Making DEI critical to preparing future business leaders

What does it look like to prepare the world’s future business leaders to be stewards of diversity, equity and inclusion?

For Yale School of Management (SOM), it means shaping an environment that reflects the value they place on inclusivity and the kind of culture they are striving to shape, within the school, and into the world.

A commitment from the top

In 2021 the university announced a 5-year diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) plan as part of the “Belonging at Yale Initiative,” required for all university units, demonstrating a strong commitment to change. Their constituents included students, staff and faculty, and also the broader community, including many alumni who have gone on to head up major companies around the world. Peter Salovey, President of Yale, launched the initiative with these words, “We are connected by a need to improve the world, and we are a community that holds itself to high standards of acceptance, inclusion and belonging.”

Meeting the highest standards for DEI training

As part of that plan, every school at Yale now offers DEI-related activities, education and training. Back in 2021, for Kristen Beyers, the Assistant Dean of Inclusion and Diversity at Yale SOM, that included selecting a DEI training program that could live up to the school’s high expectations and rigorous standards. And because a shared experience with common language and alignment around concepts was central to their approach, the training had to be suitable as a requirement for all Yale SOM community members. “We needed a training program with content that would resonate with our students, staff and faculty and amplify our own teachings and philosophy,” said Beyers.

MISSION
Yale SOM is a world-renowned business school focused on educating leaders for business and society.

CHALLENGE
As part of an ambitious diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiative, Yale SOM needed effective and engaging DEI training for students and faculty that would fit with the school’s high standards and align with their mission to prepare and educate future leaders for business and society.

SOLUTION
Diversity Equity & Inclusion interactive online training

INDUSTRY
Higher education

AUDIENCE
1200+ staff, faculty and students in 2021

LOCATION
Located in the U.S. with over 30% international student population

We have a responsibility to educate future business leaders on topics crucial to the long-term success of any organization. DEI, which has a significant impact on organizational culture and performance, is one of those topics.

Kristen M. Beyers, Assistant Dean of Inclusion and Diversity, Yale SOM

Prior to going through the process of training review and selection, Yale SOM had spent years using an iterative process to find new and creative ways to weave DEI content into their programming. Kantola had already been part of Yale’s ecosystem, as other parts of the university had implemented Kantola’s harassment prevention training, but it had not yet been known for its DEI training.

After an exhaustive search by the team, Kantola stood out for its “impressive cinematic quality, timely delivery, great customer service, affordable price and customization.” “In addition to meeting our high standards for content, we needed training that was interactive and provided opportunities to pause and reflect on learning. Kantola met that need,” said Beyers.

We chose Kantola because it offered foundational DEI training that was relatable, fit with a variety of situations and circumstances—and because it meets people wherever they are in their DEI journey.

Kristen M. Beyers, Assistant Dean of Inclusion and Diversity, Yale SOM

Making DEI training part of the Yale SOM experience

With the launch of the training in August of 2021, Beyers and her team knew that to be effective, they would need to create a system where DEI training became part of an ongoing experience for students, staff and faculty. Yale SOM incorporated the training into the students’ orientation activities, ensuring that DEI awareness was created and expectations for inclusive behavior were set before the students entered campus life. For staff and faculty, it became a regular part of onboarding and professional development. In this way, the team was able to create alignment between students and faculty, reinforcing shared understanding and skill-building that would shape their collective experience at Yale.

Integrating DEI into the fabric of the organization

Kantola’s DEI training serves as a complement to Yale SOM’s 50 plus related programs and activities that it offers throughout the year on such subjects including allyship, microaggressions and holding difficult conversations. Future plans for the Yale School of Management include continued efforts toward “promoting awareness on DEI topics, creating space for meaningful engagement, and continuing to integrate DEI into the fabric of the organization,” said Beyers.

Thoughts from Kantola

We’re proud to partner with Yale, supporting their steadfast commitment to a more diverse, equitable and inclusive environment. Our aim at Kantola is to evolve with Yale’s needs, offering training that supports our common vision for a better world.

Kantola is an innovative eLearning company focused on diversity, equity, & inclusion and harassment prevention. We are committed to helping organizations make their workplaces better, for everyone—through world-class training solutions that change perspectives, achieve compliance and elevate culture.