Course Description
1.5 credits. Inclusive leaders possess insights about the ways to engage everyone and create a high-performing organization. They also demonstrate the skills to facilitate involvement and collaboration among all team members, whatever diverse characteristics they show. As Tapia and Polonskaia (2020) state:
"…leaders need to design organizations that equitably meet the needs of all their talent. And this exciting movement toward building tomorrow's equitable organizations is dependent on a new type of leader: the inclusive leader."1
This course provides the knowledge and skills needed to demonstrate inclusion that creates organizational growth and success, but also fosters employee belonging and engagement. Students will examine some of the diversity, equity, and inclusion challenges that inclusive leaders must address as they create welcoming and high performing groups. Students will build self-awareness through readings, self-assessments, writing assignments, and discussions about inclusive leadership traits and competencies. Insights and activities will prepare students with knowledge, confidence, and capabilities to serve as inclusion change agents as they apply their learning in future leadership roles in our changing society.
1The 5 Disciplines of Inclusive Leadership. 2020. Tapia and Polonskaia. Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler.
Pre-requisites and Other Registration Restrictions
None.
Learning Goals
As a result of this course, students will be able to:
- Define diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Identify the enabling traits that are at the core of inclusive leadership.
- Define the leadership competencies that make up The Five Disciplines of Inclusive Leadership.
- Define the stages of The Inclusive Leader Continuum.
- Clarify the roles of structural inclusion, identity inclusion, and sociopolitical inclusion as they can foster or inhibit greater collaboration in organizations.
- Develop plans to utilize knowledge and skills gained in the course to foster inclusion as a leader.
Course Materials
- The 5 Disciplines of Inclusive Leadership. 2020. Andres T. Tapia & Alina Polonskaia. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
- How to Be an Inclusive Leader. 2019. Jennifer Brown. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
- Six Signature Traits of Inclusive Leadership. 2016.
Course Schedule
| Week | Topic | Reading | Assignments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to Inclusive Leadership |
Introduction, Tapia & Polonskaia Preface & Introduction, Brown |
Introductory Threaded Discussion |
| 2 | The Inclusive Leader Continuum: Moving from Unaware to Aware | Chapters 1-3, Brown |
Threaded Discussion Self-assessment Reflection |
| 3 | The Inclusive Leader Continuum: Moving from Active to Advocate | Chapters 4-5, Brown |
Insight Paper Quiz |
| 4 | Traits of the Inclusive Leader Disciplines 1&2: Building Trust and Integrating Diverse Perspectives |
Chapter on Traits, Tapia & Polonskaia Chapters 1&2, Tapia & Polonskaia |
Threaded Discussion Self-assessment Reflection Quiz |
| 5 | Traits of the Inclusive Leader Disciplines 3-5: Optimizing Talent, Adaptive Mindset, and Transformation | Chapters 3-5, Tapia & Polonskaia |
Insight Paper Quiz |
| 6 | Tackling Diversity and Inclusion Challenges: Structural, Identity, and Sociopolitical Inclusion |
Chapters 10-12, Tapia & Polonskaia Appendix A, Tapia & Polonskaia |
Threaded Discussion Reflection Quiz |
| 7 | Final Course Assignments, Summary of Learning, and Action Plans |
Conclusion, Tapia & Polonskaia Chapter 6, Brown |
Final Paper or Project Final Threaded Discussion |
Assignments/Responsibilities, Grading & Assessment:
| Assignment | Points/ Assignment | Total Points |
|---|---|---|
| Introductory Threaded Discussion | 1 @ 50 | 50 |
| Quizzes | 4 @ 25 | 100 |
| Insight Papers | 2 @ 125 | 250 |
| Reflections | 3 @ 25 | 75 |
| Threaded Discussions | 3@ 100, 1@75 | 375 |
| Final Paper/Project | 1 @ 150 | 150 |
| TOTAL | 1000 |
Grading Scale
A = 90-1000 points
B+ = 870-899 points
B = 800-869 points
C+ = 770-799 points
C = 700-769 points
D = 600-699 points
F = below 600 points
Final Exam/Paper
No final exam. Due date for final paper is given each semester.
Academic Integrity
The university's policy on Academic Integrity is available at studentconduct.rutgers.edu/processes/academic-integrity. The principles of academic integrity require that a student:
- properly acknowledge and cite all use of the ideas, results, or words of others.
- properly acknowledge all contributors to a given piece of work.
- make sure that all work submitted as his or her own in a course or other academic activity is produced without the aid of impermissible materials or impermissible collaboration.
- obtain all data or results by ethical means and report them accurately without suppressing any results inconsistent with his or her interpretation or conclusions.
- treat all other students in an ethical manner, respecting their integrity and right to pursue their educational goals without interference. This requires that a student neither facilitate academic dishonesty by others nor obstruct their academic progress.
- uphold the canons of the ethical or professional code of the profession for which he or she is preparing.
Adherence to these principles is necessary in order to ensure that
- everyone is given proper credit for his or her ideas, words, results, and other scholarly accomplishments.
- all student work is fairly evaluated and no student has an inappropriate advantage over others.
- the academic and ethical development of all students is fostered.
- the reputation of the University for integrity in its teaching, research, and scholarship is maintained and enhanced.
Failure to uphold these principles of academic integrity threatens both the reputation of the University and the value of the degrees awarded to its students. Every member of the University community therefore bears a responsibility for ensuring that the highest standards of academic integrity are upheld.
The consequences of scholastic dishonesty are very serious. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:
- Resubmitting your own work that has previously been evaluated in this class or any other class.
- Copying text directly from websites and other sources without attributing the original source.
- Copying the work of students in other sections (past or present) of this course.
Please review the Rutgers' academic integrity policy.
Academic integrity means, among other things:
- Develop and write all of your own assignments.
- Submit your work for evaluation only once. Resubmitting your own work that has been previously evaluated in this or any other course is plagiarism and will be treated as such.
- Show in detail where the materials you use in your papers come from. Create citations whether you are paraphrasing authors or quoting them directly. Be sure always to show source and page number within the assignment and include a bibliography in the back.
- Do not fabricate information or citations in your work.
- Do not facilitate academic dishonesty for another student by allowing your own work to be submitted by others.
If you are in doubt about any issue related to plagiarism or scholastic dishonesty, please discuss it with your instructor.
Other sources of information to which you can refer include:
- Rutgers' Academic Integrity website.
- Code of Student Conduct.
- Eight Cardinal Rules of Academic Integrity.
Turn It In
Students agree that by taking this course all required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com (directly or via learning management system, i.e. Canvas, etc.) for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the Usage Policy posted on the Turnitin.com site.
Students who do not agree should contact the course instructor immediately.
Accomodations for Students with Disabilities
Please follow the procedures outlined at ods.rutgers.edu/students/registration-form. Full policies and procedures are at ods.rutgers.edu.