Ubuntu Diversity Icebreaker: A Pedagogical Intervention for Collective Leadership and Human Flourishing
Professional Development Workshop
Date: Wednesday 28 October
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Cost: $75
Location: The Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto, Room TBD
Ticket prices do not include food or beverage. Bring along your favorite coffee or snack, and plan to grab lunch during the break!
Short Description
This pre-conference session introduces the Ubuntu Diversity Icebreaker, a highly experiential team-based learning process developed in Norway by Bjørn Z. Ekelund at Human Factors AS. The method strengthens communication and collaboration through three communication styles—Red, Blue, and Green—supporting inclusive and effective collective leadership.
Participants begin by assessing their communication preferences, followed by mono-style group dialogues and cross-group reflection. Since 2023, Kwame Dako has integrated explicit Ubuntu philosophy elements into this process with approximately 2,500 employees. These Ubuntu elements will be demonstrated and explored throughout the session.
The 120-minute Icebreaker experience is followed by research-based insights, including findings from studies conducted in a Norwegian municipality (2024–25).
The pre-conference concludes with a 90-minute world café dialogue engaging participants in shared inquiry around application across contexts, integration with other leadership and community models, training possibilities, and future research—inviting collective sensemaking in support of human flourishing and inclusive leadership practice.
The combination of Ubuntu and Diversity Icebreaker applied in Sandnes municipality facilitated by Kwame Dako has been researched and results published:
Elkington, R.L., Quantick, R., Ekelund, B., Dako, K., Appiah, H., & Abbasioun, M., (2025). The Impact of the Ubuntu Diversity Icebreaker on Leadership & Followership Dynamics in a Large Norwegian Municipality. International Journal of Public Leadership (2025) 21 (4): 376–394. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPL-01-2025-0019
Follow up research in 2026 in Canada have been funded by the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
Design
1) Introduction to the program, presenters and the participants.
2) Ubuntu Diversity Icebreaker in 105 min experiential learning
- 15 min overview of the process
- 15 min participants assess their Red, Blue and Green communication styles through the valid and reliable Diversity Icebreaker psychological test
- 15 min group work in mono-colored groups
- 20 min sharing in between groups
- 30 min pulling out collectively learning points, collective reflexivity
- 10 min exploring UBUNTU elements in the process
3) Pause
4) In-depth understanding of the Diversity Icebreaker seminar involving elements from research and train-the-trainer programs.
5) Lunch
6) Introduction to World Café where we will share more knowledge on Ubuntu philosophy and the research done in 2024-5 on the Ubuntu Diversity Icebreaker in a Norwegian municipality.
7) World Cafe format dialogue involving all participants broadening up for questions related to issues like; other indigenous model, merging issues when combining a Diversity Icebreaker process with other community models, application challenges in different contexts, training possibilities at universities, further research questions, etc. The ambition is to involve participants to add perspectives to the process searching for mental models that inspires in direction of more collective and inclusive practices.
8) Q&A, closure and evaluation.
Facilitators
Bjørn Z. Ekelund is one of Norway’s leading consultants in collaborative teamwork. He specializes in leadership development across organizational roles and differences.
Since founding Human Factors AS in 1993, Bjørn and his colleagues have developed innovative concepts that challenge traditional approaches to team building. He is the creator of Diversity Icebreaker®, Norway’s most widely used tool for communication and collaboration. In his book Unleashing the Power of Diversity – How to Open Minds for Good (Routledge, 2019), he explores the unique qualities of the Diversity Icebreaker and its global applications. To date, more than 500,000 people in over 80 countries have used the Diversity Icebreaker, facilitated by approximately 3,000 registered consultants, with seminars being conducted every day. Bjørn is passionate about facilitating Diversity Icebreaker workshops and helping organizations and consultants implement its innovative yet practical applications.
