Chapter 6

Strategies for Continuity and Collaboration

When my daughter turned six she got a bicycle for her birthday. It was her first big kid bike without training wheels. She was excited to learn how to ride it. She hopped on and promptly lost her balance. We worked with her for an hour, holding the bike and giving guidance, but she couldn’t get the balance right and became so frustrated that she began to cry. We assured her it would take time and practice, but she no longer seemed eager.

We tried to practice with her for the next couple of weekends, but when she didn’t master it right away she got frustrated and lost interest. The bike sat in the garage for another year and became a home for spiders. We tried at times to pull the bike out and invite her to try again, but she went back to riding her scooter, which she had already mastered and felt comfortable on. We didn’t want to push her too hard and make her resent us or the bike, so we gave up and assumed one day she would be interested.

Then we learned that her elementary school had a policy in which every student in second grade is expected to learn to ride a bicycle. The policy is actually part of a greater initiative launched in 2017 by Washington, DC, Public Schools, in partnership with the District’s Department of Transportation, to ensure that all second graders learn to ride a bike.

At first, we were concerned that this would lead to performance anxiety and embarrassment for our daughter. However, we found out that the school district embedded the bike-riding unit into the second-grade curriculum. The program was put in place to support students in learning to ride a bike, regardless of their incoming skill level.

What impressed me most about the school district’s approach was not only had the administration created a policy around a core skill it believed was important for children at that age to learn, but it had also integrated learning and support into the entire semester. The students learn about independence, perseverance, and supporting others who are struggling. Some of the teachers even integrate learning about bicycles into history and science studies. The approach is to instill a collaborative spirit and a collective goal for all second graders to achieve together.

To support this goal, the school district provides bikes and helmets for all children, so students are free to bring their own but there are plenty for those who do not have a helmet or bike at home. The physical education teachers spend class practicing with the students, giving tips and pointers and providing extra support depending on where a student is in their abilities. The culminating event is a bike ride for all second graders on the nearby bike path. Students are encouraged to work together and help one another to prepare for the big event, and they cheer for each other when their peers are able to ride around the school track without tipping over.

During the semester when she was learning to ride, my daughter never seemed anxious or afraid. It still took her a while to get the hang of riding, but she was eager to share what she had learned about the history of the bicycle, how bicycles transfer our energy to kinetic energy to power the bike, and pointed out how the chain connected to the gears. By learning all about the bike, she had developed a curiosity that waylaid her fear of the physical process of riding.

She glowed with happiness when they returned from that final class bike ride. If the school had merely mandated that all children learn to ride bikes in second grade, but left the responsibility solely to families to teach their children, it would have created a disparate and fractured process in which a number of children would not be able to achieve the goal. If the school had only relegated learning to ride a bike to PE class, the students might have learned but would not have been as invested collectively. They would have seen the practice of bike riding in PE as a means to an end. However, the school staff recognized that if they wanted children to not only learn to ride a bike but also appreciate the process of persevering in the face of new challenges, they needed to design the process differently. The fact that bike riding had become a part of my daughter’s daily life and a core component of her interactions with classmates and teachers took the fear out of bike riding and made it a collective journey where everyone supported one another in achieving the communal goal.

How do we make training a part of something sustainable?

Fostering a Holistic, Organizational Approach

Organizations that foster DEI take a holistic and sustained approach to embedding DEI into every thread of the institutional fabric. Standalone, one-off training will not lead to long-lasting change. In fact, in some cases, research indicates it can backfire.

Three big challenges we find are:

• Although DEI training may increase awareness of issues like implicit bias, stereotypes, and racial inequality, a generic diversity training class offered once will not likely lead to lasting behavior change if it’s not part of a broader organizational strategy.
• Training individuals does not by itself address systemic barriers and inequities that continue to perpetuate advantages for those with societal privilege and disadvantages for those without. Individuals need to experience DEI as a part of the everyday fabric of their organizational life and need to feel a sense of commitment to one another and to the organization to contribute to DEI.
• Good intentions do not transform into sustainable change unless there are clearly defined DEI goals with measurable success indicators.

