GLOBAL DEIB STRATEGY COURSE
1st February 2024
LIVE ONLINE COURSE ON GLOBAL DEIB STRATEGY
DATES:
28th NOVEMBER 2023 -
1st FEBRUARY 2024
DURATION:
7 WEEKS
TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS
5 PM GMT
Turn Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging from buzzwords into reality – your employees, customers, and shareholders expect it.
Join Cornell Verdeja-Woodson, a seasoned DEIB professional & thought leader, to bring about impactful change to your organisation, and the wider world.
THIS COURSE IS FOR YOU, IF...
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YOU WANT TO TRANSITION INTO A LEADERSHIP ROLE
DEIB proficiency is the new must-have HR skill set. Enhance your professional understanding of key DEIB strategies and models to become a leader within your organisation.
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YOU WANT TO FOSTER A BETTER CULTURE IN YOUR TEAM
Reduce turnover, increase productivity, and enhance team innovation by making your employees’ uniqueness count, benefiting the entire workforce from cognitive diversity.
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YOU WANT TO BE AN EFFECTIVE DIVERSITY ADVOCATE
Become a better DEIB advocate personally and professionally by learning the philosophy of creating a genuine appreciation for everyone’s differences and contributions.
YOUR ASCENT STARTS HERE
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Ask the right questions. Make greater efforts. Drive meaningful changes.
Identify the weaknesses and turn them into opportunities to create a healthy culture of belonging in your organisation.
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Don't settle for a one-size-fits-all approach.
We’re talking both the workplace and the learning experience. Join live online classes to get all the benefits of expert instruction, personalised feedback, and interactive discussions.
ABOUT THE COURSE / WHAT YOU'LL DO
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CASE STUDIES Gain valuable insight from effective real-life DEIB initiatives & strategies, organisational change and adaptation cases.
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WORKSHOPS Learn to ask the right questions, answer them, and identify areas of growth in the interactive peer setting to stay competitive in the field.
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COURSE PROJECT Develop your own DEIB strategic plan, gaining real experience with live expert feedback.
INSTRUCTOR

Cornell Verdeja-Woodson
- Director of Equity and Belonging, Zillow Group
- Over 10 years of experience as a Global DEIB practitioner, building teams, strategies, and systems from scratch in higher education and tech
- Headed DEIB programming at top universities including NYU and Cornell
- Led initiatives at major tech companies such as Google, Headspace, and Zillow Group
- Named a notable DEIB leader to follow by Untapped two years in a row and included in Attitude Magazine UK’s list of 101 LGBTQ trailblazers for 2023
CORNELL VERDEJA-WOODSON COURSE INTRODUCTION
SYLLABUS
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01
TUESDAY 28 November, 5PM GMT
The Purpose of DEIB in the Workplace
You’ll develop a historical understanding of DEIB efforts, critical key terms, and the purpose of DEIB efforts from across the world
- DEIB history
- Defining diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB)
- DEIB misconceptions, benefits and growth
- Why DEIB efforts fail
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02
THURSDAY 30 November, 5PM GMT
The Global DEIB Landscape
Let’s develop an understanding of the DEIB landscape in specific locations and identify the connections.
- GDPR impact on DEIB efforts in the UK
- Laws in France
- Gender equality in Asia
- DEIB tactics for global teams
Guest Speaker #1: Eva Fabry, Director of the European Center for Women & Tech
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03
TUESDAY 5 December, 5PM GMT
Types of Organisational DEIB Efforts
There are many types of organisational DEIB efforts. How do you know which one is the most relevant? This class will teach you how to select and apply the correct initiatives.
- Efforts for workforce diversity
- Efforts for workplace belonging
- Efforts for product inclusion
- Efforts for social impact
- Workshop: Review and discuss case studies
Assignment #1: Complete a PWC DEI survey and submit thought-out answers on your organisation after reflecting.
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04
THURSDAY 7 December, 5PM GMT
Organisational Change Models
What does change look like and imply at a high level? In this class, you will learn how organisations engage in change efforts and discover the different models that help guide internal changes.
- Defining organisational change
- Why is change so hard?
- Various change models
Assignment #2: Create an approach for the change you know your organisation needs to make.
