Beyond Diversity

Executive strategies for doing DEI right

"DEI can neither be delegated away nor handled at arm's length. Leaders who are the most committed and most effective in advancing DEI own the work as a matter of personal and business import." — Nicholas Pearce

Beyond Diversity is not a traditional DEI program that introduces fundamental ideas and encourages executives to explore the possibility of change. Instead, this is a program designed to empower DEI leaders to take proven concepts and translate them into bold actions, creating meaningful change for yourself, your employees, and your organization.

The stakes have never been higher. Over the last few years, it has become clear that the old ways of “doing DEI” aren’t enough. It is not just about hiring or advancing a diverse pool of talent. It is not about creating ERGs. And it is much more than publicly stating your commitment to DEI.

Instead, it is about doing the hard work—the real work—of DEI. Learning to think about and make space as leaders for viewpoints that are different from our own. Respecting how people experience the world and allowing the fullness of that lived experience into the workplace—all while recognizing the natural tensions between people and embracing the discomfort that is necessary to make sustainable change. By taking this broader view, we can uncover the pieces of the system where inequities occur—and use that knowledge to create better, more inclusive communities—at work and at home.

Taught by Professor Nicholas Pearce, a globally-recognized expert on values-driven leadership, diversity and inclusion, and organizational transformation, this program delivers a richly interactive and communal experience. It helps leaders articulate their personal vision for DEI, deepen their commitment to the work and design strategies that translate aspirations into true, long-lasting organizational change.


Incentives available for groups and teams of four or more attending open enrollment programs. Learn more


Nicholas Pearce talks about the importance of DEI in 2024.

Live Information Session

 

Personal Consultation

Please contact us to schedule an advising session

Individual. Interpersonal. Institutional.

Successful DEI programs are built upon the vision and commitment of an organization’s leader, who puts DEI at the core of the organization’s mission. Sustaining change in an organization requires an active and consistent commitment from the top, a willingness to listen and learn, and to embark on the path to personal growth needed to create and sustain change—individually, interpersonally, and institutionally.


  • Individual: The leader who understands the importance of DEI to their organization realizes that everyone starts the journey from their own place and empowers their team to do the work.

  • Interpersonal: Building a community of people with vastly divergent lived experiences and viewpoints who are like-minded in their desire to achieve common goals.

  • Institutional: Driving high-impact systemic change—leading us to be the people we want to be, creating the kind of communities we want to be part of, and creating a company culture we can be proud to be aligned with.

Join us at our beautiful downtown Chicago campus at Wieboldt Hall from June 24-28, 2024, where you’ll enjoy the world-class experience only Kellogg can provide. Each day you’ll be immersed in rigorous and interactive classes, engaging with your peers in small group and breakout discussions together with learning from Professor Nicholas Pearce, leading Kellogg faculty and practicing experts in the DEI field who will share their knowledge and expertise with you.

Who Should Attend

Anyone who can lead and implement change within their organization, including:

  • C-Suite Executives
  • Chief Diversity Officers
  • Chief Human Resources Officers
  • Senior Management
  • Other DEI Leaders

Download Past Participant Profile

Key Benefits

  • Learn to demonstrate authentic purpose in DEI
  • Build a culture that supports long-term change in the organization’s mission
  • Influence and engage leaders to be champions for creating and sustaining an inclusive organization

Program Content

Focusing the Leader’s Mind

  • Gain awareness of recent developments in today’s workplace and its impact on our brains
  • Learn simple, research-proven methods to practice cognitive control
  • Prioritize behaviors and activities that support the legacy you’re building

Beyond Diversity: DEI Fundamentals for Executives

  • Identify dimensions of diversity to understand the personal and organizational impact when it is rightfully leveraged
  • Learn actionable steps to move beyond diversity to equity

Creating Inclusive Cultures for Courageous DEI Conversations

  • Gain the courage to speak bravely and encourage courage in others
  • Increase trust and morale within team and organization
  • Move from conflict resolution to conflict transformation

Inclusion Starts with “I”—Exploring the Power of Authenticity and Allyship

  • Articulate a compelling personal narrative
  • Recognize and appreciate different levels of allyship
  • Influence others by role-modeling self-disruption

Outsmarting Ourselves: Understanding and Overcoming our Perceptual Biases

  • Recognize the different kinds of psychological biases that predispose us toward conflict
  • Engage productively across differences thanks to practical frameworks for resolution            

Designing Bias-Free Organizations

  • Identify barriers to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and shift the focus to creating equitable practices for potential candidates and current employees
  • Explore human capital policies and processes in your own organization and determine what might be contributing to inequity. Identify ways in which your organization can make change
  • Explore the ways in which the work of becoming a more equitable organization can begin with the senior leadership 

Who is Us? Creeds, Deeds and the Problem of Equity

  • Recognize and call out the organizational dynamics that lead to inequity
  • Learn strategies to practice and advocate for conscious inclusion

Systemic Racism: History and Current Perspectives

  • Understand the origins of systemic racism in the US and globally
  • Recognize the ways in which it perpetuates today
  • Gain awareness of specific policy approaches to eliminate it

How Do We Fix It? Building a Comprehensive JEDI Strategy

  • Learn about the strategic approaches that organizations use to foster workforce diversity and leverage difference as a source of sustainable competitive advantage
  • Understand the impact of diversity, equity and inclusion in organizations on firm strategy, organizational performance, and market leadership

Where’s the Finish Line? Demonstrating Moral Courage

  • Gain awareness of the invisible barriers that could get in the way
  • Discover the unique features of the human brain which can support ongoing and effective leadership

Where Do We Go From Here? Peer-to-Peer Action Planning

  • Synthesize key learnings
  • Plan action steps for immediate action and continuous development

 

Faculty

Nicholas A. Pearce - Academic Director; Clinical Professor of Management & Organizations

Michelle L. Buck - Clinical Professor of Executive Education

Anne Chow - Senior Fellow and Adjunct Professor of Executive Education, Kellogg School of Management; Former CEO, AT&T Business

Ivuoma Onyeador - Assistant Professor of Management & Organizations

Lauren Rivera - Peter G. Peterson Professor of Corporate Ethics, Professor of Management & Organizations; Professor of Sociology, Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences (Courtesy)

Alvin Tillery - Associate Professor of Political Science, Director of the Center for the Study of Diversity and Democracy

Adam Waytz - Professor of Management & Organizations

Featured Videos

How will Beyond Diversity empower DEI leaders?

Why study DEI in an academic setting?

What makes Kellogg’s Beyond Diversity program unique?

Who should attend the program?

2025 Session

June 23-27, 2025

Start: June 23 at 1:30 PM

End: June 27 at 12:30 PM



Format: In-Person at Wieboldt Hall on Chicago Campus

$7,950

Fee includes lodging and most meals


Click here for Executive Education's COVID-19 health and safety protocols


Do you still have questions about the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program? Please contact us at 847.467.6018 or execed@kellogg.northwestern.edu.

Kellogg School of Management

James L. Allen Center
2169 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208
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847.467.6018