Take heart. This does not mean DEI training is ineffective! What it indicates is that DEI knowledge and skills must be reinforced across the learning landscape, systems and policies in the organization need to be DEI focused, and accountability measures must be put in place. This chapter explores ways training professionals can collaborate with diversity, equity, and inclusion leadership in their organization to ensure long-term success. Three worksheets at the end of the chapter focus on integrating DEI into an organizational strategy, conducting a curriculum review, and evaluating learning outcomes.

The three overarching pillars for DEI to lead to successful, sustainable change are:

• Strategy. DEI has to be a strategic imperative and part of goal setting and decision making.
• Continuity. DEI efforts must be owned by everyone in the organization and embedded into all aspects of the organizational life.
• Accountability. The organization needs to identify clear metrics for progress and frequently evaluate programs, policies, and people to ensure the organization is achieving DEI goals.

Regardless of whether your organization has a dedicated DEI leader or office, it is important to team up with the individuals responsible for and committed to DEI. In some organizations, that might be an entire team of people whose full-time jobs are focused on DEI. In others, it might be an informal structure, which requires more commitment from key individuals to build and maintain momentum.

Integrating DEI Into the Organizational Strategy

Even if your role is not primarily linked to DEI, it is important to understand the constellation of organizational components that must be linked for DEI to be sustainable and successful.

Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Benchmarks: Standards for Organizations Around the World (GDEIB), published in March 2021, is a report based on the expert guidance of almost 100 DEI practitioners from across the globe. The GDEIB offers best practices for organizations to engage in successful systemic change. The GDEIB includes 15 categories broken into four main groups: foundational, internal, bridging, and external.

Foundational Group: “Drive the Strategy”

The three categories in the foundation group—vision, leadership, and structure—represent the critical building blocks upon which any DEI initiative must be developed:

• Vision, strategy, and business impact. The organization has a clearly articulated vision for DEI, and has developed a strategic plan with measurable goals that are aligned with the corporate strategy. There is a detailed business case outlining the importance of DEI for the organization that is aligned with the organizational values, mission, and vision.
• Leadership and accountability. Leaders across the organization are visibly and actively committed to DEI and have the skills to model inclusive and equitable behaviors. They are held accountable for their actions and hold others accountable for fostering DEI.
• Structure and implementation. The organization has an internal structure to implement DEI goals. The ideal is to have a dedicated DEI team, led by a chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer. However, DEI efforts may also be housed in Human Resources or an EEO office. Regardless of where DEI is housed, it should be run by people with expertise in the field.

As a training and development professional, you may not be directly involved with every component of the strategic planning and implementation of DEI in your organization, but you must play a critical role in it. This likely will include some sort of professional learning. It’s helpful to have a seat at the table early in the planning process to bring a training and development lens and share best practices for effective learning. It’s also important to determine early in the strategy process how training will be integrated into the organization, who is to be trained, and how success will be measured.

Training and development professionals should also play a key role in determining the specific competencies leaders will need to learn and practice in order to role-model DEI across the organization. Having a coherent plan that clearly outlines leadership competencies and behaviors will help ensure that the training design is successful.

Training and development professionals will need to work directly with members of the DEI leadership and their team to align all learning development activities with DEI organizational goals.

Internal Group: “Attract and Retain People”

The four categories in the internal group are centered around strengthening the effectiveness of leaders and employees. Often, this is the group under which training professionals reside, as it is most closely aligned with human resources, training, and professional development. However, it is still important for training professionals to understand the connection between their roles and other categories and to collaborate appropriately.

• Recruitment. Organizations are intentional and active about the terms of recruiting a workforce that is equitably representative across all levels and job functions. Diversity on interviewing panels is standard, and those involved in the recruitment, interviewing, and hiring process are well trained in the impact of biases.
• Advancement and retention. DEI is integrated into talent development, performance management, career advancement, and retention strategies. Individuals from underrepresented groups receive coaching, mentoring, and sponsorship opportunities, and promotion of underrepresented groups is proportional to the representation of those groups in the organization.
• Job design, classification, and compensation. The organization regularly reviews job classifications, requirements, and compensation to eradicate any potential biases.
• Work-life integration, flexibility, and benefits. Organizations need policies and practices that meet the needs and wants of diverse employees, including services like subsidized dependent care, remote work and flex schedules, accommodations for disabilities, lactation rooms for nursing parents, and fitness and nutrition services. These services allow employees with different needs to be productive, engaged contributors regardless of their situations.

