When creating workplace learning, it is critical to focus on effective adult learning principles, particularly concerning the emotionally charged and complex topics embedded in DEIJ. Here, I’ll share a few key features of successful adult learning, and how they relate to this work and the challenging times we find ourselves in.
1. Relevance and Practical Application: The Gateway From Denial to Awareness
For adult learning to truly resonate, it must be relevant and applicable. Consider a marketing professional learning about inclusive advertising. The relevance is evident when they see how inclusive campaigns can reach broader audiences and drive engagement. This practical application bridges the gap from denial to awareness. The “aha” moment is when learners connect theoretical concepts to their professional reality, overcoming initial skepticism.
The goal is to demonstrate how DEIJ initiatives can enhance personal and professional effectiveness. For white men, it is beneficial to frame DEIJ not as an external agenda, but as a set of principles that can lead to better business outcomes, such as increased innovation and market share, and appeal to diverse customer bases. For example, a session might include case studies showing how diverse leadership teams have led companies to outperform competitors.
2. Safe and Supportive Environment: Nurturing the Seeds of Desire
A safe and supportive learning environment is akin to fertile soil where the seeds of change can germinate. Let us take the example of a diversity workshop. Participants often enter with preconceived notions and defenses. However, the walls come down when they find themselves in a nonjudgmental space that encourages open dialogue. This nurturing atmosphere is crucial in moving individuals from polarization to desire, prompting a personal investment in learning.
Creating a safer space may look different for different groups, especially as it relates to current events. As an example, for millennials it may mean acknowledging the fear and anger that can come with discussions around employment, housing, and wealth-building opportunities. Millennials face unique challenges in employment, housing affordability, and wealth accumulation compared to previous generations.
- Employment: Millennials entered the job market during or in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, which has had long-term effects on their career progression and earnings potential.
- Housing: Homeownership rates among millennials are lower than those of previous generations at the same age, partly due to rising real estate prices and the lingering effects of the financial crisis.
- Wealth Building: Accumulating wealth has been more difficult for millennials, as they have faced higher student loan debt, increased cost of living, and slower wage growth.
Creating a safe and supportive learning environment involves validating these experiences, facilitating discussions respecting their perspectives and challenges, and making DEIJ initiatives tangibly beneficial.
3. Active Participation and Experience-Based Learning: Solidifying Knowledge
The essence of learning is most potent when we move from being passive recipients to active participants. Picture a team engaged in a simulation that vividly demonstrates the daily challenges faced by colleagues with different physical abilities. Incorporate diverse group discussions that delve into the complexities of work-life balance for women and the often-unspoken psychological pressures on men due to societal expectations. By incorporating real-life experiences into interactive role-plays or group problem-solving activities, curriculum designers ensure participants are not merely informed, but immersed in the experiences of others. This approach catalyzes a more profound understanding, transitioning from the theoretical minimization of issues to tangible, empathetic knowledge. Active involvement in learning activities is crucial to ensuring that knowledge is not just passively received but actively lived and retained, allowing participants to truly grasp and appreciate their colleagues’ multifaceted realities.
4. Self-Reflection and Critical Thinking: Cultivating Ability
Self-reflection and critical thinking are the twin pillars that elevate us from mere acceptance of diversity to the ability to enact meaningful change. A leader, for instance, upon examining their decision-making, might uncover biases that unknowingly influence their actions. They are encouraged to uncover these biases and pivot towards more inclusive leadership practices through structured reflection exercises.
In discussions with members of other traditionally marginalized communities, this reflective process may sometimes touch on topics of resilience and self-reliance. However, it is crucial to contextualize these discussions within the history of unjust systems and ongoing institutional discrimination. We can acknowledge a complex past while empowering individuals to identify and pursue tangible solutions. It is essential to traverse the earlier stages of the DEIJ framework before reaching this level of discussion. Only then can we collectively recognize and dismantle barriers, holding all individuals and institutions accountable for fostering equity and equal opportunity.
This nuanced approach to self-reflection and critical thinking invites a balanced conversation that respects the weight of historical injustices, but also looks forward to agency and community resilience. By doing so, we identify problems and pave the way for actionable solutions that honor the collective commitment to justice and equality.
5. Feedback and Follow-Up: The Path to Continuous Improvement
The importance of feedback and follow-up in adult learning cannot be overstated. Picture a scenario where participants receive personalized feedback on cultural competence after a training session. Follow-up coaching sessions are then scheduled to reinforce the concepts learned. This ongoing support is vital for adaptation and reinforcement, helping learners to internalize changes and continually refine their behaviors. When we integrate these five attributes into DEI learning, sessions become more than just educational — they transform into powerful experiences that reshape perspectives and behaviors. As we navigate the complexities of human behavior and societal structures, let us remember that learning is a continuous journey that requires engagement, safer spaces, experiential learning, reflective thinking, and supportive follow-through. In doing so, we pave the way for a future where the principles of DEIJ are lived daily within our organizations and communities.
