Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Needs Organizational Change Not Just Training
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In This Episode
Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DIE) within organizations has become a hot topic, and the amount of DIE experts offering consulting has grown. But what does the training and consulting they offer do? Will it create long-standing change or more conflict in your workplace? If you’re looking for true change, you need to go to those with the experience and research to back up what they’re saying. Enter Dr Leeno Karumanchery of MESH Diversity.
Dr Leeno has over 25 years of experience in the field of DEI. He recognized years ago that organizations needed a way to track their DEI efforts and maintain them after completing his consulting. In this conversation, Leeno helps us see how diversity, equality and inclusion have to be treated as an organizational change process and looked at as a “get to” do training versus mandatory training to have true, permanent adoption. This conversation highlights factors you may not have considered when discussing diversity, equality and inclusion, so it’s a must-listen for all leaders to help illuminate these complex subjects.
In This Episode
First 10 Minutes
We kick off the conversation by welcoming back a returning guest Dr Leeno Karumanchery. Leeno tells us about his background in sociology and how he started working on software to help organizations maintain Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) even after the consulting had finished. The group discusses how conversations have changed over the years.
10 Minutes – 20 Minutes
Leeno shares how 8 billion dollars per year is spent in the US for diversity training, but the evidence shows it’s ineffective in current training methods. The group discusses the type of training happening, the issues with that training and how the root of the issues is being missed.
20 Minutes – 30 Minutes
Leeno shares how organizations can succeed by bringing more DEI into their organizations and how MESH works with organizations. Leeno explains the type of sessions they offer, the metrics they can use to help organizations track their progress and how they engage with leaders.
30 Minutes – 40 Minutes
Leeno explains how DEI is an organizational change process and how it has to be approached in that way.
40 Minutes – 50 Minutes
The group talks about how those who are minoritized carry impacts others do not and discuss how important it is for facilitators with the right experience to guide those sessions at companies to avoid putting people into vulnerable positions.
Dr. Leeno Karumanchery
Co-Founder and Head of Behavioural Sciences, Mesh/diversity
With a PhD focused in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), I have over 25 years of experience in the field. As Co-Founder and Head of Behavioral Sciences for MESH/diversity, I am proud to have helped design and develop the worlds first DEI operating system; making it possible for serious DEI Professionals and HR Leaders to implement an expert lead, metricised DEI program at scale.
Widely published in the field, I’m the coauthor of Removing the Margins (CSP, 2000), Playing the Race Card (Peter Lang, 2004), and my forthcoming book, THE OLD BLACK LESBIAN ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM will explore the uncomfortable and sometimes ugly truth behind the modern Diversity and Equity movement.