Training and development professionals should be knowledgeable about organizational policies and practices that foster DEI and should make sure all training related to employment (such as employee onboarding, HR, supervisory skills, anti-discrimination and anti-harassment training) is up to date and provides an accurate and consistent message to employees.

Bridging: “Align and Connect”

The four categories in the bridging group help connect the foundational work with the internal and external focus of DEI.

• Assessment, measurement, and research. Ensure that DEI metrics are part of the information gathering and reporting process and there is a consistent mechanism for evaluating how DEI efforts contribute to organizational success.
• Communications. Internal and external communications provide consistent, accessible, and up-to-date messaging around DEI that is aligned with the organization’s DEI vision, mission, and strategy.
• DEI learning and development. The organization has integrated DEI learning practices to ensure that all leaders and employees have competencies to foster an inclusive and equitable workplace.
• Connecting DEI and sustainability. DEI is integrated into the organization’s long-term sustainability efforts, with a focus on issues like social equity, economic prosperity, environmental health, and ethical decision making.

As a training and development professional, your role in the assessment of DEI will vary depending on what mechanisms are already in place, but generally you will want to be part of or at least privy to assessment data and performance metrics for leaders and employees. To hold people accountable for their performance related to DEI goals, you must provide training to build knowledge and skills.

You can play a key role in terms of ensuring that communications related to training and development (for example, training advertisements, internal or external training and development webpages, and training materials) reflect diversity and are inclusive and equitable.

You also will play a critical role in the development and implementation of all learning activities related to DEI. This is where training professionals can play a role not only in making sure that DEI-specific training is relevant and effective but also ensuring that DEI competencies and practices are integrated into all forms of training in the organization. The most effective approach goes beyond check-the-box, one-off training to provide ongoing opportunities that promote the principles related to DEI as well as learning and practicing skills to foster DEI.

Working toward sustainability, training and development professionals can also equip employees and leaders with the foresight and tools to consider the long-term implications of decisions. A major challenge in many organizations is overcoming inertia when profits and productivity are high. Leaders needs to be constantly mindful of how their decisions today will influence the industry, workforce, and organization of tomorrow.

External Group: “Listen to and Serve Society”

The four categories in this group represent the organization’s commitment to serving and interacting effectively with diverse communities, customers, and vendors.

• Community, government relations, and philanthropy. The organization advocates for members of diverse communities locally, regionally, and in broader society in a way that aligns with corporate vision and mission.
• Services and product development. DEI is embedded into the design and development of the organization’s products and services, with input and collaboration among diverse customers, community members, and other external stakeholders.
• Marketing and customer service. The organization conducts frequent market analyses to understand the needs of diverse customers, and marketing and customer service efforts are representative of diverse populations and free of stereotypes. Customer service professionals are trained to provide culturally competent responses to diverse customers.
• Responsible sourcing. The organization is committed to purchasing a significant percentage of goods and services from organizations committed to high standards in DEI, sustainability, ethical behavior, and fair trade. Additionally, the organization supports current and potential suppliers in efforts to maintain high standards and to compete equitably with other suppliers to promote global prosperity and sustainability.

The role of training and development professionals in this area may be a bit more limited, but they can definitely be integral to ensuring that external-facing employees have the skills they need to promote DEI in their work, whether it’s customer service, marketing, budgeting and acquisitions, or product development.

Ensuring Continuity

In addition to being a core part of the organizational strategy, DEI must become deeply interconnected across the organizational landscape, woven into the very fabric of the way things are done. This means that regardless of department or job function, everyone sees themselves as a key player in DEI efforts. When DEI is relegated to only one division, whether that is Human Resources, EEO, or a dedicated DEI office, its power and reach can be diminished.

