What is Leading Inclusive Teams (LIT)?
In today’s dynamic world, successful leadership requires more than just technical skills and industry knowledge. Leaders must be adept at creating inclusive environments where everyone feels valued and heard.
Leading Inclusive Teams (LIT) is a curricular experience supported by the Sanger Leadership Center in partnership with Professor Lindy Greer and Professor Aparna Joshi, two Michigan Ross faculty members and leading researchers in the field of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). During LIT, students:
- Gain evidence-based knowledge and practical tools to design and lead teams and organizations
- Deepen their understanding of identity dynamics, privilege, and bias
- Acquire skills to engage in crucial conversations, be an active ally, and implement strategic changes within teams and organizations
As Professor Lindy Greer explains, true inclusion goes beyond offering a seat at the table. “It involves fostering an environment where all voices are heard and integrated into decision-making processes,” she notes. With this in mind, LIT focuses on helping students deepen their understanding of identity dynamics, privilege, and bias, and equips them to engage in crucial conversations, act as allies, and implement strategic changes.
Professor Aparna Joshi highlights the practical value of the courses, stating, “Through these courses, we aim to offer evidence-based tools that equip students to lead inclusively while navigating various stakeholders’ expectations, delivering high performance, and fostering innovation.”
What courses are included in LIT?
Students have the opportunity to participate in LIT by enrolling in the following courses:
MO 350: Leading Across Differences
Taught by Professor Aparna Joshi
Available to BBA and non-Ross undergraduate students
This course focuses on developing the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to lead inclusively and address equity and inclusion challenges within organizations. It is structured in three parts: recognizing and interrupting inequities, applying mindset tools to relate to diverse perspectives, and building positive relationships across differences at personal, team, and organizational levels.
MO 605: Leading Across Differences
Taught by Professor Aparna Joshi
Available to FTMBA, GMBA, and OYM students
This course equips leaders with the skills to create and implement a diversity strategy aligned with organizational goals, fostering innovation, talent management, and productivity through inclusion. Organized in three parts, it teaches how to recognize and interrupt inequities, apply mindset tools for positive engagement with diverse perspectives, and build strong relationships across differences at personal, team, and organizational levels.
MO 730: Leading Diverse Teams and Organizations: A DEI Toolkit
Taught by Professor Lindy Greer
Available to GMBA, OMBA, WMBA, and non-Ross graduate students
This course provides evidence-based knowledge and practical tools to design and lead diverse, equitable, and inclusive (DEI) teams and organizations. It covers topics such as identifying privilege, implicit bias, and microaggressions, becoming an active ally, and implementing best practices for DEI strategy, while culminating in a group project to create a DEI action plan for a company.
Coursera: Leading Diverse Teams & Organizations
Taught by Professor Lindy Greer
Available to all University of Michigan students
This course provides evidence-based knowledge and practical tools to help you design and lead diverse, equitable, and inclusive (DEI) teams and organizations, regardless of your background or experience level. You will develop a deeper understanding of your personal identity in the workplace, learn to identify privilege, implicit bias, and microaggressions, and create a DEI action plan that can be applied to your own life and organization.
Are you ready to start your journey towards becoming an inclusive leader? Follow the regular course registration process for your academic program to enroll in LIT and gain the skills, knowledge, and confidence to lead with empathy, foster inclusive environments, and drive meaningful change in any organization.