Report Review

Figure 1: Workforce Make up from 2010-2050

Figure 2: U.S. White and Non-White Populations 1970-2050

Figure 3: Percent Change in Population 1990-2020

If an employer wishes to implement a diversity training program, they must take much into consideration, prior to starting. Just as diversity-specific training cannot thrive in a vacuum absent a comprehensive diversity and inclusion strategy, diversity and inclusion training too will fail to be effective if it is not an integral part of a broader corporate training process. In establishing a diversity training strategy, a company should first examine how corporate learning happens today. Secondly, it should consider different types of delivery vehicles and how they impact corporate performance objective learning.

Whatever the method used in diversity and inclusion training, the primary goal is to create an ongoing awareness and understanding of human diversity as a corporate asset. However, awareness and understanding are not enough. For diversity and inclusion training to be truly effective, it must also teach employees how to leverage their own diversity and the diversity of others to support the success of the company through inclusion.

In this report, we will explore the following questions:

· What are the current challenges and obstacles to diversity and inclusion training?

· How has globalization impacted diversity and inclusion training?

· What are the various types of diversity and inclusion training?

· What are the characteristics of effective diversity and inclusion training programs?

· What content should be included in diversity and inclusion training?

PROBLEM

With the ever-changing work environment, employers are dealing with scenarios that involve a person’s diversity, at an almost constant rate. These employers often use diversity training programs to educate their employees about the many instances that may be considered

“insensitive” or offensive. Often these programs can be expensive, inefficient, and in some cases counterproductive. Diversity training is meant to help companies; however, the type of program, effectiveness, and the need for a program must be determined prior to implementing a diversity training program.

BACKGROUND

Diversity training is an initiative taken by most companies to create awareness of diversity issues and bring about cohesiveness in teams. Diversity training started in the1960s in response to the civil rights movement. This laid the foundation for a black and white equality in the workplace or for that matter, anything that required teams to work together. Apart from color; diversity includes gender, race, religion, caste, and disabilities. Although these are important and most commonly discussed diversity aspects; people may show diversity in terms of personality types (introvert or extrovert), attitudes, values, family background, and willingness to take risks.

It is important for companies to consider all these aspects while building project teams. A team that has all members who are not willing to take risks will not be an ideal team nor will a team where all the members are risk takers. An optimal balance of both types of people will make a successful team. By providing employees with the knowledge and skills to increase their “cultural competency” — the ability to interact effectively with people of different backgrounds and cultures — diversity training helps create an inclusive environment, where employees who may feel left out or marginalized have opportunities to thrive and participate in the organization’s operations and leadership.

The research is based mainly on the following:

1. Types of Programs. There are three types of diversity training: awareness-based, ​ skills-based, and integration-based. Evidence supports a combined approach, but one must employ these schemes based on the intimate knowledge, understanding, and uniqueness of one’s organization to maximize their effectiveness and business impact.

2. Effectiveness. It is unclear whether training works. Diversity training programs​ are meant to reduce prejudice and discrimination in the workplace while facilitating an equal, positive environment.

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

The following is an explanation of the research and the results thereof, regarding the types and effectiveness of diversity training programs in the workplace.

TYPES OF PROGRAMS

Awareness-based training programs are the most popular of the three approaches. The​ primary objectives are to provide information about diversity in general, heighten awareness and sensitivity through uncovering hidden assumptions and biases, assess attitudes and values, correct myths and stereotypes, and foster individual and group sharing. For example, the workforce is a constantly changing demographic. Figure 1 and 2 depict the change in workforce changes. Additionally, some programs focus on providing demographic data and demonstrating the benefits to the workforce. They may also touch on barriers that employees encounter and use the training to demonstrate the organization’s commitment to diversity. And lastly, and perhaps most relevant today, is making and reinforcing the business case for diversity

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

Awareness is the beginning of framing a common understanding and some expectations so when organizations discuss diversity everyone has a common reference point. This does not mean there is universal acceptance and agreement, but that the context in which these issues are discussed or applied and are moving forward. This aspect of diversity training is critical to the bigger picture, but one should understand that it alone is not the answer and, in some cases, may cause more problems than it resolves if done in isolation. Employees need a toolbox of skills to implement in order to increase their productivity and effectiveness.

Skills-based training moves to action from awareness. It should provide individuals with​ an actionable framework in which to address the day-to-day challenges in a proactive and effective way to drive the organization’s business forward. While these challenges and issues may have a diversity overtone to them, they are not black and white but rather varying shades of gray. Therefore, this cannot be a rigid checklist of steps to take or it becomes like putting a round peg into a square hole and does not lead to the successful outcomes required in today’s ever-changing business environment. Individuals must understand the context, content, and use of these learned skills. There are three key factors to consider in skills-based training, including: building new diversity-interaction skills, reinforcing existing skills, and inventory skill-building methodologies.