All too often, DEI efforts lose momentum because of a lack of ongoing exposure to or reinforcement of DEI concepts. If most employees are only exposed to DEI in one-off training events, it is much less likely they will retain that knowledge or apply the skills learned.

Five Steps for Embedding DEI Knowledge and Skills in Your Training Curriculum

Training professionals have a unique and critical role to play in providing continuity of DEI efforts, because they typically interface with many departments and functions across the organization. Training and development professionals have the opportunity to regularly connect with everyone in the organization, and they can leverage that connection to develop shared language around DEI, reinforce critical knowledge and skills, and foster behaviors and practices that align with DEI.

In chapter 4 we discussed ways to make any training representative of diversity, and equitable and inclusive in the way it is designed and delivered. Training professionals also have the opportunity and responsibility to embed content that reinforces DEI knowledge and skills into the overall training curriculum for the organization. The five-step process toward that end is detailed here.

Step 1: Conduct a Curriculum Review

Conduct a thorough review of all formal and informal training content in the organization. Identify where and how DEI concepts appear. Consider opportunities to add or revise learning objectives to embed DEI concepts into the training curriculum. Identify ways to weave DEI concepts into the curriculum even if it doesn’t require changing learning objectives. For example, a training on project management may not need a new set of objectives specifically related to DEI, but the content may need to be refreshed or enhanced to present the impact of identity lenses and implicit biases on how we set timelines, assign tasks, and measure success.

Step 2: Consider the Specific DEI Concepts and Skills Different Learners Need

When determining ways to embed DEI into all aspects of training and development, assess the existing level of knowledge different learners may bring. Determine the relevant skills needed for that learner group and design the training in a way that will fit their learning needs.

For example, managers and supervisors will most likely need more focused training to prepare them to effectively lead diverse teams, in comparison with budget and acquisition employees who may need to learn practices to promote DEI in terms of vendors and ethical sourcing.

Step 3: Integrate DEI Language and Skills Into All Other Interpersonal Skills

Reinforce the content and skills taught in DEI-specific training. Generally, DEI can and should be woven into all people-focused training. Identity lenses, core values, beliefs, and personal experiences related to one’s societal identity and conditioning all play a powerful role in how we understand and communicate with one another.

For example:

• Communication. Our identity significantly influences how we communicate with others and how we interpret others’ communication.
• Managing up and influencing without authority. By understanding the different identities our leaders and managers bring with them, we can engage in perspective taking, build trust, and influence their decisions.
• Conflict management. The most challenging (and destructive) form of conflict is often not due to a technical problem, but to an identity problem. Understanding how our brains react in times of identity-based conflict, learning about diverse conflict styles, and developing practices for dialogue are important skills for effective conflict management.
• Feedback. How individuals are culturally conditioned to give and receive feedback has a significant impact on workplace productivity and relationships. Knowing our own and others’ perspectives, emotional triggers, and feedback communication preferences all lead to better results when giving and receiving feedback.
• Innovation and creativity. DEI is integral to fostering innovation and creativity. Inviting and exploring divergent perspectives and ideas and creating psychological safety for people to disagree and debate processes are pillars of innovative cultures.
• Change management. People have different ways of reacting to change and dealing with the emotional process of organizational transitions. Learning about and responding effectively to different individuals’ needs in times of change and turmoil lead to more streamlined solutions and sustainable transformation.
• Team building. Teams are made up of people, all of whom bring their individual identities, motivations, and needs. Fostering trust and rapport on the team requires exploring the different personalities and experiences of team members and building an environment where everyone on the team can thrive.
• Customer service. Customers bring their own unique experiences, perspectives, communication styles, and needs. To best serve them, it is important to recognize how our own identity lenses and implicit biases may impact the way we communicate with our customers.
• Leadership and management. Leadership, management, and supervisory skills training all play a prominent role in fostering DEI. Leadership or management training programs for any level, from aspiring leaders to senior executives, must incorporate and reinforce knowledge and skills around DEI.

