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Morning Column
Avoid the Common Traps of Diversity Training
By Jarik Conrad
One of the most dreaded phrases in Corporate America is "diversity
training." People's eyes start to roll and they squirm in their seats at the
demand, or mere suggestion, they attend. "I have already had that before,"
is a typical reaction. They desperately search to fill their calendars with
other responsibilities so they can miss the class. In response, trainers
counter by giving the training fancy names like "inclusion" or "cultural
competence training," but when people realize this is simply a code name for
diversity training, they still react unfavorably.
While this response is disheartening, it is quite understandable. Much of
what organizations offer has been, at best, boring and unhelpful; damaging
at worst. Effective diversity training challenges not only the participants,
but the trainers as well. It can be difficult for trainers to present
information objectively, because they often struggle with some of the same
issues they are trying to address. It is sometimes evident in their body
language, attitude and tone that they, too, have challenges understanding
human dynamics.
While there are many approaches to developing and delivering effective
diversity training, the first step for organizational leaders and
individuals responsible for the training should be to avoid the most common
pitfalls.
1. Too Little Focus on the Impact of Emotions
Failure to consider the role of emotions in recognizing and understanding
relevant cultural differences is a common, costly mistake. Emotions shape
our perspectives and distort our ability to analyze information accurately.
In other words, they convert the objective to the subjective. Any training
that does not acknowledge and identify the emotional framework under girding
issues is useless.
2. Failure to Engage White Males
Many White males don't consider themselves to have a culture, so when they
hear talk of cultural issues, they tend to think of other groups. Some
diversity trainers have perpetuated this fallacy by consciously or
subconsciously presenting diversity as other than the White and male. For
instance, they often refer to "protected classes" as including other racial
groups and women, while the civil rights laws actually address race and
gender. In other words, a man cannot be fired for being a man, and a White
person cannot be fired for being a White person. They are, therefore,
"protected." In fact, consider other "protected" categories that white males
could potentially belong to-veterans, the disabled and people over 40 years
old. White males are truly diverse.
3. Lack of a Compelling Business Case
It is true that diversity training doesn't always guarantee exceptional
business results. However, nothing in business is guaranteed. The ability
to attract and retain the best available talent, and the ability to
understand and react to an increasingly diverse customer base is just the
beginning of where diversity training can make an organization stronger.
4. Compliance Driven
Check-the-box training undermines the whole concept of diversity. If
managers are implementing such programs just because they have been directed
to do so, they are likely to implement them incorrectly, which will cause
all sorts of problems. When things do not go right, people who say the
organization didn't need those programs anyway would feel reinforced in
their beliefs. If someone does something just because you tell them to, in
their haste to just get it done, they might miss opportunities to explore
creative, innovative approaches beyond what they are directed to do in order
to achieve the desired results.
5. Too Much Focus on Helping Whites Understand the Challenges of Others
All too often, the conscious or subconscious approach taken by human
resources personnel, consultants and trainers is the idea of "fixing" White
people. Whites are far from the only group struggling to understand and
embrace diversity. In fact, not only do groups have difficulty
understanding other groups, they often struggle with the diversity within
their own groups as well.
6. Lack of Engagement from All Levels of Management
Having senior level management buy-in for diversity initiatives is crucial.
The senior level sets the vision and determines the priorities for the
organization. But they need to "walk the talk" as well. In other words,
instead of purchasing tables at the local Martin Luther King Jr. celebration
and sending members of the company's diversity councils, they need to show
up themselves. While senior management commitment is essential, many of the
day-to-day decisions around hiring, training and career development actually
happen at lower levels in organizations. In fact, the first-line and
middle-management teams are often the main people threatened by diversity
efforts.
7. Reactive, Not Proactive
It is common for organizations to introduce these initiatives when there
have been complaints. After someone has threatened litigation is far too
late in the game to start thinking about a diversity initiative. As with any
potential source of competitive advantage, those who are ahead of the curve
with diversity have a better chance of reaping the rewards faster. Being
reactive with training and slow on implementation is the perfect recipe for
never reaching the ultimate goal.
8. Failure to Make Difficult Decisions
Everything in this article hinges on one thing: what leaders do when times
get tough. What do you do if your top salesperson has made some culturally
insensitive remarks? What if a customer tells you he does not like to work
with women? What if one of
your direct reports goes on vacation as Michael and returns in two weeks as
Michelle?
How leaders handle these issues will make all of the difference between
success and failure of any diversity training initiative.
On top of avoiding these common pitfalls, individuals responsible for the
training must consider how it will be communicated to the organization, what
goals will be established by what timeframes, and how progress will be
measured. In other words, the training must be deliberate and strategic.
About the Author:
Jarik Conrad is the author of the newly released book, "The Fragile Mind,"
which explores emotional intelligence, the complexity of race relations and
the causes of urban violence. As president of Conrad Consulting Group, LLC,
Jarik Conrad helps leaders solve human relations challenges. He has more
than 15 years in business leadership in various industries including
financial services and transportation. He earned his Ed.D. from the
University of North Florida, dual master's degrees from Cornell University
and his BA from the University of Illinois. For more information, visit
www.ConradConsultingGroup.com.
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| © Copyright 2008/Exchange Morning Post/Exchange Business Communications Inc. |
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