Beyond his work as a consultant in Norway, Bjørn is a researcher, keynote speaker, and author, actively contributing to international academic and professional communities. Since 1997, he has participated in numerous research projects on cross-cultural differences, and his co-authored scientific articles have been cited more than 3,000 times. He holds a degree in Psychology from the University of Oslo, an MBA from Henley in London, and has studied international management at the University of Agder.
He has been a member of ILA since 2022, member of program committee organizing Diversity & inclusion virtual summits, co-edited an ILA book on inclusion, take part in Global Voices webinar series, and has been presenting at the ILA conference multiple times since 2022.
Kwame Dako, Division manager, Sandnes municipality, Norway
My work bridges African philosophical wisdom and contemporary leadership science. A research project I am involved with integrates the Ubuntu philosophy—with its deep emphasis on human interconnectedness, dignity, and mutual recognition—into the Diversity Icebreaker, a Norwegian-developed psychometric tool for enhancing self-awareness, communication, and collaboration.
This innovative approach has led to a published research project exploring how Ubuntu-infused psychometrics can transform leadership and followership dynamics in both public and private sector organisations. By combining evidence-based psychology with cross-cultural insight, I am able to help leaders and teams cultivate trust, empathy, and inclusive decision-making.
My expanding portfolio includes leadership management projects that apply these principles in practice—empowering organisations to navigate complexity with cultural intelligence and human-centred strategies. This work is inspiring a new generation of leaders to see one another fully, communicate authentically, and lead with purpose.
Zwelinzima Ndevu, Academic and Director School of Public Leadership, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Ndevu is the current serving Director at the School of Public Leadership (SPL), responsible for the finance, human resources and strategic direction of the school. He is also the academic head of the Honours in Public Development and Management. Part of the portfolio is to manage the teaching and learning, study administration and other related programme logistics. He is a supporter of inter-disciplinary research which leads to numerous capacity-building projects in South Africa and abroad, a lead expert in short courses training and professional consultation. He teaches a module on leadership in the MBA program where Ubuntu is the theme that he incorporates on different styles of leadership. Zwelinzima serves on the Boards of South African Association of Public Administration and Management and Association of Southern African Schools and Departments of Public Administration and Management. Serve as Chairperson of Council for King Hintsa TVET College and board of directors at the Inclusive Society Institute as well as the Chairperson. Contributes as Television expert analysis on Public Leadership, Governance and Performance, Radio Analysis on current affairs.
Robin Quantick, Assistant Professor, Cross Appointed to the Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies and the Trent School of Business. BA (Trent), BEd (Queen’s), MEd (Queen’s), PhD (Trent).
Research interests fall into two areas:
Justice Issues: Prisons and prison education with particular emphasis on the disproportionate representation of incarcerated Indigenous men and women in Canada. The focus of this work is on Elders and their role in contributing to successtul community reintegration for incarcerated Indigenous men and women.
Decolonizing Curriculum Design: I am interested in the challenges of Indigenization in the academy and in the community. I am particularly interested in research that explores the application of Indigenous Knowledge and Universal Design for Learning in the design and delivery of decolonizing courses.
Rob Elkington, Ph.D., is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Business and Master of Management program at Trent University, Durham campus, Canada. Originally from Zimbabwe and South Africa, Rob brings a rich global perspective to his teaching and research in leadership studies. He also holds academic appointments as an Extraordinary Associate Professor at Stellenbosch University’s School of Public Leadership. Rob’s research explores the evolving intersection of leadership and technology, with current projects focusing on AI-driven organizational leadership, Ubuntu leadership philosophy, the application of META in military leadership development, and symbolic leadership in liminal contexts. His work also examines e-leadership in Canadian business schools, diversity facilitation through Ubuntu and the Diversity Icebreaker, and transformational leadership in data modernization within policing. Rob has authored four leadership books with Emerald Publishing, contributed five book chapters, and published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles. He is an active member of the International Leadership Association and a certified FLOW Business Coach through the International Coaching Federation.