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 often-overlooked 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?

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.