How can L&D be used to champion DEI?

The fourth edition of THRIVE Insight is here! And what are we talking about this time around? Hot off the back of our webinar yesterday with TrainingZone , we’re exploring diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and how to integrate this critical initiative into L&D.

DEI has become a vital part of organisational learning in recent times. As employees become more socially aware, they expect their workplace to reflect, support and encourage their diverse experiences in life. And if it doesn’t? Chances are, they’ll look to move somewhere that does.

So, organisations the world over have the task of upskilling and educating their employees to spark cultural change and create a safe, inclusive workplace. But, how well are they doing? And, what more can be done?

These were the two questions guiding yesterday's webinar, where Helen Marshall , Head of Learning at THRIVE , was joined by Nathan Nalla , Founder & Director at Be The Riot , to discuss how DEI can be successfully embedded into every aspect of your organisation.?

We’ve summarised the key talking points below, so grab a cuppa, read on, and soak up some inspiration for YOUR diversity, equity and inclusion strategy.

How to move DEI beyond a tick-box exercise

On the session, Nathan and Helen both highlighted that organisations often adopt a standardised approach to DEI. That usually entails generic, off-the-shelf content and elearning modules, blasted to everyone with a tick-box to celebrate its completion.?

But, why is this falling flat for most organisations? Simply put, a successful DEI strategy is about culture change. Racism, sexism, ableism and every other form of discrimination have existed in our society for hundreds, even thousands of years. Off-the-shelf content isn’t about to change that overnight, but there are things we can do to keep addressing them and stamping them out.

The key is honing in on your organisation’s specific challenges. Every organisation will be different, so, it’s important to ask questions and find out more about your employees’ lived experiences and attitudes - inside and outside of work - so you can highlight those stories and how they’ve been supported through it.

An employee engagement survey is an obvious first step, and focus groups are a great way to bring people together to share their experiences and learn from each other. Getting closer to your people and their experiences will help you pinpoint the knowledge gaps in your workforce to deliver more targeted, strategic and effective learning.

Think about your organisation’s values. How is DEI connected to that? Think about and share why DEI is good for business. Look at all your learning content and think about the ways DEI principles can be weaved into different areas and modules.

There needs to be ownership of the DEI strategy in your organisation too. In larger organisations, that may be a dedicated DEI team. In smaller organisations, they may sit within the L&D team. Who owns it doesn't really matter. But it’s important that SOMEONE takes ownership of the conversations, drives action and works collaboratively to influence across every aspect of your organisation - from recruitment and onboarding to performance reviews and L&D - so real cultural change can take place.?

Educate your people on unpicking unconscious bias

It’s unrealistic to assume that rolling out unconscious bias training is going to make your organisation more inclusive and diverse. But, it’s not impossible to address unconscious bias, and as Nathan and Helen reminded us. It’s about making sure you’re taking the right steps.

Firstly, acknowledging unconscious bias exists and accepting that we’re all affected by it are key. Then, practical measures like anonymised job applications can be introduced to help people understand how their biases have impacted their decisions in the past. At some point, however, the individual will have a face-to-face interview or video call, which could see unconscious bias creep back in.?

Removing unconscious bias depends on building relationships, developing empathy and understanding people and groups that are different to ourselves.?

Think about the most prevalent stereotypes in your organisation or society. Then, actively seek content that contradicts those. When you get people to think consciously about their bias, they slow down and ask the right questions: “Is this the right decision? Am I basing this off the objective criteria? Or is there a bias at play here?”, moving them from a place of unconscious bias to unconscious inclusion.?

Holding people accountable for their actions and helping them understand all the variables at play in their decision-making are vital in eliminating DEI issues like unconscious bias and micro-aggressions, and that’s why a key part of Nathan’s work at Be The Riot centres on helping organisations and individuals conduct challenging conversations in non-combative, constructive ways.?

How to keep on top of the latest research around DEI in L&D

1. Look outwards

L&D has always been notoriously slow when it comes to DEI. The solution always run deeper than giving someone a piece of training and saying, “Here you go, now you’re better equipped.”

So, connect with inspirational voices on LinkedIn - from L&D, yes, but especially further afield. Fill your network with people that are pushing DEI thinking forward. Look at the research they’re conducting and the events they’re part of. Expose yourself to the key issues, ideas and experiences - and become part of those conversations.

Look to charities and support groups to find out how they’re framing, wording and approaching topics, and take those learnings to your organisation.??

2. Look inwards

There will always be people in an organisation that have a passion for DEI - often through lived experiences. So, it’s important to recognise the sort of challenges that those people face, and the stories they can tell.

Creating an inclusion committee is a collaborative approach that makes sure your peoples' voices are being heard. It can help you sense-check ideas and the approach you want to take with your learning, and find out what’s worked well in other organisations in the past.?

Once content has been rolled out, continue to collect feedback and check for cultural sensitivity, particularly around language, which has changed so much over the last few years with the introduction of new terms.?

Nathan and Be The Riot have supported organisations with live language toolkits and glossaries, creating a valuable bank of shared language that everyone can use confidently in their conversations.?

Wherever your organisation is, remember this...

DEI isn’t a competition - or a race. It’s an iterative journey, guided by where you are, where you want to be, and who you’re trying to communicate with.?

So, whether this is day one or year ten of your DEI journey, the main thing is: it’s happening. And it can only gain momentum.

Are you trying to inspire change in your organisation? Check out THRIVE's Content Club and see how we're supporting organisations in delivering compelling content and campaigns on important topics like DEI.

Did you miss the live session? No worries! You can grab the recording here. And if you want to continue the conversation, helen.marshall@thrivelearning would LOVE to hear from you ??