Step 4: Embed DEI Into Technical Training

DEI doesn’t just have to live in “people skills” training. In fact, it can play a valuable role in enhancing myriad technical skills.

For example:

• Human resources. HR training should absolutely provide comprehensive knowledge and skills for managing biases, engaging in equitable and inclusive practices with all employees, and promoting DEI across the organization. Although this seems obvious, all too often HR professionals are not given the degree of learning needed to champion DEI in their organizations.
• Analytics and data-driven decision making. Even when preparing and analyzing data to make decisions, implicit biases can potentially impact results. Analytics training should include content that prepares learners to recognize and mitigate potential biases, to ensure that the data collected is representative of diverse populations, and to present findings that consider the organization’s DEI goals.
• Project management. Project management training has various opportunities to embed DEI principles and skills. Project managers need to be able to acknowledge and manage their own assumptions and implicit biases when prioritizing tasks, delegating responsibilities, and collaborating on project teams. They also need to be familiar with the organization’s DEI goals and know how to align project management goals and objectives with the organization’s broader DEI strategy.
• Contracting and acquisitions. Whether it is managing contract teams, performance monitoring and quality control, or managing challenging contractor situations, contracting and acquisitions professionals must recognize how their own biases and assumptions may influence their interactions with contractors. They also need to know how to hold contractors accountable for fostering DEI in their practices.
• Performance management. Performance management training requires a DEI lens. Anyone involved in the performance management process should learn how to intentionally manage their own assumptions and biases, and to foster DEI at every stage of employee performance management, from goal setting and delegating to monitoring and evaluation.

Step 5: Embed DEI Into All Learning and Development Activities

Organizations often have significant opportunities for publicizing and reinforcing DEI learning goals. By leveraging these events and resources, you further weave DEI into the organizational language and culture:

• Conferences. If your organization leads annual events like conferences or symposiums, make DEI a regularly scheduled theme. Bring in guest speakers or host workshops that are relevant to the audience. Additionally, plan these events with DEI in mind. Make sure the speakers represent various dimensions of diversity, schedule the events in locations that are accessible, and provide materials that represent diversity and accommodate different needs.
• Offsites and strategic planning retreats. Make DEI a standing agenda item. Ensure that diverse individuals are fully able to participate in the event in terms of time and location. Encourage contributions from underrepresented groups.
• Commemorating history and heritage events. I will offer the caveat that superficial celebratory events can feel performative, especially if they’re the only visible effort the organization is making around DEI. If you choose to host events to commemorate historically underrepresented groups (including heritage months and holidays) make sure the approach is culturally appropriate and has a deeper purpose than mere celebration. When planning these events, ask for input and participation from representatives of the identity group. Consider appropriate messaging and content to educate others and elevate the voices and experiences of those groups. For example, one of my clients has a DEI Council that puts out a newsletter commemorating heritage months and invites guest speakers to present untold or overlooked stories. The organization also hosts monthly dialogue sessions where employees view a relevant documentary and discuss what they’ve learned and how they might apply those learnings in their own workplace as advocates for DEI. This is only one component of a long-term DEI strategy, which includes company-wide DEI training and learning, DEI performance goals, and ongoing assessment and evaluation.
• Learning management systems and online resources. Many organizations offer ongoing learning for employees through a dedicated learning management system or an internal library of content or resources. Review these resources to ensure they reflect your organization’s DEI goals, and be intentional about offering ongoing content and learning nudges to employees beyond formal training. LinkedIn Learning provides a collection of short video courses on a wealth of topics, including diversity, equity, and inclusion. Google has created a free guide for organizations to develop “whisper” courses, which are easy-to-create templates for emails to send to managers and employees to reinforce practice of particular skills. For example, a DEI “whisper” may be an email sent to managers to remind them to encourage diverse perspectives and ideas in their group and one-on-one meetings (Stillman 2017).
• Newsletters, blogs, podcasts. Many organizations now host a variety of content that is shared internally with the workforce and sometimes externally with the public or select stakeholders. Be intentional about reinforcing DEI in these communications by not only spotlighting diverse individuals and groups but also speaking about the relevance of DEI for the organization, the industry, and the populations you serve.

