How do you know if your workplace DEI training is making a difference? The most successful workplace training programs are rooted in solid instructional design and metrics to track participants’ progress. But when you have a complex subject such as diversity, equity, and inclusion – it seems almost impossible to measure individual and organizational growth. There are tools available.
Some trainers solely focus on demographic changes to measure growth, such as:
- Percentage Changes in Leadership Demographics
- Demographic Makeup of Employees
- Feedback from Internal Survey Results
- HR Reports Based on Diversity
These are great data points to evaluate the effectiveness of some processes and policies. Still, these data points don’t paint the full picture of the long-term strategic cultural and behavioral shifts that need to happen in an organization to make changes stick. As part of my workplace DEI training, I encourage organizations to start with the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) to create a snapshot, a benchmark of your starting point on the DEI journey. Then you can measure the growth of individuals, departments, and the organization as a whole.
According to The Roadmap to Intercultural Competence Using the IDI, “The IDI allows extensive and in-depth insights on individual and group levels of intercultural competence, accomplished through sophisticated, customized IDI Individual Profile Reports and IDI Group Profile Reports. These reports present valid, quantitative information that integrates qualitative information about how an individual or group engages cultural difference in their day-to-day interactions with others.”
What is the Intercultural Development Inventory?
As an IDI Qualified Administrator (QAs), I include the IDI assessment as part of my cultural competency consulting process. The IDI is widely used and well-known and is a reliable and valid measure of intercultural competence. The IDI can assess where individuals and groups are in their intercultural development along the Intercultural Development Continuum (IDC). In addition to their IDI results, individuals completing the IDI and participating in a one-on-one debrief with an IDI QA will also receive an Intercultural Development Plan (IDP) – a guided document designed to assist them in continuing to develop intercultural competence. The IDI is one additional tool that can be accessed to help organizations achieve their workplace DEI goals.
Unlike other assessment tools, the IDI does not look at personal characteristics or traits. Instead, the IDI assesses the complexity with which one experiences cultural differences. Intercultural competence is posited along a developmental continuum with five developmental orientations or worldviews. Cultural competency is a way of tying the many aspects of workplace DEI work together. Here is a working definition of cultural competency that helps explain the concept:
Cultural competency – the capacity to bring into its system many different behaviors, attitudes, and policies and work effectively in cross-cultural settings to produce better outcomes
Better outcomes. Isn’t that what drives all of us in the workplace?
ProTip: Many QAs work in the field, but experience and analytical skills matter. Questions you may want to ask when seeking out a QA to administer your IDI or provide coaching:
- How long have you been a QA?
- What is your leadership experience?
- What type of industries have you served?
- What is your approach to DEI in the workplace, and does that approach line up with your organizational strategy?
- What services/tools do you provide beyond the IDI?
Don’t hesitate to reach out if you think the IDI might be right for you. I’m your cultural competency navigator, helping you navigate the complexity of workplace culture.
(Note: The Intercultural Development Inventory, IDI, and IDI Guided Development are all registered trademarks of IDI, LLC in the United States and other countries.)
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