Introduction Diversity has been a hot-button topic for many of today’s companies. Diversity programming and initiatives are regularly implemented by organizations of all types and sizes. As it relates to an organization’s human resources operation, diversity will continue to be an ever-changing term as the work towards equitable treatment for all continues. Diversity issues permeate all aspects of organizational operations in the United States, which includes both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. However, this poses a unique problem for nonprofits, as they traditionally aim to reflect the people they serve. “The central tenet of the theory of representative bureaucracy is that passive representation, or the extent to which a bureaucracy employs people of diverse social backgrounds, leads to active representation or the pursuit of policies reflecting the interests and desires of those people” (Selden & Selden, 2001, p. 308). The goals of this review are to (1) define diversity training, (2) examine diversity’s evolution though the civil rights movement, and (3) explore the emergence of affirmative action and equal employment. What is Diversity Training? How is diversity training defined? “Diversity training is frequently referred to as training and education to raise awareness …show more content…
However, one of the movement’s most impactful leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is also well known for laying the groundwork for further change (Arnwine, 2007). King, in his many speeches, believed that, at some point in the future, equality would not be attained for just African-Americans, but also other populations seen as minorities. “Honoring his vision, large segments of society came together to promote legislation and initiatives designed to end discrimination and to strive for true inclusiveness. In this environment, affirmative action was born” (Arnwine, 2009, p.
Regardless of how diversity is defined, it is an issue that is sweeping the nation. By the 21st century, racial and ethnic minorities will constitute 25% of the U.S. population, affecting the makeup of the U.S. labor force (7). By the year 2000, women will constitute 47% of the total workforce and the average age of the workforce is expected to increase from 36 in 1986 to age 39 (7). If the corporate society does not address the issue by learning how to manage diversity, they will fail.
The case presents the powers of re-framing a decision within a large U.S. technology development and consulting firm to try and recognize the opportunities and challenges in an attempt to create a more diverse team. Equality and non-discrimination in a workplace are key ethical issues that should be addressed. Diversity consultant, Cecilia was hired to conduct a number of interviews between the senior and middle level managers. She interviewed senior manager, Jim about the demographics of his team (managers, salespeople, analyst) and his personal area of responsibility. He stated that his team mainly consisted of white males and the diversity consultant questioned why that was. Being questioned was what engaged him into the conversation, and responding, “I have tried over the years to encourage a more diverse workforce of young managers in my area.” He proceeds to say he hired a young African American male manager but let him go since he didn’t fare well in the firm. The central goal of this organization is to create development, diversity and to maximize human potential.
Mandatory diversity training is only as good as those who practice it. First, I would suggest Bedia to hire a diversity officer or committee as it is essential to implement policies and dispute resolution processes. Having a diversity officer or committee will help with accountability for diversity matters. An activity I would propose would be called, “face value.” In the article, “Diversity Training Games and Exercises,” face value is a non-verbal activity which requires a deck of cards. Essential, everyone will receive one card containing a low, medium, and high card. Participants will place the card on their forehead and are not allowed to look at their own card. Verbal signals are the only form of communication to treat each other based
The general line of reasoning is that if we learn to incorporate each other’s diverse traits and characteristics in the workplace, we can then use these differences to foster an innovative environment, which will give the company a competitive advantage over the competitors that do not accept workforce diversity. According to the Allied Academies International Conference, “Diversity is rapidly becoming a common practice among companies due to the increasing number of minorities entering the job market today. As these groups become more prevalent throughout companies, upper-level employees are facing numerous challenges when determining what changes must take place to create a positive working environment for everyone. Management is responsible for the development and implementation of effective policies directly relating to diversity to ensure the acceptance of minorities into the workplace and to aid in minorities’ success through equal opportunities and treatment.” (Marcia L. James, 2001, Academy for Studies in International Business Proceedings)
In this paper, the role of HR Manager is assumed at a company that has recently received complaints from employees about a lack of inclusion. An overview for a training program on diversity and inclusion for your organization's first line supervisors will be presented. In addition to a plan for the types of exercises, role-playing, or activities that will maintain participant interest and enhance the learning outcome in the body of the training plan. The utilization of both "Social Learning Theory" and "Adult Learning Theory" will be displayed in this training plan. Provide rationale for the activities and how they relate to the two learning theories. Lastly, I will discuss how this diversity training can modify employee