The third approach is integration-based training. While this is a separate approach, it touches​ on the awareness- and skills-based approaches previously discussed. There are many benefits to this approach, especially if one of the goals is integrating your diversity strategy into the organization’s existing training framework. This requires one to work in a close, collaborative way with the existing training department or team. This collaboration may help dampen some of the resistance individuals have based on their personal biases or prior experiences.

Given the challenges of time away from work and being overwhelmed with too many

programs or initiatives at once, among other perceived drawbacks, integration-based training can increase the frequency with which diversity learning occurs. Furthermore, it allows one to see the broader application and how it relates to other relevant areas and complimentary programs within the organization. Again, it contributes to providing a process or framework so employees may consciously draw upon and apply these skills in the day-to-day context of doing business. This can help one to see where the diversity implications are both overt and implied.

EFFECTIVENESS

An effective diversity training program typically creates awareness about your company’s​ policies and procedures related to creating a harassment-free, non-discriminatory work environment. To foster an inclusive workplace, design, develop and deliver workshops, seminars, games and other resources that ensure diversity issues become part of your work culture. Analyze your workplace by conducting a survey. Find out how people feel about working at your company. For example, create and distribute an online questionnaire and include a question about how frequently employees hear insensitive or disparaging remarks about another person’s race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, culture or religion. Add another question to identify experiences with discrimination or harassment expressed by publications, phone calls or assaults. If participant answers reveal that your work environment doesn’t allow everyone to fully participate in the company’s success, get recognition and feel safe, take action in to improve the situation.

To bring out the best in your workforce, you need an inclusive environment. In this age of globalization, when we work on multi-faceted projects, we must think above the conventional diversity aspects of gender, race, caste, creed, and disabilities. We have to choose a team based on a value system that will decide the individual’s capacity to adjust, accommodate, understand, and cooperate in addition to his/her professional acumen. Managers and supervisors increase their effectiveness by improved recruiting and reducing turnover costs through decreased absenteeism. Perhaps most importantly, they provide a work environment that more closely reflects the organization’s values and beliefs around its employees.

They respect and recognize individuals in proportion to their contribution and treat them as unique individuals rather than stereotyping them. Employees who are sufficiently motivated to work can focus on accomplishing the business objectives and goals. They become more productive and successful—and success breeds success. In the end, the organization improves in terms of collective teamwork, improved customer service, and effective communication. Reductions in training and employee turnover costs are realized, which impacts the bottom line. The type of employees to be trained should be examined as well (see Figure 3.) As you move through the organizational structure, priorities and business focus change, and it is important to deliver the training in an effective and relevant way so each person can individually acquire what they need in order to maximize their performance and impact.

Figure 3

However, there is evidence to support ineffectiveness. In her book, “Diversity Inc: The Failed​ Promise of a Billion-Dollar Business.” Pamela Newkirk argues that not only is most diversity training done wrong, it can also make things worse at companies and for their employees — in every profession. There are several reasons why most organizations diversity and inclusion efforts are failing to produce significant change and realize the true competitive advantage of a diverse and inclusive workforce. The key to true competitive advantage can be found with inclusion and this is the area where most diversity and inclusion initiatives are lacking.

Conversation is about diversity numbers and not inclusion: Being inside HR organizations and working with leaders for many years around diversity and inclusion, the conversation is almost always around improving diversity numbers and rarely about inclusion. Conversations are around increasing diversity in the early stages of the career and talent pipeline, often through campus recruiting efforts or by having hiring managers see a more diverse slate of candidates. It is seen as the responsibility of the HR Talent Acquisition team (i.e. the recruiters) to bring in diverse talent, but once they are brought it, they get lost in the system. In addition, Organizations spend millions of dollars on diversity programs that make people aware that they have unconscious bias and hope that through this awareness we will have more diversity and equitable representation of women and minorities in our organizations. For the most part, these programs provide an education that people are biased in their decision making. They offer very few solutions on what to do about it, other than to be aware of it.

In addition, separate leadership development programs for women and/or People of Color: Intended to accelerate the readiness for women and People of Color to fill leadership positions in an organization, many organizations have separate development programs for women and/or People of Color. Often these programs are separate, one-off programs and not linked to the company’s overall leadership or talent development efforts. They often do not even teach the same skills that are discussed in the leadership programs. I have seen companies have completely different development assessments used for these programs, that are not aligned with the ones they are using as part of their talent management processes. These programs are often broad-based and generic around the topic of leadership and do not prepare the participants for key roles and responsibilities. They are rarely linked to succession management data about key roles.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

In conclusion, diversity programs are very complex. A company must first determine whether a program will be worth it in the long run. Next, if a program is to be implemented, the type of diversity program must be chosen, for optimal efficiency. Finally, the employer must take care to avoid the reasons of ineffectiveness. Please take the time to review process of determining a diversity program:

· Determine if there is a need for a program

· Determine the type of program needed

· Implementing program tailored to your company

· Avoid problems for ineffectiveness

· Integrate program with existing programs

· Be mindful of the timing of the program

According to the research conducted, diversity training can be very beneficial to a company, if it does in the correct way.

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