If you are looking to jumpstart or expand your diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, a great place to start is by educating yourself and your team members. There are numerous free resources available from reputable organizations, and we’ve listed just a few of our favorites below.
As a Konverse user, consider creating a DEI room in your app where you can start sharing resources like these across the organization. Sharing resources and creating space for discussion and thought shows that your organization is committed to working towards a more equitable work environment, and your employees will notice.
Below are five free resources to learn more about diversity, inclusion, and equity. They range from learning the basics to contextual field guides to integrate into your problem-solving practice.
Related: How Tech Can Help Create a More Equitable Work Environment
1. Understanding Diversity and Inclusion
Purdue University offers a free online class to develop skills and knowledge around cultural diversity with the goal of creating inclusive environments. This course was made for anyone looking to improve interpersonal skills to work with different people.
2. Confronting Bias: Thriving Across Our Differences
LinkedIn Learning has a robust DEI library here, but this course – hosted by Vernā Myers and Arianna Huffington – focuses on the topic of inclusion in the workplace, our influence as individuals on workplace culture, and how to deal with bias.
3. Diversity & Inclusion Microlearning Library
Grovo created a DEI program using microlearning techniques that help users learn and build skills over time to help employees, “change behaviors progressively.” The classes are meant to be bite-sized and easy to understand, making it accessible for employees of different backgrounds.
4. Culture-Driven Team Building Specialization
This course is especially helpful for managers who want to build thoughtful leadership skills. It will aid in your learning on how to build high-performing teams, productively deal with conflict, and create a culture of continuous learning.
5. Equity-Centered Community Design Field Guide
Creative Reactions Lab developed a tool for design thinking and problem-solving with a community-focused lens. Their Equity-Centered Community Design framework can be used to create new business offerings, solve operational challenges, and help your organization identify opportunities for innovation by requiring a holistic, equitable lens to ideate.
Whether you’re a leader researching ways to integrate more inclusive learning into your organization or someone who wants to learn more about the topics around diversity, equity, and inclusion, courses like the ones listed above can be a helpful place to start. The challenges around DEI can’t be solved by taking a handful of online courses, but they can equip you with some of the tools to create a more equitable organization and a better, stronger workplace.
