Adaptive Leadership and DEI: Inclusion and Accountability

Description

How do we think about leadership in relation to today’s unprecedented level of disruptive change — from pandemics to threats to democracy, to inequality, to climate change? How do we equip people to lead, adapt, and navigate in this increasingly dynamic, complex world? How do we build high-performance, innovative, pluralistic teams in the face of racial tension and backlash?

This talk explores the relationships between DEI work and adaptive leadership behaviors, and identifies opportunities for DEI professionals to advance inclusion in their organizations. The presentation is based on a quantitative research study conducted among academic departments across the U.S. in 2022, followed by qualitative interviews with DEI professionals in higher education.

Learning Outcomes:

• Gain the ability to articulate the connections between inclusion and organizational adaptability
• Strengthen motivation for inclusion work by framing inclusion as an adaptive leadership capacity
• Recognize the value of cultivating inclusive goal setting and accountability practices in DEI work