Diversity is about the recognition and valuing of difference in its broadest sense. It is about creating a working culture and practices that recognise, respect, value and harness difference for the benefit of the organisation and the individual (DH, 2003). This essay looks in particular the education and training of staff on diversity issues including the native British culture for overseas staff. It will identify practices and how it is being implemented in the form of training. It also looks at the cultural awareness of both locally and overseas trained nurses as well as the expectation of British nurses to overseas trained nurses. The education and training of staff on diversity issues will be explored throughout the essay and brought
Government and other corporations can make use of diversity training to all employees who deal widely with the with the public. Diversity training more than only recognizing that people come different social background. The major key factor in addressing diversity is by knowing that people have different ways of communication and this a result of varied social backgrounds for instance in some culture(Laurence 2016). It is wrong, or it is considered impolite to look at the politician direct into the eyes while addressing them, but in other culture it is opposite of the same situation. This clearly indicates that it’s very easy to misunderstand what a person was
In order to start a successful diversity training, we will have to begin with defining the concepts of diversity. The prerequisites associated with this would be to determine if the students know anything about the definition of diversity and to provide the definition to the participants. We will provide the definition of affirmative action, and inclusion. We will then provide the students with a timeline for the use of the terms diversity, affirmative action, and inclusion.
step 1. Employers must communicate clearly to their employees the expectations about appropriate workplace conduct, This should support the policies and values statement of the organization. all employees should be included in the diversity training process. This is so everyone knows, what is expected of them and how they act.
4. Describe why you feel it would or would not be necessary to have every employee in an organization go through some sort of diversity training. What would you hope the employees take away from the training? (20 points)
Future trends for a diverse society will become more evident. As a result, the workforce and to a greater extent, the marketplace must increase diversity. Globalization of corporations begat a global economy increasing the marketplace, and enlarging a diverse workforce. The reality is diversity will become less of a social issue and more of a business concern linked to competitive strategies. Upper management will become more involved in diversity issues because diverse workforce needs to be better utilized in order to remain competitive. Diversity training will be integrated into other types of training. Corporations will continue to explore demographic changes in our society and link them more closely to global changes.
Our reader for this class does a great job in describing the benefits of diversity management and I do agree with all of it. Diversity is the way for the future, in business, community, education, and for national or federal social events. But our reader also describes the problems that are common and current within the business environment upon adapting, or should I say, implementing this agenda. For many people, the word “diversity” has taken on a different meaning, it has become a descriptive for “those others that are not white males.”
Diversity may be defined as recognizing and respecting the similarities, differences and unique characteristics an individual employee contributes to the workplace. Diversity training and its effectiveness in the workplace has been met with differing conclusions as to the positive or negative impact this type of training may have on an organization. Today, change in the workplace is inevitable and diversity training in the workplace has become common across the globe. Companies now realize that the need for diversity training has increased tremendously and that if diversity is not valued in the workplace, cost and productivity may be negatively impacted. In 2010, researchers found that minorities made up half of the new employees hired
High quality diversity awareness training is one HR function that enhances the effective integration of diverse group members. Awareness training builds a common under- standing of the value of diversity, assisting in building social cohesion so that it improves individual and organizational outcomes. Rynes and Rosen (1995) found in their study that 75% of trainees who took diversity training, left the training with positive diversity attitudes, while only 9% of trainees actually entered with favourable attitudes. Sixty eight per cent of employees were sceptical prior to training, whereas only 7% reported scepticism after training. Roberson, Kulik and Pepper (2003) recommended that companies must clarify training
While the business case for highly developed and well maintained diversity programs has been documented by countless sources, a fully functional, equitable diversity management program comes with challenges. While there is a certain value in assimilation into a company, it can be difficult to fully get all employees on board when they come from different demographic groups due to the different life experiences they have had. With total assimilation into a standard norm of behaviors and expectations, there is also the possibility for loss of the expression of different perspectives when there is an expectation that all should share the same values, thought patterns and frames of