Accountability for Achieving DEI Goals

In addition to a sound, systemic DEI strategy and continuity of DEI efforts across the organization, there needs to be accountability for achieving DEI goals and contributing to the organization’s DEI vision and mission.

Many organizations wait until their DEI efforts are in motion to address accountability. This can be problematic when there are no clear indicators of success put into place. Not only does this often deter leadership from providing resources for further DEI work; it also can lead to frustration and demoralization if employees do not see progress. Even when progress is made, if it is not measured, documented, and communicated to the organization, it can get lost or diminished.

Accountability should be a part of the DEI work from the beginning. The organization needs to identify and measure progress related to DEI goals. It also needs to determine a plan for holding leaders, employees, and even external stakeholders (such as vendors, contractors, and consumers) accountable for fostering DEI. These steps include determining appropriate metrics to track, creating an evaluation process, and providing regular reporting.

Determine Metrics

Although there may be common foundational metrics for organizational progress in DEI (for example, recruitment and retention metrics and employee engagement scores), every organization must determine the metrics for success based on its own corporate strategic goals.

• Employment metrics

  • Recruitment of underrepresented groups (race, ethnicity, gender, disability)

  • Promotion of underrepresented groups

  • Hiring from within versus outside the organization

  • Representation of underrepresented groups in all job functions and levels

  • Representation on executive board

  • Retention of underrepresented groups

• Organizational climate

  • Employee engagement or satisfaction surveys

  • Exit interviews of outgoing employees

• HR metrics

  • EEO complaints and investigations

  • Non-EEO grievances (bullying, conflict, hostile work environment)

  • Disciplinary actions for misconduct or unethical behaviors

  • Employee absences

  • Employee requests for transfers or new management

• Employee performance measurement

  • Performance evaluations

  • 360-degree feedback

• Customer satisfaction

  • Customer feedback surveys

  • Customer reviews

  • Customer service complaints

• Quality

  • Quality of products or services increases

  • Fewer errors, less waste of resources

• Profit and loss

  • Increases in revenue

  • New business lines

  • New consumer populations

  • Expenses related to recruitment and talent development

  • Expenses related to lawsuits or employee turnover

• Innovation

  • New or refined products or services created

  • Complex problems solved more quickly

• Reputation and public opinion

  • Increase in positive responses from customers on social media

  • Positive news media coverage

  • Recognition and awards

Create Evaluation Mechanisms

Determine the appropriate measures by which you will benchmark progress. This may include both short-term and long-term metrics.

For example, if a key challenge that was identified in the assessment phase is that the organization does not have adequate representation of racial and ethnic diversity, especially in leadership and management positions, then a DEI strategic goal for the organization should be to increase diversity in the employee population across all levels. The organization will need to determine the appropriate metrics for achieving this goal.

Possible metrics may be quantifiable and directly related to the goal:

• Increase number of candidates from underrepresented groups who are invited to interview by 25 percent in all positions
• Increase number of POC hires and promotions by 25 percent

Metrics may also be supportive of the goal even if they are not directly correlated:

• Develop a formal mentoring and coaching program for aspiring employees and include at least 30 percent POC employees in the program
• Provide implicit bias training to all selection panels and hiring managers

You may not be directly involved in determining all the DEI strategic goals and metrics. However, you can play a critical role in developing measurements related to training and development.

Following Kirkpatrick’s model of training evaluation, let’s examine the four levels of evaluation that you may use to gauge the effectiveness of DEI-related training:

• Level 1: Reaction. This is the degree to which participants found the training favorable, engaging, and relevant.
• Level 2: Learning. This is the degree to which participants developed new knowledge, awareness, skills, and attitudes. It identifies both competence and confidence to apply new knowledge and skills learned in the training.
• Level 3: Behavior. This is the degree to which participants apply their new learning on the job.
• Level 4: Results. This is the degree to which targeted outcomes occur as a result of the training. This level indicates the return on expectations for the training (Kirkpatrick 2016).

