Is it even possible to learn diversity, equity and inclusion?

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is a familiar feature of workplace training, often promising impact and change it can't deliver with a ‘one and done' approach. Before we even get to discussing what cuts through, is the answer L&D? As a team obsessed with the science of learning, we wondered – can we actually learn to be better? Does digital learning ‘work' when it comes to DEI?

DEI training often takes the form of a short module – a series of exercises intended to make you more inclusive in less than an hour. There's growing recognition that effective workplace diversity and inclusion will take so much more than a short series of modules, or similar: a recent HBR piece reported that 65% of employees reportedly ‘don't believe their organisation embraces diversity and inclusion'.

So how do we cut through? And can we learn D&I?

Here's a thought: rather than thinking about DEI as a subject to learn about, why not think about it as a skill, or as a competency that can be demonstrated?

What would that look like? What kind of skills and competencies are we talking about?

Diane Goodman has been an educator and consultant on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion for over 30 years and has developed a framework of five core competencies to help us successfully live and work as diverse groups.

Diane Goodman's core competencies make it easier to see the role that digital learning can play: by narrowing down the types of skills that learning should address we can choose the right tools for developing those skills.

1. Self-awareness

Understanding who we are and how it affects our worldviews, relationships, perspectives, experiences, and behaviours.

Digital learning offers a space for self-reflection:

• Reflective journaling can help us better understand ourselves. There are many great apps on the market, but a custom app could be loaded with DEI-related prompts that invite people to explore more deeply. (This is an approach we've used successfully – connecting the journalling to other activity).
• Immediate feedback on quizzes and surveys can offer insights into ourselves and uncover aspects that might need introspection.
• Digital bias tests (like the Harvard IAT) ask people to quickly sort words or images into categories to hold a mirror up to our unconscious or automatic biases.

2. Understanding and valuing others

Knowledge of and appreciation for others' social identities, cultures, perspectives and bias.

Digital learning can encourage us to explore other people's perspectives.

• Through discussion forums and collaboration tools like Padlet we can participate in guided discussions, express our viewpoints and respond to others.
• Digital roleplaying games enable people to assume roles that may differ vastly from their own, helping them to understand different perspectives by "living" the experiences of others.
• A calendar of DEI events (like Black History or Pride Month) can be used to raise awareness and connect people to representation groups within an organisation.

3. Knowledge of societal inequities

Considering the larger sociopolitical and historical context of social power, privilege and oppression.

Digital learning can give us a historical perspective:

• Platforms like FutureLearn, Coursera and edX offer online courses from global institutions on culture, history, or global issues that can expose us to diverse perspectives both through their content and through interactions with a global cohort of students.
• Documentaries and films are a compelling medium for showing the impact of social power dynamics across different times and cultures – we often use video to centre ‘real-life', relatable examples that encourage our empathy.
• We can listen to podcasts or media channels from experts and activists that explore the roots of societal inequities and the ongoing effects of privilege and oppression. (There are lots to choose from – we're currently tuning into Diversity Deep Dive)

4. Interpersonal skills to engage across differences

The ability to adapt to and work collaboratively with a diversity of people in a range of situations.

Digital learning enables us to practice our ‘soft-skills':

• Interactive scenarios offer a dynamic, impactful way to develop interpersonal skills, where we can practice responding to situations and see the impact of our choices. We're free to try something new or different, make mistakes, and gain insight into possible outcomes without real-world consequences.

5. Skills to foster transformation towards equity and inclusion

The ability to identify and address inequities and choose appropriate interventions to create environments, policies, and practices that foster diversity and social justice.

Digital tools can make workplaces more equitable, diverse and inclusive.

• Add a feedback form to every DEI initiative – make sure it's something being done with people rather than to people.
• Surveys or Q&A sessions in video conferences (both can be made private to encourage people to share their thoughts openly) can help leaders to listen to everybody

Finally...remember DEI is an on-going process...

So digital learning brings lots of opportunities to support DEI programmes, especially if we reframe the challenge as one about skill and competency. Conversely, it then also becomes about incompetency – perhaps helping to take any resistance to ‘wokeness' or ‘political correctness' out of the equation – instead it's something we can build the skills to overcome. But we must remember it is not only a skills and competencies challenge. Diversity and inclusion L&D must be part of something more substantial – a vital frontline role to play in a broad ecosystem that enables diversity and inclusion to embed and grow.

Diane Goodman stresses that "developing cultural competence for equity, inclusion, and social justice is a life-long endeavour". The good news is that if we think about DEI as a set of skills to be honed, there is no shortage of approaches that we can use to develop them.