Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Trainers

Chapter 2

Assessing the Organizational and Individual Need for DEI

I was working with a new client organization who had approached me to support an initiative focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion. This was the first time the organization had done anything formally on DEI, so I recommended we begin with a culture audit to assess the current state and experiences people had in their everyday work lives.

I started by interviewing members of the leadership team. In those interviews I heard two common themes: “I have an open-door policy” and “We’re just like one big family.”

The minute I heard these comments my Spidey senses were activated. I wanted to put a big red warning label on the page where I was taking notes that said, “Challenges ...