About DLI Graduate Courses
Engaging Riley Fellows around emerging diversity issues, challenges, and opportunities strengthens and deepens bonds among this influential body of leaders. Our shared commitment to progress is ongoing and requires continued conversations and exploration to maximize the potential of communities across the state in ever-changing and increasingly diverse settings. In the upcoming summer 2024 DLI Graduate Education Series, Riley Fellows will have the opportunity to delve into the subject "Leading Diverse, High Performing Organizations in a Hyper-Polarized Context." Learn more by following the links.
Leading Diverse, High Performing Organizations in a Hyper-Polarized Context
Sessions on July 17, 24, 31
Today’s leaders are facing new and complex workforce and workplace challenges. New societal trends and ideologies are affecting employee perceptions of work, their colleagues, and the organizations that employ them. Some of these challenges, like “the great resignation” or “quiet quitting” are directly impacting the workforce and workplace. Others, such as “culture wars” and “cancel culture” are being pushed into corporate boardrooms and management meetings by political operatives attempting to brand organizations as aligned with—or against—their ideological leanings.
These topics are onerous to navigate for organizational leaders and, frankly, sometimes even difficult to discuss because they may intersect with employees’ personal and political views. And for leaders and organizations pursuing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) objectives, these challenges are exacerbated by a dynamic and rapidly changing political landscape. The Supreme Court ended race-based affirmative action programs in college admissions and numerous state legislatures have banned or eliminated funding for DEI programs at state institutions.
- How can leaders navigate this context effectively and keep their employees and other stakeholders engaged in support of their DEI objectives?
- How can organizations message their DEI work in such a way that it reduces their vulnerability to accusations of politicization?
- How can organizations and their leaders build, maintain, and leverage a diverse and high performing workforce and workplace culture in a hyper-polarized external environment?
Program Dates & Tuition
The Riley Institute’s DLI programs have, and continue to be, primarily a series of conversations. The institute offers some high-level principles and frameworks to support employee and stakeholder engagement. However, the greatest asset the program offers is opportunities for leaders to come together with peers from other organizations to explore complex and sensitive topics, sharing their insights, strategies, learnings, mistakes, and successes. As a DLI fellow, you’re invited to once again gather with other leaders to converse and learn.
As with previous DLI Graduate programs, this series consists of three virtual modules on three separate days, from 9:00 a.m. to noon:
- Wednesday, July 17, 2024
- Wednesday, July 24, 2024
- Wednesday, July 31, 2024
Tuition for this series is $1,500. There are a limited number of need-based scholarships available. Please indicate your need in the participation application.
Apply to participate in the program using the form below by June 14.
Course Modules
- Affective polarization – Is today’s political polarization truly new and different; or is it simply more visible due to the multitude of media and communication platforms? Should organizations and their leaders concern themselves with political polarization?
- The Culture War – What is it? How has it evolved? How does it intersect with organizations and workplace cultures?
- Should organizations and their leaders concern themselves with the culture war and political polarization?
- Woke – What does it mean? How should leaders and organizations respond if they are criticized of being “woke”?
- What are the bellwether organizations doing in the DEI space? What are current best practices?
- With the end of race-based affirmative action in college admissions, what alternative strategies are institutions pursuing?
- Transgender employee policies – When should an organization explore transgender workplace policies? What resources are available to facilitate policy development and employee education?
- New and dynamic workforce trends – Is “quiet quitting” a generational phenomenon? What about other burgeoning trends like “lazy girl jobs?” How should organizations respond to or manage these trends?
- Blind spots – Everyone has them.