisory Board. They were silent.
“Diversity is a difficult subject because it often remains abstract”, says Jolande Sap, a member of KPMG’s Supervisory Board. “By making phrases about the corporate culture, prejudices became recognizable as such and understanding developed. KPMG is a very rational organization, and they (Gehring & Ketelaars ed.) put flawlessly on the table what underneath plays.”
The reading of the text also served as an introduction to the new internal network within KPMG: KPMG Inclusive. As a start of the new KPMG Inclusive network, more than 200 KPMG women followed an intensive storytelling workshop. Under the direction of playwright and director Andreas Vonder and writer and performer Graine Delaney, the participants learned how to quickly develop a story that causes impact. And by telling each other personal stories, the women got to know each other better and there was a deeper connection.