When designing training that includes DEI, always begin by considering the desired learning outcomes and how you will measure success. Make the learning objectives and competencies specific and measurable and consider the mechanisms you will use to evaluate the training.

Level 1, Reaction: Post-Training Feedback Survey

The most common evaluation tools for Level 1 are surveys provided to participants immediately upon completion of the training. Typically, these surveys measure Level 1 (reaction) and to some extent Level 2 (learning). The surveys give valuable data on what participants liked or disliked about the training, and how effective and relevant they believe it was.

Level 2, Learning: Pre- and Post-Tests

Administering a knowledge test prior to and immediately following training can measure participants’ learning directly related to the training program. The knowledge test should be directly tied to the training program’s learning objectives. The knowledge test can directly measure existing competencies by quizzing the participants on the content that will be covered.

The knowledge test can also be more of a self-reporting assessment to gauge how well learners believe they understand the content. These can take the form of Likert scales measuring agreement, satisfaction with existing knowledge, or frequency of practice.

You can also measure participants’ confidence or attitudes toward DEI content.

Level 3: Behavior

Evaluating individual behavior changes can be a little trickier, but it’s important to ensure the effectiveness of the training program in bringing about positive change. There are a few methods to consider, ranging from high touch to low touch. All these have the potential for bias. To mitigate biased evaluations (by yourself or others), be as specific as possible with the behavioral indicators to be observed and reported.

• Observation. Directly observing participants’ behaviors in their day-to-day work environment can provide valuable data on how they are able to apply the training. This may include observation in staff meetings or shadowing a person for a period of time. This approach can be useful but also time consuming, logistically challenging, and biased based on the observer’s identity lens and interpretations of the individual.
• 360-degree feedback. Consider sending a 360-degree feedback survey to the participants’ peers, direct reports, and managers asking them to provide input on what they have observed and experienced. What behaviors have they witnessed the individual exhibit that help or hinder an environment of DEI? This approach can itself be limiting on its own because every team member will interpret their colleague’s actions through their own biases and filters.
• Self-reflection or assessment. Self-assessment tools can be helpful, asking participants after the training how they have been able to apply their new knowledge and skills. This may take the form of a post-training survey that is administered several months out to provide people adequate time to engage in behavior changes and see results. There is potential for bias in this approach as well, depending on the identity lenses and biases of the person assessing themselves.

Level 4: Results

It is challenging to directly link training outcomes with organizational results, especially with DEI. However, it is not impossible. When designing training, clarify the organization’s expectations of the training. Map the training objectives to the organization’s DEI strategic goals. Think about how the training outcomes can be represented as business outcomes.

When measuring results, look for patterns and organizational results that correlate to the training content. For example, if a DEI training program for HR professionals and hiring managers focused on examining and mitigating bias in the hiring and promotion process, then look at changes in the number of underrepresented populations who are interviewed, hired, or promoted in the six to 12 months following the training.

Provide Regular Reporting on Progress Toward DEI Strategic Goals

Provide frequent updates to leadership on the progress toward DEI strategic goals and the contributions of training and development. Regularly report to the organization and your own department or team on the priority of DEI strategic goals and how training supports those goals. Reporting can also pinpoint barriers or challenges and provide insight to determine when the solutions you have in place need to be adapted or discontinued.

For example, if a DEI training program for leaders and managers has been in place for a year, but there has not been an increase in positive ratings on performance evaluations for DEI-related competencies, then it may be time to review and revise the training content or approach.

Summary

Although training and development professionals are not necessarily driving DEI strategy for their organization, they play a crucial role in supporting overall organizational change. It is important to understand how your work fits within the larger constellation of DEI work, so that you can design, implement, and evaluate training programs in a meaningful way.

Training and development professionals play an important role in both supporting strategic change and providing continuity of content across the organization to embed DEI into the organizational culture.

It is also important to foster accountability by establishing observable metrics to gauge process. Focus not only on individual behavior change but also on overall organizational results.

In the next chapter, we will explore DEI training and development from a global perspective and identify how to adapt training to globally diverse audiences.