Training Industry Magazine - Fall 2023 - 15

DIVERSITY AND
INCLUSION
DR. KRISTAL
WALKER, CPTM
BEYOND COMPLIANCE: HOW TO MAKE YOUR DEI
TRAINING MORE IMPACTFUL
The world is more diverse than ever
before, and companies - regardless
of industry or size - must embrace this
reality if they want to remain competitive.
For companies operating on a global
scale,
this means accommodating a
wide range of cultures, backgrounds
and perspectives from both customers
and employees. Diversity, equity and
inclusion (DEI) training is an essential
tool for achieving this goal, but it's not
always easy to implement. An oftenoverlooked
step in creating impactful
DEI training is understanding the unique
challenges involved with the business,
the people in the business and the
design of the training.
THE BUSINESS
All businesses are not created equal.
As a result, purchasing off-the-shelf DEI
training could do more harm than good.
For example, what works for a small
startup won't necessarily work for a
large corporation. You must understand
the unique dynamics of the business
first, so that the training can be tailored
to the specific industry, the size of
the organization and the existing and
emerging culture. When considering
business needs, training managers should
consider the following questions to create
the most impact:
* What is the organizational structure
like?
* Are there any existing diversity
initiatives in place?
* Is there a history of DEI efforts within
the organization?
THE PEOPLE
A successful DEI training program is built
on a foundation of trust and respect. It
relies heavily on one's ability to connect
with each individual participant. To do this,
training managers need to understand the
people who operate with and within the
organization, including their experiences,
motivations and needs. This is not always
easy but there are tools and techniques
to help. Such tools include surveys to
assess the current state of DEI initiatives,
one-on-one interviews, focus groups
and workshops to discuss the needs
and challenges of a particular project
or department.
It's equally important to collect feedback
from external sources: As customers
and stakeholders have an increasingly
large influence on business operations,
gaining their insights will help ensure that
all DEI initiatives are viewed in the most
positive light.
When collecting feedback from people
within the organization, training managers
should consider the following questions to
create the most impact:
* How many employees are in the
company?
* What challenges do employees face
in their roles?
* How does the organization's culture
differ from other workplaces?
* What feedback have external
stakeholders provided on DEI efforts?
THE TRAINING DESIGN
Once a comprehensive understanding of
the business has been established, it's
time to focus on designing training that will
have a lasting impact. Before designing
any DEI training program, the training
manager should take into account the
learning objectives and training topics,
as well as how they will be discussed
(and by whom) and the exercises that
will be used to reinforce the learning.
When considering the actual design of
DEI training, training managers should
consider the following questions to
create the most impact:
* How does the training align with the
overall organizational or DEI strategy?
* Does the industry require specialized
DEI training?
* What type of activities and exercises
will engage participants and create an
environment for learning?
* What methods should be used to
develop accountability and ensure
continuous growth and improvement?
OFF-THE-SHELF DEI
TRAINING COULD
DO MORE HARM
THAN GOOD.
As with any training course or program,
a solid DEI training program should
have measurable objectives and include
specific steps to track progress and
ensure that the desired outcomes are
achieved. Follow the steps above and
you'll have clearer targets and priorities,
less waste and engaged participants who
are empowered and supported through
lasting behavior change.
Dr. Kristal Walker, CPTM, is the vice
president
of
employee
wellbeing
Inclusion Master Class. Email Kristal.
at
Sweetwater. Kristal is also a facilitator
for Training
Industry's Diversity and
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Training Industry Magazine - Fall 2023

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