Course Overview

DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) Training  

This programme equips employees and people managers within multinational corporations operating in Malaysia with the knowledge, mindset, and practical skills to build a genuinely diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace.

The course of six progressive modules moves participants from foundational DEI literacy through to bias awareness, inclusive leadership, cross-cultural competence, and the design and measurement of inclusive policies and systems.

The learning content is contextualised for Malaysia’s multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multigenerational workforce, while learning outcomes are benchmarked against globally recognised DEI standards and frameworks, including ISO 30415:2021 (Diversity and Inclusion — Guidelines), the Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Benchmarks (GDEIB), the SHRM DEI Certificate competencies, and CIPD’s Inclusion and Diversity Profession Map.

The programme is delivered through a blended mix of facilitated discussion, case studies, simulations, self-assessments, and applied workshops, and concludes with a roadmap participants can carry back into their organisation.

Target Audience: Selected employees who handles DEI related matters based on various department job roles, DEI champions, people managers, regional/global team lead and members.

Duration: One to two days as per required.

Course Objectives

By the end of this programme, participants will be able to:

1. Explain core DEI concepts and principles, benchmarked against global standards (ISO 30415, GDEIB), and apply them within Malaysia’s multicultural corporate context.
2. Recognise personal and organisational unconscious biases and apply practical techniques to interrupt bias in hiring, promotion, and everyday decision-making.
3. Demonstrate inclusive leadership behaviours — including psychological safety, equitable feedback, and bias-aware decision-making in managing diverse teams.
4. Apply cultural intelligence to collaborate effectively across Malaysia’s ethnic, religious, and generational diversity, as well as with global and regional teams.
5. Design, implement, and measure inclusive workplace policies and DEI metrics aligned with global benchmarking frameworks to drive sustainable organisational change.

Learning Modules

Each module below combines its own targeted learning objectives with suggested learning activities, designed to be delivered sequentially or tailored as standalone workshops depending on organisational needs.

Module 1: Foundations of DEI — Global Standards Meets the Malaysian Workplace

• Define Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and distinguish them from related concepts (e.g., equality, tolerance, belonging).
• Understand the business case for DEI, referencing McKinsey’s Diversity Wins research and ISO 30415 principles.
• Map DEI dimensions specific to Malaysia’s multicultural, multi-religious, and multigenerational society (ethnicity, religion, gender, age, disability, socioeconomic background).
• Understand Malaysia’s legal and regulatory context (Employment Act, Persons with Disabilities Act 2008, Malaysia Board Diversity initiatives)..

Module 2: Unconscious Bias & Inclusive Mindset

• Identify common cognitive biases (affinity bias, confirmation bias, halo/horns effect, name/accent bias).
• Recognize how biases manifest in Malaysian workplace touchpoints (recruitment, promotion, meetings, performance reviews).
• Apply bias-interruption techniques aligned with SHRM’s inclusive hiring competencies.
• Practice giving and receiving feedback without bias-driven assumptions.

Module 3: Inclusive Leadership for Managers

• Understand and apply the six traits of inclusive leadership (Deloitte model): commitment, courage, cognizance of bias, curiosity, cultural intelligence, collaboration.
• Understand how to lead cross-cultural, cross-generational, and cross-functional teams effectively.
• Create psychological safety within teams, referencing Amy Edmondson’s framework.
• Conduct equitable performance conversations, promotions, and succession planning decisions. Development of an Individual Inclusive Leadership Action Plan (IILAP), reviewed by facilitator.

Module 4: Cultural Competence & Cross-Cultural Collaboration in a Multicultural Malaysia

• Build cultural intelligence (CQ) using the four-capability CQ model (drive, knowledge, strategy, action).
• Understand Malaysia’s ethnic, religious, and linguistic diversity and its workplace implications (festive practices, dietary/prayer accommodations, communication styles).
• Navigate cross-border collaboration between Malaysian teams and global/regional headquarters.
• Reduce microaggressions and exclusionary language in daily interactions.

Module 5: Building Inclusive Policies, Systems & Employee Experience

Target Audience: HR, DEI Committee members, senior management

• Audit HR systems (recruitment, compensation, promotion, benefits) against ISO 30415 and GDEIB categories.
• Design inclusive policies covering flexible work, religious observance, disability accommodation, and parental leave suited to the Malaysian regulatory environment.
• Establish Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and DEI governance structures.
• Integrate DEI KPIs into organizational scorecards and ESG/sustainability reporting.

Module 6: Measuring, Sustaining & Certifying DEI Impact

Learning Objectives

• Select and track meaningful DEI metrics (representation, pay equity, inclusion survey scores, retention by demographic group).
• Understand global certification/benchmarking pathways (ISO 30415 self-assessment, GDEIB benchmarking survey, SHRM/CIPD organizational recognition).
• Build a sustainable DEI roadmap with governance, accountability, and continuous improvement cycles.
• Communicate DEI progress transparently to stakeholders, including ESG reporting requirements relevant to Bursa Malaysia-listed MNCs.
• Metrics workshop: Build a DEI scorecard template using sample organizational data.
• Gap analysis exercise: Score the organization against GDEIB’s 15 categories and identify top 3 priority areas.
• Roadmap-building activity: Groups create a 12-month DEI action roadmap with milestones and owners.
• Mock stakeholder presentation: Present DEI progress and roadmap to a “board” (role-played by facilitators/senior leaders) for feedback.