Building and Leading Inclusive Organizations

This course takes a problem-solving focus. Our main goal is to learn to design research-based interventions to improve diversity, equity and inclusion outcomes in organizations. U.S. society has become increasingly more diverse, and yet our organizations do not reflect that diversity. Further, even successful efforts to improve diversity are often not accompanied by a plan to create truly inclusive organizations that support a diverse workforce or student body. We will begin by comparing explanations for the lack of diversity and inclusion in modern organizations. We will then examine research that illustrates the cost to individuals and organizations for failing to leverage the diverse talent in our society. Guest speakers will share their challenges and successes in increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the organizations where they work. Then, it will be your turn. Working in teams you will design your own research-based intervention to promote DEI at the organizational, team, and individual level and present your intervention to the class. Along the way, you will also learn effective strategies for navigating non-inclusive organizations and for being an effective change agent in your own environment.