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05
TUESDAY 12 December, 5PM GMT
The Pillars of a DEIB Strategy
Strategies make for success. Learn about the purpose of a DEIB strategy, gaining buy-in before a strategy is created, and the components of a DEIB plan.
- DEIB Strategy (one-year, three-year, five-year plan)
- Business strategies for success
- Components of a DEIB strategy
- Workshop: Reviewing DEIB strategies from top organisations
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06
THURSDAY 4 January, 5PM GMT
DEIB Philosophy & Organizational Capacity
In this class, you will discover how to assess an organisation’s capacity for change and learning, as well as develop a DEIB philosophy
- Defining the organisation’s what, why, and how
- Assessing the organisation’s adaptive capacity
- Assessing your organisation’s capacity for learning
- Workshop: Review and discuss case studies
Assignment #3: Create a list of strengths and roadblocks that will be used in your course project as you assess your own organisation’s capacity for learning and adaptation. Then, complete your DEIB vision.
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07
TUESDAY 9 January, 5PM GMT
Applying DEIB Data to Create Success Metrics
You have your DEIB strategy, but where should your focus be? Learn to collect and review data to answer this pivotal question and monitor progress.
- Quantitative & qualitative data
- Data analysis & tools
- Workplace culture assessments
- Interpret results & extract findings
- Defining success using KPIs and OKRs
Assignment #4: Use your company’s data or the provided data for this task. Complete the strengths, opportunities, and roadblocks section of the DEIB strategic plan. Then identify objectives & key results (OKRs).
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08
THURSDAY 11 January, 5PM GMT
Plan for Strategy Implementation
Let’s take a realistic approach to what you can do while the clock is ticking. Today you will dissect the necessary steps to begin implementing the actions identified in your DEIB strategy.
- How to identify appropriate organizsational partners
- Decision-making frameworks
- Steering committee of objective & initiative drivers
- Developing the DEIB roadmap/timeline
Assignment #5: Thinking about your current stakeholders, complete the driver, approver, contributor(s), and informed (DACIs) section of the DEIB strategic plan template.
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09
TUESDAY 16 January, 5PM GMT
Gaining Buy-in
Time to get hands-on! Let’s learn tactics for presenting a DEIB strategy to different stakeholders to gain buy-in.
- Senior leaders & business objectives
- People managers & function level OKRs
- Employees & their experience(s)
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10
THURSDAY 18 January, 5PM GMT
Engaging Stakeholders at Every Level
Your initiatives are only as strong as your stakeholders. In this class, you’ll discover opportunities to engage stakeholders at various levels in your DEIB efforts.
- Creating DEIB advocates
- Developing an advisory committee
- Launching employee resource groups (ERGs)
- Engaging executive leaders
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11
TUESDAY 23 January, 5PM GMT
Implementing Accountability Measures
Ready to be challenged? Keep an open mind as you learn what accountability looks like when it’s functional. Examine the different tactics you can put in place to uphold it across your organisation.
- Defining accountability
- Debunk common accountability misconceptions
- Forms of accountability
- Types of accountability tactics
Assignment #6: Complete two sections of your DEIB strategic plan template. 1) Engagement strategy section 2) DEIB Roadmap/Timeline section
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12
THURSDAY 25 January, 5PM GMT
Creating Dynamic DEIB Trainings
The focus of every DEIB training is to make sure everyone is included and that your business stays afloat. Now you’ll learn to build in-house DEIB educational programs that support business goals.
- Organisational learning journey
- How to build a DEIB training
- New World Kirkpatrick Model for educational programs
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13
TUESDAY 30 January, 5PM GMT
Initiatives to Support Employees
In this class, students will discover how to create inclusive programs that empower and support all employees, with a particular focus on those from historically marginalised communities. Get ready to develop cutting-edge skills that will help you drive positive change in the workplace!
- Developing mentorship & sponsorship programs
- Bias response programs
- Buddy programmes
Assignment #7: Submit your full DEIB Strategic Plan for review.
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14
TUESDAY 1 February, 5PM GMT
Building a DEIB Career
Be the change you want to see and help others to feel seen. Launch your career as a DEIB practitioner by learning the best interview practices and top CV tips.
- Necessary skills and competencies
- DEIB career paths
- CV must-haves
- Interview tips
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