The Opportunity
ServiceNow wanted its annual Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Leadership Summit to go beyond discussion. The aim was to create an experience where senior leaders could practice inclusive leadership behaviours, empathy, allyship and active listening in real time.
The programme also needed to work virtually and engage nearly 200 leaders globally. While maintaining depth and practical relevance.
The Journey
Emerging World designed a virtual experience in which leaders worked in small groups, using Action Learning, with organizations addressing systemic inequality. Across two 2.5-hour sessions, each group explored a real challenge brought by a social impact organization.
Participants were also asked to practice specific inclusive leadership behaviours during the interaction, such as active listening or creating space for different perspectives. Emerging World coaches supported the process and encouraged participants to reflect on how they were showing up as leaders.
Leaders were encouraged not only to generate solutions, but to examine how they showed up — how they listened, how they created space, and how they engaged difference.
Plenary moments connected the wider cohort, while preparation and follow-up reinforced ongoing application.
The Transformation
Nearly 200 leaders took part across 30 small groups. Leaders experienced inclusion as an everyday behaviour, not just as policy language.
Social Impact partners reported strong progress following the programme:
- 95% completed the experience with clearer next steps.
- 95% felt able to make meaningful progress on their challenge in the following six months.
- 89% reported positive development in their leadership capabilities.
Feedback consistently highlighted authentic engagement, empathy and diverse perspectives. For ServiceNow, the experience demonstrated that inclusive leadership can be developed meaningfully at scale — and that virtual environments, when intentionally designed, can deepen rather than dilute connection.
As Megan Kollar Dwyer, Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, reflected: “Partnering with Emerging World really enabled us to push the boundaries of traditional DIBs programs. We are empowering our leaders to become agents of change to dismantle injustice in every form and to co-create an equitable world while empowering others to do so as well.”
