Foundations of Diversity and Inclusion at Work TeachOut (Coursera)

Foundations of Diversity and Inclusion at Work TeachOut (Coursera)

The summer of 2020 has brought issues of equity and race to the forefront of society. How do we create tolerant and just climates at work? Changing the culture of an organization is challenging in the best of circumstances; today, it can seem impossible. Yet, it is more necessary and urgent than ever to address these issues thoughtfully and with effective practices that can produce real change. Six Darden professors have designed this teach-out to bring you the latest scholarship and best practices on diversity, equity and inclusion and organizational change.

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You'll learn how to identify and counteract inequity in organizations, how to build the business case for diversity and inclusion, and how managers can constructively address inequity. You'll also learn how to promote the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion at work, how to have difficult conversations, and how to manage and lead change.
What You Will Learn

  • Be able to have difficult conversations about race and inequity at work
  • Analyze how social class shapes thoughts and actions
  • Create psychologically safe contexts that encourage dialogue at work
  • Lead change in issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion at work

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Organizations
The first module of this teachout is designed to enable you to identify and counteract the challenges of diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. Through a dynamic conversation among six leading scholars from The Darden School of Business, you'll learn how the societal issues of diversity, equity and inclusion are reflected in our workplaces, how advancing diversity and equity efforts requires us to think about the ways in which we position people in organizations, and how our individual histories with race affect how we bring our best selves to work. You'll also learn how to begin to address the challenges of leading change in diversity, equity and inclusion in your organization.

WEEK 2
Taking Action to Create Change
In this module, you'll learn how to develop a business case for diversity and inclusion and implement it through tough conversations. You'll be able to identify the systematic biases, individual biases, and institutional biases that get in the way of organizations operating at peak capacity, and use strategies for addressing these issues calmly and constructively. You also learn how to leverage difference in organizations, and how to practice the skills for cultivating inner grit and grace needed to lead mindfully and have honest and skillful conversation about identity, pain and power.

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