Diversity Training Program

Diversity Training Program

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Diversity Training Program

The technological and economic advancements in the 21st century have globalized business through ease of communication and transportation. These have turned the world into a small village where individuals of different backgrounds, cultures, personalities, attitudes, nationalities, religion and beliefs, to work together in various environments. There is need to embrace diversity to facilitate healthy relationships and achievement of organizational goals and objectives in such environments. Diversity training is described as a process which aims at raising personal awareness about individual differences and changes in the place of work and how those differences affect the way people work together to achieve set goals and objectives. A diversity-training program would be beneficial to enable first line supervisors in the company to appreciate diversity and promote employee inclusion.

The training program will focus on the need for employee inclusion in the organization. It will be a mainly awareness-based type and will target first line supervisors in the organization. Skill based type of diversity training will be blended in a little to improve the outcome of the training. The training content will focus mainly on race, gender and stereotypes with a brief exploration of other diversity issues. The aim of the training will be to increase awareness of diversity issues and reveal unexamined assumptions and tendencies to stereotype by the first line supervisors. The training will increase sensitivity and awareness by unearthing hidden assumptions and biases, correcting myths and stereotypes, assessing attitudes and values and enhancing individual and group sharing.

Skills based training will provide the supervisors with a set of skills to deal with diversity in the workplace, and to effect change in job performance. The skills include empowering, coaching, monitoring and giving feedback to a diverse workforce. In addition to these, the supervisors will gain other skills during the training including, mentoring, delegating and conflict resolution. This will be a mainly cognitive learning process. This type of training aims at improving job efficiency among these first line supervisors.

Trainers for the program will come from outside the company and will include consultants with experience of both cross-cultural and multicultural training. This is because external consultants will receive more respect and cooperation among the trainees. The trainers will be knowledgeable in the subject of employee inclusion, and the methods necessary to eliminate conflict and reduce resistance. There will be utilization of various methods to deliver the training program. These include videos, handouts, audiotapes, lectures, case studies, games and participative exercises such as discussions, simulations, experiential exercises and role-playing. Discussions on the issues in diversity in the workplace, role-play where scenarios are enacted using a ‘what if’ situation, and experiential exercises are likely to increase trainee participation. These methods will enhance trainee participation and facilitate interaction between the trainers and trainees, to enhance the outcome of the training plan.

Diversity training can modify employee morale, improve workforce inclusion and enhance managerial success in various ways. Diversity training equips supervisors with the right skills for mentoring and coaching, and overcome stereotypes and diversity issues. This promotes employee inclusion and as a result, employees become motivated and get the morale to work. Diversity training facilitates workforce inclusion since the supervisors learn to appreciate diversity and to overcome the barriers to employee inclusion that diversity brings with it including race, gender, stereotypes, attitudes and bias. Managerial success earned through diversity training includes ability of managers to provide suitable job assignments, and proper employee evaluation, without the bias associated with diversity. There is also improvement in recruitment and promotion policies. Due to resultant employee inclusion and motivation, the organization realizes better output and increased ideas for innovation.

References

Carnevale, A. P., & Stone , S. C. (1994). Diversity Beyond the Golden Rule. Training & Development, 49(10), 22-39.

Thibeaux, S., Tillotson, G., Falls, T., & Bell, R. L. (2006). Imposition of Diversity: The Imposition of Diversity-Training Through Top Down Management Communication. Journal of Diversity Management, 1(2).

Wheeler, M. L. (1994). Diversity Training. The Conference Board, New York.