Sessions

Concurrent Session, Student Program
Clearing the Air: Addressing Leadership Buy-In and Resistance when Making the Case for DEI
Silver Pearl 1
In-Person and Virtual Monday 10/24/2022 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM   Add to calendar
Competencies: Business (Behavioral), Leadership (Behavioral), People (Technical) | Intended Audience: Beginner (Committing to DEI), Intermediate (Fostering DEI)
Workplace Application:
Attendees will feel more confident and prepared to develop a business case for as well as address concerns and resistance to DEI and will leave with tools and strategies to advance DEI within their organization. 

Session seating is first come, first served. Thank you for your cooperation.

Do we really still need to “make the case” for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion? The answer to the question is a firm “yes.” The assumptions and resistance often expressed by leaders is surprisingly similar to what it was 20 years ago. Fortunately, we now have much more targeted and effective strategies to address this enduring challenge. In this session, participants will engage with specific research and arguments utilized to effectively advocate for DEI work. Additionally, two common types of resistance will be explored, with participants learning how to diagnose and address both in the process of making their case. Finally, they’ll be given a template to apply their newfound knowledge to draft a case for DEI for their own organization.

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe arguments to make the case for DEI.
  • Describe two frequent types of resistance to organization-wide DEI.
  • Describe how to diagnose and address leadership resistance.
  • Implement a DIY template to create their own organizational business case.
Sara Taylor Photo
Presenter:
Sara Taylor, President and Founder,
deepSEE Consulting