Are you committed to creating a more inclusive and equitable workplace? This guide provides a roadmap for effectively using eLearning as a tool for building DEI awareness, competency and buy-in.
The Culture Change Process
How to Foster Meaningful and Long-term Culture Change
- Involve employees at all levels
- Create and communicate a compelling business case
- Actively engage key stakeholders
- Build DEI awareness, skill, and competency across the organization
- Assess Your Current Culture
- Employee engagement
- Hiring and promotional rates
- Internal and external brand
- Perform Gap Analysis
- Policies and procedures
- Performance management
- Benefits and pay equity
- Establish your Vision and Core Values
- Replace archaic beliefs
- Establish inclusive norms
- Practice value-based decision making
- Training, Learning and Development
- Classroom training/eLearning
- Continuous learning
- Stretch and growth opportunities
- Sustain the Culture
- Metrics and accountability
- Integrate inclusive behaviors
- Communicate continuously
The When and Why of eLearning
While traditional classroom training is often considered the ideal choice for addressing topics such as diversity and inclusion, eLearning has some obvious advantages when deployed as part of a comprehensive training and development strategy
eLearning Provides:
The ability to cost-effectively train a large number of employees Accelerated skill development and capability building Standardized learning, common language, and shared experiences Self-driven, flexible, accessible learning experiences Ongoing access to resource development
What Makes eLearning Effective?
Increased Interactivity
Effective eLearning goes beyond simply listening to a recorded PowerPoint and should incorporate and include new knowledge and skill.
Flexible Design
A learner-centered design philosophy that focuses on building awareness and skills in an interactive and engaging way
Interesting and Engaging
eLearning needs to capture the learner ‘ s attention from the start and needs to be engaging with just the right amount of interactivity.
Continued Engagement
Learning must be continuous to build real awareness and foster behavior change. Follow up your eLearning with content to reinforce key concepts, and with opportunities for facilitated discussion and dialogue.
How to make eLearning Stick
- Learning needs to be consistent and ongoing – it’s about reflection and reinforcing concepts presented in your eLearning. Share follow-on information, articles, and tips for practically applying key concepts.
- Provide opportunities to reconvene as a group with short classroom-based interactive exercises to reinforce learning, practice applying concepts, and elicit conversation.
- Role model the concepts shared in your eLearning. Culture is not something you can read or watch. It’s how we engage, interact, and treat each other. Live the values you espouse.
Common Pitfalls
A one-and-done philosophy on training –DEI training will not be effective if you are just checking boxes
- Approaching DEI solely from an it’s the right thing to do frame of mind is seldom effective in the long-term. The goal is to build community, understanding, and a culture of belonging. Continued interaction is the only way to foster this result.
- Failing to properly onboard your learners and build the rationale for your training.
- It is important to make sure your employees understand the necessity and benefits of engaging in DEI through eLearning. Understanding the “point” will foster better engagement, participation, and improved learning outcomes.
- A static, text-based learning experience that fails to engage your learners. Learning isn’t about merely memorizing facts –it’s meant to have a meaningful impact on how the learner thinks or behaves.
- An engaging format that incorporates multimedia elements, compelling concepts, interactivity, and practical application will not only keep your learner’s attention but will also lead to better understanding, retention, and behavior change.
- Choosing the wrong content provider. DEI eLearning often fails because organizations choose vendors that, while having an extensive eLearning library, do not have DEI expertise.
- Choose a content provider that brings experience, knowledge, and passion to this work. DEI training must be more than laying out facts or providing a list of dos and don’ts –to be effective it has to be about building understanding, instilling responsibility for one’s actions, and setting expectations regarding how your employees behave and treat each other.
VisionSpring’s Philosophy on eLearning
It is our philosophy that behavior change requires systemic organization-wide engagement, commitment over the long term, and a willingness to invest in the process. To be effective eLearning must be a well-thought-out element of your overall change management strategy, and learning and development must be ongoing, effective, and linked to business goals.
Continued Interaction
Revisiting and reinforcing concepts and ideas is the best way to develop a rich understanding of DEI and build awareness and skill.
Guided Discussion
Guided discussions allow you to tackle difficult conversations and topics, working through them together to strengthen group dynamics.
Interactive Activity
Interactive activities enable participants to practice and apply learning in real time.
Systemic Engagement
Real culture change will not occur through one learning session; a company-wide, and thought-out plan must be implemented long-term.