How It Started

Many organizations recognize the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA). Some are acting by setting goals and developing strategies to promote DEIA. However current training practice might not help but hinder DEIA strategies and objectives.

Our work began with Ingeborg’s interest in the DEIA of learning and development theory and practices. She noticed a disconnect between L&D programs specifically targeted at promoting DEIA, such as unconscious bias training, and the vast majority of L&D programs that do not pay any attention to DEIA. These could be functional programs, such as sales training, or management training, project management training, leadership programs, communication training etc. Ingeborg earned her doctorate with a dissertation researching the lack of attention to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in L&D programs—and found that this lack of attention is problematic and hampers organizations’ DEIA strategies and objectives.

As we got talking, Ingeborg expressed her belief that learning professionals could do much more to ensure that DEIA principles are supported in the work that we do in learning and development. We can certainly help by building effective learning on DEIA topics, but we can also help by considering DEIA principles into ALL aspects of our learning-and-development work and the work of the organization as well.

Will suggested that learner-survey questions could be developed that would nudge action toward effective DEIA practices in L&D. He warned that it would take a great deal of work, but both of us felt it was important work. We drew from the distinctive-questioning approach outlined in Will’s award-winning book, Performance-Focused Learner Surveys: Using Distinctive Questioning to Get Actionable Data and Guide Learning Effectiveness. 

We agreed from the start that we would develop questions and make them available free worldwide, with only some restrictions to maintain rigor and enable further scientific study and continuous cycles of improvement. Thus we are publishing the questions under the Creative Commons designation BY-NC-SA. 

Special thanks to TiER1 Performance. Much of Will’s early efforts on this work were undertaken while he was employed by TiER1. Will is now a private consultant at Work-Learning Research, where he helps empower learning professionals while helping organizations build learning and performance practices. In addition to her academic research, Ingeborg runs Enhance Facilitation (www.enhance-facilitation.eu) and supports organizations and L&D providers to ensure their L&D strategies and programs are inclusive, equitable, and accessible.