Leading Diverse and Inclusive Organisations

The Defence Diversity and Inclusion Strategy places particular importance on inclusive leadership and culture. It highlights that a diverse and inclusive organisation is stronger, healthier, and more resilient. Defence's success depends on its ability to harness the diversity of thought, skills, and talents within society. Likewise, to meet current and future security challenges and threats, defence must draw on and encourage the different strengths and perspectives of service personnel and civil servants throughout defence.

Through preparatory learning, activities and facilitated discussion, the Leading Diverse and Inclusive Organisations (LDIO) course will demonstrate to you as a senior leader the importance of strategic leadership in shaping culture by considering the lived experience of feeling included/excluded and assessing strategies for managing personal biases. It will also assist you in identifying proactive leadership strategies to take responsibility for helping the MOD to become a more diverse and inclusive employer. The course will:

• present the business case for diversity and inclusion in practice
• demonstrate the importance of strategic leadership in shaping culture
• consider the lived experience of feeling included/excluded
• assess strategies for managing personal biases
• provide case studies from a diverse range of organisations
• assist personnel in identifying proactive personal and leadership strategies to play their part in the MOD becoming a more diverse and inclusive employer

The course requires you to complete preparatory learning, a one-day classroom-based workshop, and a post-workshop reflection exercise.

After attending the course workshop, you must create a personal statement. This statement will form the basis of a post-workshop reflective exercise. You must complete and upload this reflective learning to the Defence Learning Environment (DLE) within three weeks of completing the workshop. It is important to note that this part of the course must be undertaken for the LDIO qualification to be awarded.

Please see 2023DIN07-097 for further course information.

Who can attend this course

• Military
• MOD civil servants

This course is for military officers at 1-star rank and above and MOD senior civil servant equivalent.

You are mandated to undertake the course every three years.

Before you attend

There is preparatory learning associated with this course, comprising videos, reading material, and self-reflective activities. The preparatory learning will take 2 plus hours, depending on learning preferences. The preparatory learning is located on the DLE. You will be given access to the DLE learning material on acceptance to the course.

Additionally, where required, you must be in-date for the following courses before attending the Leading Diverse and Inclusive Organisations course:

• Active Bystander Fundamentals, available on the DLE
• Civil Service Expectations, available via Civil Service Learning 
• Mandatory Single Service and/or Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion training

How the course will be taught

• Face-to-face/Residential
• Blended
• e-Learning (DLE)