Author of the bestselling DEI Deconstructed returns with a companion workbook filled with practical and actionable techniques for changemakers at all stages of their DEI journey.
The next step in your DEI journey starts here. Building on the knowledge base of DEI Deconstructed, Lily Zheng offers a workbook with 40 original exercises, worksheets, and other tools to help guide youand your organization toward more substantive and lasting DEI outcomes. Whether you're a new or veteran DEI practitioner looking to improve your practice, a leader looking to grow your leadership skills, or an advocate looking to play more powerful roles in movements, this book willgive you the practical tools to do just that.
From self-work to organizational change, this workbook will upskill you with the core competencies required for impactful DEI work, such as diagnosing inequity, working withconstituents, building movements, creating psychological safety, stewarding inclusive cultures, resolving conflict and harm, and achieving systems change. Most importantly, it will give you valuable experience putting these skills into action. Each activity can stand on its own and is designed to stimulate valuable reflection and practice. Included are recommendations for targeted exercise roadmaps to supplement your learning journey. Taken all together, these exercises are a complete masterclass in any practitioner's DEI education.
"Reconstructing DEI: A Practitioner's Workbook" by Lily Zheng offers practical exercises and strategies for individuals and organizations committed to strengthening their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. The workbook begins with introspective exercises aimed at helping individuals understand their core values and various social identities. By reflecting on how these identities confer privilege or marginalization and identifying areas of expertise, individuals can deepen their understanding of themselves and their role in DEI efforts.
Once individuals have a clearer understanding of themselves, they can leverage this knowledge to engage others and cultivate supportive relationships. By identifying DEI goals, seeking out partners for shared accountability, and learning to ask for help, individuals can expand their capacity to effect change beyond themselves. Recognizing inequity requires a combination of intuition and evidence-based analysis. The workbook guides individuals through the process of defining specific, measurable outcomes for DEI initiatives, formulating hypotheses, and gathering data to support their findings. It also emphasizes the importance of storytelling to effectively communicate the need for change.
Creating an inclusive culture requires a blend of self-awareness and practical strategies. Individuals are encouraged to commit to lifelong learning, engage in cultural competency, and work towards shifting microcultures within their organizations towards inclusivity. Conflict and harm are inevitable in DEI work, but they can be managed in a way that fosters growth and understanding. The workbook emphasizes active listening, reflective practices, and restorative approaches to conflict resolution as key strategies for reducing harm and promoting healing.
Effective DEI work requires collaboration and coalition-building among diverse stakeholders. Individuals are encouraged to understand the interests and priorities of various stakeholders, craft personalized messages to gain support, and strategically leverage power dynamics to initiate meaningful change. Developing a DEI strategy involves creating a concrete plan with specific initiatives, efforts, and timelines aimed at achieving identified outcomes. Individuals are guided through the process of identifying key issues, selecting outcomes, determining resource allocation, and engaging stakeholders to drive systemic change.
Achieving DEI is an ongoing process that requires sustained effort and commitment. The workbook introduces a four-level model for assessing an organization's DEI maturity and offers practical steps for advancing through each level. It also emphasizes the importance of self-care and maintaining a sense of purpose outside of DEI work to prevent burnout. By applying the practical frameworks and exercises outlined in the workbook, individuals and organizations can move beyond superficial DEI efforts and drive meaningful systemic change characterized by inclusive cultures, representation, and long-term sustainability.
Some of the key factors that make DEI work effective are: self-reflection, coalition building, restorative approaches to conflict, tailored organizational strategies, and maturity assessments.
By applying these practical frameworks, you can move beyond superficial and performative DEI efforts and drive meaningful systemic change characterized by inclusive cultures, representation, and long-term sustainability.
Some of the key factors that make DEI work effective are: self-reflection, coalition building, restorative approaches to conflict, tailored organizational strategies, and maturity assessments.
By applying these practical frameworks, you can move beyond superficial and performative DEI efforts and drive meaningful systemic change characterized by inclusive cultures, representation, and long-term sustainability.