Case study OB what diversity training teach us

Summary Two views about diversity training have been discussed . Researchers have provided evidence that diversity training programs may not be delivering expected outcomes unless old mindset and attitudes towards surface level diversity are changed. Some significant changes In the ways diversity trainers conceptualize their role may be emphasizing on working relationships within organization rather than women and minorities issues.

Early diversity training efforts focused primarily on legal compliance and the regulatory framework. This may have created an attitude that diversity was a problem to be solved and avoided when possible, rather than an opportunity to prosper and provide multivariate experiences. Questions: 1. Do you think representation In top management Is a fair Indicator of the effects of diversity training program? Why or why not? Yes, Representation In top management is a fair indicator of the effects of diversity training program.

Implementations of diversity programs are truly helpful in improving representation in top management.

It gives chance to underrepresented minorities and women to hold management sections and signify themselves. We have number of examples in Pakistan which may be result of awareness or education and may not be due to formal diversity training. Mall objective of a successful diversity training program Is to produce a positive working environment to employees by helping them to understand and be sensitive among the difference between co-workers.

Diversity training programs must focus on the ability to increase awareness, impart knowledge and educate employees further on how to accept differences among fellow employees and believe in harmonious relationships. 2. Why might one-shot diversity training programs be ineffective? Diversity training program targets cannot be achieved In one-shot orientation and acquaintance.

It must be done In a regular basis to keep employees reminded how Important Is diversity training and the core values It teaches.

It also true to the fact that as the organization’s workforce expand, it is most like that its environment become more complex and diverse that’s why a well planned diversity training program must be carried out regularly. Diversity training program must educate employees how to realize and cope up into a diverse workplace, and encourages the entire organization to look at the diverse workplace Is an opportunity to grow. A diversity training program can be a success If It meets Its objectives to produce a harmonious and positive working environment in employees within the organization. 3.

What significant obstacles must be overcome to make diversity programs effective? There are several factors crucial for a diversity training program to succeed in the twenty-first century. The most Important factor deals with obtaining top-level learners support Trot ten organization. For a Loveliest program to succeed, It squires the enthusiastic support and involvement of the superintendent and top administrators, who must clearly enunciate the importance of diversity as a business value and goal. The diversity program needs to be tied in directly with the mission and objectives of the school district.

If the training program fails to stay in line with the important values of the organization, employees will lose interest and become non-responsive to changing their behavior following training.

The organization needs to research and conduct an adequate needs assessment to insure the training trial coincides with current diversity issues within the organization. Failure to keep abreast of the major diversity issues in the organization will cause employees to lose faith in the overall purpose of the diversity training program.

Taking the time to appreciate the diversity of each employee in an organization will help produce a confident and committed workforce. Diversity training programs often fail due to many out of several reasons given below: Diversity programs are viewed by the organization as the latest human resource trend or because an outside agency commends that they implement a diversity program. Many organizations fail to implement diversity programs that are custom made for their needs.

Buy-in from employees will fail to take place unless an internal consultant who is familiar with the organization initially implements the program.

When employees feel the material is not relevant to their Job, many employees will simply see the training program as a waste of time. Diversity programs fall short when organizations simply provide training, but fail to provide the resources needed to implement changes. For diversity raining programs to be more successful in the future, an action plan needs to be formulated instead of Just a scatters approach to diversity training.

Diversity Training Resistance includes: Different people will see different meanings in the proposed changes. Resistance can be expected when employees in supervisory positions are caught between strong forces pushing them to make changes and strong opposing forces pulling them to maintain the status quo. Resistance can be expected to increase to the degree that employees influenced by the changes have pressure put on them to change and it ill decrease to the degree that they are actually involved in planning the diversity initiatives.

Resistance can be expected if the changes are made on personal grounds rather than impersonal requirements or sanctions. Resistance can be expected if the changes ignore the organizational culture. Resistance to diversity initiatives can be expected if the changes are not clear to the employees. The above mentioned reasons why a diversity training program fails are few of the many major significant obstacles that a program must overcome in order to become successful an effective. 4.

How could you design more effective diversity programs? Developing a diversity training program for organization typically involves assessing team’s needs, designing materials that reflect training requirements, delivering workshops and reference materials and evaluating efforts.

Step 1 Initiate a diversity training program where Common topics include managing change, effective communication, cultural awareness, dealing with gender issues and conflict resolution. Step 2 Denned adjectives Tort ten program.

Canceling tense adjectives needles you to manage a culturally diverse and multi-generational workforce and resolve minor incidents before they become bigger problems. Step 3 Design the workshop. Prepare presentation materials to instruct participants about definitions and concepts associated with diversity.

Ensure your content flows smoothly and covers all the relevant topics Step 4 Decide how long your session should last, depending on the number of topics you want to cover, the number of participants and the participant’s familiarity with the content.

Avoid dividing people into categories, as this tends to reinforce the idea of the exclusion, rather than promoting inclusion. Focus more on developing good communication. Step 5 Create a quiz to test employees on their knowledge of diversity topics. Step 6 Evaluate program’s effectiveness by creating an online survey to assess participant satisfaction.

Conclusion An effective diversity program should be based on two main approaches.

First, Awareness-Based Diversity Training where the program aims to spread awareness on diversity issues, it is design to increase employee’s knowledge and sensitivity to diversity related issues. The main objectives of awareness-based training are to provide information about diversity, heighten awareness and sensitivity through uncovering hidden assumptions and biases, assess attitudes and values, correct myths and stereotypes, and foster individual and group sharing However Awareness- Based Diversity Training alone is not enough and it cannot change behavior, thus there is a need to develop skills as well.

Secondly, Skill-Based Diversity Training which tends to go beyond the regular approach on implementing diversity training, it does not only focus on diversity awareness and consciousness-raising; on the other hand it provides workers with a set of skills to enable them to deal effectively with workplace diversity.