Extension: Diversity & Inclusion

“Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.” - Vernā Myers

Why This Extension?

This module directly connects to psychological safety (Phase 2B) and building inclusive teams. In today’s workplace, D&I isn’t just about compliance - it’s about creating environments where everyone can contribute their best work. Understanding your own biases is the first step.

Prerequisites: Phase 2B (Psychological Safety)

Week 1: Understanding Implicit Bias

Core Concepts

Implicit Bias: Unconscious attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions. Everyone has them - awareness is the first step.

The Implicit Association Test (IAT): Measures the strength of associations between concepts (e.g., male/female) and evaluations (e.g., good/bad) or stereotypes. Not a judgment - a diagnostic tool.

System 1 vs. System 2: Our fast, automatic thinking (System 1) is where bias lives. Slower, deliberate thinking (System 2) can override it - but only if we create the conditions.

This Week’s Reading

📖 Blindspot by Mahzarin Banaji & Anthony Greenwald (Full book)

• The science of hidden biases
• How the IAT works
• Why awareness alone isn’t enough
• Strategies for reducing bias impact

Key Bias Categories

Action: Take the IAT

Before continuing, take at least one IAT at implicit.harvard.edu:

• Race IAT
• Gender-Career IAT
• Age IAT

Reflect: Were you surprised by your results?

Week 2: From Awareness to Action

Core Concepts

Antiracism: The active process of identifying and opposing racism. It’s not enough to be “not racist” - that’s passive. Antiracism requires action.

Microaggressions: Everyday slights, indignities, and insults that communicate hostile or negative messages. Often unintentional but always harmful.

Allyship: Using your privilege to advocate for and support marginalized groups. It’s a practice, not an identity.

This Week’s Reading

📖 How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (Full book)

• The difference between “not racist” and antiracist
• How policies create outcomes
• Personal responsibility and systemic change
• Continuous learning and unlearning

The Spectrum of Action

Reflection Questions

1. Where on the spectrum are you currently?
2. What would it take to move one level up?
3. What risks do you perceive in being more active?

Week 3: Building Inclusive Teams

Core Concepts

Inclusive Leadership: Creating environments where all team members feel valued, heard, and able to contribute fully.

Belonging: The feeling that you can be your authentic self at work without fear of negative consequences.

Covering: Downplaying parts of your identity to fit in. Common among marginalized groups - and exhausting.

This Week’s Reading

📖 Inclusion on Purpose by Ruchika Tulshyan (Full book)

• Why “culture fit” is often exclusion
• Practical inclusion strategies
• Sponsorship vs. mentorship
• Building belonging in teams

Inclusive Leader Behaviors

Application Exercise

Audit your last 3 meetings:

1. Who spoke the most? Who stayed silent?
2. Whose ideas got credit?
3. Who felt comfortable pushing back?
4. What could you do differently next time?

Week 4: Systemic Change

Core Concepts

Structural Inequality: Bias embedded in systems, processes, and policies - not just individual attitudes.

Equity vs. Equality: Equality gives everyone the same thing. Equity gives everyone what they need to succeed.

Intersectionality: How different aspects of identity (race, gender, class, etc.) interact to create unique experiences of discrimination or privilege.

This Week’s Reading

📖 The Loudest Duck by Laura Liswood (Selected chapters)

• Why diversity without inclusion fails
• “Unconscious grandmas” - how we inherit biases
• The dominant group’s blind spots
• Creating equitable systems

Systemic Interventions

Capstone: Inclusion Action Plan

Create an action plan for your team or organization:

1. Assess: Where are the biggest inclusion gaps?
2. Prioritize: What’s one high-impact intervention?
3. Plan: What specific actions will you take?
4. Measure: How will you know it’s working?

Key Frameworks

Resources

Books

• ⭐⭐⭐ Blindspot (Essential - 8h)
• ⭐⭐⭐ How to Be an Antiracist (Essential - 9h)
• ⭐⭐⭐ Inclusion on Purpose (Essential - 7h)
• ⭐⭐ The Loudest Duck (Recommended - 5h)

Free Resources

• Harvard Implicit Association Test - implicit.harvard.edu
• Coursera - Diversity and Inclusion courses
• Google re:Work - Unconscious Bias training

TED Talks

• Vernā Myers: “How to Overcome Our Biases”
• Mellody Hobson: “Color Blind or Color Brave?”
• Janet Stovall: “How to Get Serious About Diversity and Inclusion”

AI Learning Integration

Bias Exploration Prompt

Help me explore my implicit biases in a workplace context.

Ask me about 5 recent decisions I made involving people (hiring, feedback, assignments, promotions, etc.). For each:
1. Walk me through my reasoning
2. Ask questions that might reveal hidden assumptions
3. Suggest what biases might have been at play
4. Offer an alternative interpretation

Be direct but not judgmental. I'm here to learn.

Scenario Practice Prompt

I want to practice responding to microaggressions.

Present me with 5 realistic workplace microaggression scenarios. For each:
1. Describe what happened
2. Let me respond as I would
3. Evaluate my response: Did I address the harm? Was I too passive or too aggressive?
4. Suggest a better response if needed

Mix scenarios where I'm the target, a bystander, and the person who committed the microaggression (unknowingly).

Phase Assessment

Complete the following to demonstrate D&I competency:

1. Quiz: Bias and Inclusion Concepts (30%)
2. Case Study: Inclusion Challenge (70%)
   • Analyze a workplace scenario involving bias
   • Propose both individual and systemic interventions

I'm studying Diversity & Inclusion (Phase EXT-DIVERSITY of my MBA program).

Act as a Socratic tutor - don't give me direct answers. Instead, ask me questions to help me discover insights about these concepts: Inclusive Leadership, Bias Awareness.

Start by asking what I already know about one of these topics, then guide me deeper with follow-up questions. Challenge my assumptions when appropriate.

After each of my responses, either:
1. Ask a deeper follow-up question
2. Point out a gap in my reasoning
3. Connect my answer to another concept

Let's begin.

Quiz me on Diversity & Inclusion. Ask 10 questions covering: Inclusive Leadership, Bias Awareness.

Rules:
- Mix question types (multiple choice, short answer, scenario-based)
- Start easier, get progressively harder
- After each answer, tell me if I'm right or wrong and explain why
- Keep a running score
- At the end, summarize what I know well vs. need to review

Ask the first question now.

Help me apply the main frameworks from this phase to a real situation in my life or work.

First, ask me to describe a recent challenge or decision I faced.

Then guide me through analyzing it using these frameworks:
- Which framework applies best?
- What would each framework reveal about the situation?
- What would I do differently knowing this?

Don't lecture - ask questions that help me discover the insights myself.

I want to practice case analysis for Diversity & Inclusion.

Give me a short business scenario (2-3 paragraphs) involving Inclusive Leadership, Bias Awareness.

Then ask me:
1. What's the core problem?
2. Which frameworks from Diversity & Inclusion apply?
3. What biases might cloud judgment here?
4. What would you recommend?

After each answer, push back on my reasoning before moving to the next question.

I'm studying Diversity & Inclusion and need to understand these concepts deeply: Inclusive Leadership, Bias Awareness.

For each concept, ask me to explain it in simple terms (as if to a child).

If my explanation is unclear or wrong, don't correct me directly. Instead:
1. Ask clarifying questions
2. Give me a scenario that tests my understanding
3. Help me refine my explanation

The Feynman technique says if you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.