Inclusive Culture Strategy Toolkit
Welcome to the ICS Toolkit.
This toolkit includes resources created and published by Willing Observers to help you drive culture-change strategies. We also curate resources from other reputable publishers that we have identified to be research and data-driven.
Due to the political climate, access to non-Willing Observers resources may be unexpectedly removed.
To report broken links, please email ics@willingobservers.com.
-
Willing Observers' Resources
-
2024 DEIB Toolkit
Use the tools gathered here to reflect on and shift our interactions towards fostering equity and inclusion in your life, both inside of and outside of work.
-
Culture & Belonging Starter Kit
An introduction to DEIB and the business case for DEIB, as well as tools to apply for increasing equity, inclusion, and belonging within organizational cultures and beyond.
-
Team Culture
Use this handout to characterize your organization or team culture. This activity works best when done as a team.
-
PLAN Tool: People, Language, Assess, Note
To help you to reflect on and assess your own interactions and miscommunications you can use the self-reflection tool called PLAN.
-
KPIs: Measuring DEI Progress
This tool on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is intended to help diversity professionals measure the impact of their DEI initiatives, as well as measure progress over time.
-
Developing Culture and DEIB Research
Use this tool to help you think about what kind of data you need to develop and strengthen your DEIB strategies.
-
Answers to Questions About Transgender Allyship
Learn the answers to common questions about transgender allyship.
-
Take Action to Fight Project 2025!
Learn of the variety of efforts underway to challenge key aspects of Project 2025 and how you can support them.
-
-
Inclusive Culture Strategy Best Practices
-
DEIB Annual Reports
A link to DEIB annual reports from companies that have been recognized for their DEIB strategies and initiatives.
-
Resources for Anti-DEI Executive Orders
Resources to help explain, challenge, and navigate anti-DEI executive orders and related policies.
-
Four Principles of Creating Fair Processes
Learn the four principles that can help you create any process, whether application review, hiring, evaluation, performance review, more fair.
-
Diversity Councils
Learn about the various kinds of diversity councils and best practices for establishing and running one.
-
Recruitment: Diversifying the Applicant Pool
Learn five major ways you can diversify the applicant pool with recruitment strategies.
-
Standardizing Applications: Content Review
Learn how you can reviewing applications’ diversity statements, cover letters, and other narratives more fairly.
-
-
What It Is & Why It Matters (WIIWIM)
-
Cisgender
Although you have likely heard the word cisgender used, do you know what it means??
-
Misogyny & Transmisogyny
You have likely heard the words misogyny and transmisogyny used before but do you know what they mean?
-
Diversity
Although you have likely heard the word diversity used, what does it really mean??
-
U.S. v. Skrmetti Ruling Explained
Listen to Missy Maceyko explain the 2025 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, U.S. v Skrmetti, a landmark decision affecting transgender rights.
-
Equity vs Equality
Although you have likely heard the words equity and equality used, do you know what they mean??
-
Culture Part 1
Although you have likely heard the word culture used, do you know what it means??
-
Culture Part 2
Although you have likely heard the word culture used, do you know what it means??
-
Inclusion
Although you have likely heard the word inclusion used, do you know what it means??
-
Participant Observation
Have you heard the term participant observation before?
-
Sex & Gender
You have likely heard the words sex and gender used interchangeably before, but they are actually distinctive terms with their own meanings.
-
Enculturation
Are you familiar the term enculturation? Do you know what it means?
-
Ramadan
You have likely heard the term Ramadan before. Do you know what it means?
-
-
Willing Observers' Recommended Resources
-
Events Best Practices
Use this tool to plan your next DEIB event.
-
Expanding the Impact of DEI
Learn how to advocate for DEI initiatives in the face of anti-DEI rhetoric.
-
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Checklist
Use this checklist to brainstorm short and long-term goals.
-
Mitigating Bias in Artificial Intelligence
Learn about how artificial intelligence is embedded with bias and strategies on how to mitigate them.
-
The Value of Equitable and Inclusive Practices in Product Design
Learn how to advocate for inclusive and equitable product design.
-
-
Culture & DEIB Foundations
-
Politeness and Miscommunication
Explore how cultural expectations can lead to miscommunication.
-
Politeness and the Workplace
Explore how expectations of politeness show up in the workplace.
-
Politeness and Professionalism
Learn about how expectations of politeness intersect with expectations for professionalism and how these reflect specific cultural norms.
-
Expectations of Politeness
Learn about what politeness is, how it is shaped by culture, and how it differs across cultures.
-
-
Webinars
-
DEI in the Balance
Watch this webinar hosted by the American Anthropological Association. Willing Observers discuss President Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders and what they mean for higher-ed and for-profit organizations.
-
Creating and Measuring Culture Change
Watch a short webinar about how Willing Observers approaches cultural change in organizations.
-
-
Additional Resources
-
Let's Talk
ICS Toolkit FAQs
-
Please reach out to Willing Observers if you encounter a technical issue with the content. You can reach us at ics@willingobservers.com.
-
Our research team can locate or develop a resource that you may be interested in! To complete a request fill out this anonymous form. Since it is anonymous we will not be able to follow up with you, so make sure to check back periodically or contact us at ics@willingobservers for a status of your request.
-
The first year of the ICS Toolkit is free for InCDP Certificate Program participants.
Subscription to the ICS Toolkit is on an annual basis, while we provide reminders of when your subscription renews, it is the subscriber’s responsibility to cancel their subscription. No refunds are allowed.
Graduates of the program may purchase an ICS Toolkit subscription by clicking here.
-
If you are an InCDP Certification Program participant and would like to maintain access to the ICS Toolkit, you may purchase a subscription by clicking here.
You may also purchase access for others in your team.