Constructive Dialogue Institute

About Us

Our core values are:

Embrace Our Common Humanity

We approach every interaction with empathy, patience, and respect. We are committed to building a team representative of our nation’s rich diversity, where we prioritize inclusion and belonging. We value our differences as strengths, and we remember that despite our differences, we are part of a unified team committed to advancing a shared mission.

• This shows up in our work in these ways:
  • We are committed to clear and intentional communication.
  • We proactively recruit diverse talent, commit budget and time to our team’s professional development, and take deliberate action to cultivate a strong sense of belongingness.
  • We celebrate each other’s accomplishments and contributions in 1:1s, team meetings, on Slack, and in All-Hands meetings.
  • We support each other by stepping up when a teammate is unable to — due to illness, mental health needs, or another reason.
  • We approach our work with external partners with uncommon thoughtfulness that leaves a lasting impression.

Practice Intellectual Humility

We practice intellectual humility by questioning our assumptions and updating our beliefs in the face of compelling information. We seek out diverse perspectives to sharpen our thinking and expand our understanding. We are slow to judge and quick to be curious.

• This shows up in our work in these ways:
  • We are committed to creating an environment of psychological safety, where people won’t feel dissuaded from or punished for speaking up with ideas, posing uncomfortable questions, or sharing concerns.
  • We welcome dissent, recognizing that promoting diversity of thought and avoiding groupthink requires an active commitment to sharing, hearing, and soliciting viewpoints that others may disagree with.
  • We are mindful of our tone, body language and speech when engaging with others.
  • We charitably portray different beliefs and perspectives.
  • We ask thoughtful questions and make space for others to do the same.
  • We acknowledge when we’ve been wrong about something.
  • We don’t pretend to know the answers to unanswered questions.

Prioritize Research

We prioritize the scientific process and follow the evidence where it leads. We ensure our educational tools reflect the latest scientific evidence, and we rigorously evaluate them and refine them accordingly. We are committed to conducting high quality research that is practical, ethical, transparent, and contributes to public scientific knowledge.

• This shows up in our work in these ways:
  • We don’t reinvent the wheel, but stand on the shoulders of giants. When faced with questions and problems, we explore what others have done and what solutions have worked and failed. We ask questions and seek answers in good faith. We look for evidence that confirms and disconfirms our hypotheses.
  • We conduct rigorous qualitative and quantitative research to beta-test and evaluate our programs.
  • We make data-informed decisions. These “data” can be derived from external sources (literature reviews and market surveys) but can also be derived from our past experiences. We take all of these data in context, knowing that each type has its own limitations.
  • We share what we learn with the field. We publish and present our findings. We readily share knowledge gained and lessons learned with our peers working towards a similar mission.

Deliver Excellence

We believe the stakes are too high to cut corners. Bridging divides is delicate work that requires diligent planning and thorough execution. That is why we have a steadfast commitment to doing what’s right rather than what’s easy in our interactions, in our processes, and in our work output.

• This shows up in our work in these ways:
  • We map out projects and tasks with realistic deadlines, and make sure all team members are aligned on the requirements and goals of projects.
  • We’re committed to clear, concise verbal communication and active listening.
  • We write with straightforward prose that is attuned to its audience.
  • Partners praise our team and program for exceeding expectations.

Keep Improving

We constantly seek to improve ourselves, our team, and our educational tools. We embody a growth mindset by embracing mistakes as learning opportunities. We often reflect on what’s going well and where we can improve.

• This shows up in our work in these ways:
  • We set and track carefully designed goals and plans.
  • We continuously seek out development opportunities related to our craft, and share that learning with others.
  • We frequently solicit and provide quality feedback.
  • We deliver constructive feedback in a supportive manner that doesn't make anyone feel like their worth, talent, or place on the team is being questioned.
  • We conduct retrospectives at the completion of any major project or group effort to debrief what went well, challenges that came up, and lessons for the future.

Stay Adaptable

Though we are deliberative, we learn fast and are able to pivot when the evidence points us in a new direction. We recognize the complexity and uncertainty of the world around us, and we adapt accordingly to achieve our mission.

• This shows up in our work in these ways:
  • We respond to external circumstances in a flexible way.
  • We work well on small teams with flexible structures.
  • We have a “whatever needs to be done” attitude.
  • We are fast learners.

Perks and Benefits

We offer unlimited PTO, parental leave, health, vision, and dental, PD budgets, and more! You can find the full description of our benefits here: https://constructivedialogue.notion.site/CDI-Benefits-Summary-7890e32b6bc347f2b98b1967a30f0a41?pvs=4