Becoming an Inclusive Leader: A Sequential Experiential Exercise and Projects

Abstract

Diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) has become one of the most prominent initiatives in both management practice and education.  In practice, DEAI has proven to be very tricky to navigate, given that for many, it intersects with deeply held political and/or religious beliefs and prior learning based on either experience or the opinions of others.  These challenges extend to the classroom and provide management educators with an exceptional opportunity to explore not only the nature of DEAI but also the foundations upon which exclusion is based.  This manuscript presents an experiential exercise and two subsequent projects that formed the basis for a class in Inclusive Leadership, which allows students to better understand how they frame DEAI as well as how they can develop enhanced skills related to becoming an inclusive leader.