Diversity & Inclusion Training | From Awareness to Execution

Why This Program Works

Q: Isn’t awareness enough? Why do we need training?
A: In Japan, many companies run a two-hour unconscious bias session, check the box, and say they’re done. But when asked if they achieved diversity, the answer is always no. Awareness alone doesn’t change behavior. This program builds the skills and mindsets leaders and employees need to make inclusion a daily practice.

Q: Why does Japan need diversity now?
A: Japan’s population is shrinking and talent shortages are severe. Companies are hiring more foreign workers, and Japanese leaders increasingly manage global teams while foreigners lead Japanese staff at home. Without inclusion, these teams cannot succeed. Groupthink may feel safe, but it kills innovation. Diversity of perspectives, when supported by inclusion, is the key to problem-solving and out-innovating competitors.

Q: Isn’t DEI under attack globally — why should Japan pursue it?
A: In the U.S., DEI programs are being rolled back by government and pressured in the private sector. Japan’s situation is entirely different. Here, society is still monocultural, monolingual, and group-oriented, but the business need for diversity is urgent. For Japan, DEI is not a political issue — it is a competitive necessity. Without diversity and inclusion, Japan cannot achieve the innovation it needs to grow.

Q: Why is leadership support so critical?
A: Inclusion requires change — and change is uncomfortable. In hierarchical organizations, if leaders don’t model inclusive behaviors and support their people, diversity will fail. Leaders set the tone, build psychological safety, and encourage people to contribute. Without visible commitment from the top, no program will move beyond words to reality.

What You’ll Learn

Q: How do we go beyond superficial awareness of diversity?
A: By understanding the role that values play in diversity, developing appreciation for other cultures, and uncovering hidden biases that block inclusion.

Q: How can leaders increase self-awareness to lead diverse teams?
A: By identifying how their own attitudes, thought patterns, and behaviors impact others — and by learning how to align values and leadership style to build trust.

Q: How do we deal with conscious and unconscious bias?
A: Through a proven process that helps participants recognize bias, bridge differences, and commit to inclusive behaviors.

Q: What role does communication play in inclusion?
A: Storytelling, empathetic listening, and drawing on personal experiences help bridge cultural gaps and create genuine human connection.

Q: How can we build trust and psychological safety?
A: By understanding the relationship between credibility, respect, and trust; minimizing “trustbusters”; and applying principles to restore and protect trust.

Q: What about conflict in diverse teams?
A: Diversity often leads to differences of opinion. Participants learn strategies to address conflict openly, find opportunities within disagreements, and move forward without resentment.

Q: How do we find common ground across differences?
A: By learning assertive yet diplomatic ways to express opinions, cushion disagreements, and create bridges of understanding.

Q: How do we sustain diversity over time?
A: By equipping leaders and employees to manage change, role-model inclusivity, and continue learning long after the program ends.

How It Helps Your Organization

• Carnegie Academy AI Edition: Participants gain access to Dale Carnegie’s entire global knowledge base — 113 years worldwide, 62 years in Japan. Tools, resources, and methods are available during and after the program to keep solving problems and reinforcing skills.
• Retain scarce talent: Diverse employees who don’t feel valued will leave. Retention is a zero-sum game in Japan — you cannot afford to lose people.
• Unlock innovation: Inclusion creates an environment where diverse ideas can flourish, helping your teams outthink and out-innovate the competition.
• Strengthen leadership: Leaders gain the tools to coach, communicate, and create psychological safety, making inclusion part of daily work.
• Future-proof your business: Build a culture where Japanese and non-Japanese employees alike can contribute fully, ensuring global competitiveness.

• Senior executives who need to drive DEI from the top.
• Managers leading multicultural teams in Japan or abroad.
• HR and organizational development leaders building inclusive systems.
• Companies serious about moving beyond symbolic gestures to measurable change.

Session 1:
Value Diversity
• Discover the role that values play in diversity
• Create a deeper appreciation for other cultures
• Become self-aware of hidden biases

Session 2:
Increase Self-Awareness
• Describe the relationship between perspective and selfawareness
• Identify the positive impact of self-awareness on your
ability to effectively lead a diverse team
• Gain a more accurate understanding of our own values, ambitions, thought patterns, attitudes, emotional responses, strengths and weaknesses, and their effect on others.

Session 3:
Cultural Awareness
• Understand our Conscious and Unconscious Bias
• Identify a process to make the most of diversity and inclusion
• Commit to use proven tools to bridge differences

Session 4:
Communication to Connect Across Cultures
• Use the power of storytelling to bridge cultural gaps
• Create emotion in storytelling to impact listeners
• Develop our empathetic listening
• Use our experiences to communicate more confidently and discover how past experiences influence behavior

Session 5:
Build Trust and Psychological Safety
• Understand the relationship between trust, credibility, and respect
• Minimize trustbusters and restore broken trust
• Apply principles to cultivate a trust-based environment.
• Broaden the psychological safety in our environments

Session 6:
Conflict Strategies
• Analyze your conflict response style
• Establish opportunities from conflict situations
• Get hidden conflict out in the open
• Move beyond conflict without harboring resentment

Session 7:
Find Common Ground
• Take an assertive approach to expressing opinions to keep the lines of communication open
• Identify personal hot buttons and our role in disagreements
• Give others the benefit of the doubt and cushion opinions for greater acceptance
• Apply a formula for contributing ideas and disagreeing in an agreeable way
• Create bridges to common ground

Session 8:
Influence and Sustain Change
• Recognize that people, including ourselves, react in different ways to change
• Identify ways to role model and manage ourselves during cultural change
• Give and receive recognition from our peers
• Affirm our insights and inspire and be inspired to continue our awareness

This course uses our proven 8-Step pathway to ensure learning sticks:

1. Pre-Work (videos, podcasts, thought leadership articles)
2. Performance Coaching for Managers Workshop (optional)
3. Kick-off Session (1 hour online), pre-training survey, accountability partner assignment
4. Main Program
5. 28-week self-paced learning program with weekly video/audio content, reinforced by Carnegie Academy AI Edition
6. Deep Learning 1 (2 hours online, 30 days post-program)
7. Deep Learning 2 (2 hours online, 60 days post-program)
8. Graduate-only Ongoing Education (seasonal, 2 hours)

• 113 years of expertise in developing human relations and communication.
• Proven in Japan for 62 years, with programs adapted for local business realities.
• Interactive, not passive: Participants practice, role-play, and learn by doing — building real-world skills, not just theory.
• Global perspective, local relevance: A curriculum grounded in Dale Carnegie’s timeless relationship principles, adapted for Japan’s unique challenges.