Estimated in 2003 to be an $ 8 billion industry, diversity training is now included in most learning and development course lineups. But still not without its controversy, naysayers conclude that diversity training does not work, at least not in improving the profile of visible diversity in managerial ranks.

In a paper published in the American Sociological Review in 2007, Frank Dobbin, professor of sociology in Harvard University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Alexandra Kalev of the University of California, Berkeley, and Erin Kelly of the University of Minnesota concluded that training did not lead to increased representation of women and minorities in leadership positions. However, their study concluded that assigning accountability for diversity, mentoring and establishing employee network groups were more effective in changing the makeup of the managerial workforce.  The authors’ maintained that the only truly effective way to increase the presence of minorities and women in managerial positions is through programs that create organizational responsibility.

I would agree that diversity training as a stand- alone activity will likely not accomplish the goals of any diversity program.  However, I would also assert that training, when well conceived and effectively delivered can influence attitudes and behaviors and be a positive factor in success.

The Winters Group philosophy is to educate rather than train. Training efforts are typically designed as one-time events with a focus on tolerance and sensitivity and perhaps a small amount of skill building. Whether the training is for one day or one week, a single event is not likely to yield the desired result. There are a myriad of controversial subjects that can only get surface coverage. Without opportunity to fully examine one’s own beliefs and values, and then have the opportunity to apply, practice, and internalize the concepts through the trial and error of triple loop reflective learning, little sustained change will occur. Once the training event is over, employees go back to their work environments either positively or negatively charged, with incomplete knowledge and little understanding about what will be different. Soon it’s business as usual and the diversity training becomes a vague memory.

As one possible way to understand why diversity training may fall short of the desired outcomes, consider Robert Hargrove’s (1995) concept “triple-loop” learning.  Based on original work by Chris Argyris and Donald Schön (1974), in the context of coaching, Hargrove distinguishes between single-, double- and triple-loop learning. Single-loop or incremental learning encourages skill development; double-loop learning has the goal of reshaping patterns of thinking; and triple-loop or transformational learning creates a fundamental change in perspective and self-awareness. Hargrove contends that much corporate learning is focused at the single loop level.

Diversity training that has the objective of shifting perspective from a more mono-cultural to an intercultural view of the world is more likely to achieve the desired objectives.

More and more I see diversity training being focused on building skills and competencies that enable learners not only to value differences but also to be able to utilize them in making better business decisions. There is consistent agreement among practitioners that ongoing learning is necessary to become diversity competent. Therefore the type of training curricula that are being developed today by many companies with comprehensive diversity strategies are fundamentally more robust than the  initiatives of the previous eras. They include more course offerings (e.g. separate classes on gender, sexual orientation, managing multiple generations, intercultural communication) and various types of learning modalities (e.g. e-learning, learning labs, learning communities, and intact work group sessions).

Positioning diversity as a competency has created another major paradigm shift; the assumption is no longer that only certain groups need training (e.g. white men or minorities), but rather that all employees need to be more cross-culturally competent in an increasingly global world. It is just as important for an African American male to learn more about his Chinese co-worker or vice versa.

Some key  premises underlying the new paradigms for diversity learning reflect double and triple loop learning and include the ideas that:

• Diversity learning should be integrated, ongoing, relevant, applicable, and based on solid needs assessment.
• Diversity is a competency and as such the learning should be based on building blocks that start with elementary concepts and move on to increasingly more difficult material.
• Diversity learning should not just happen in the classroom but rather should be integrated into other business processes and activities.

Most forward thinking organizations realize that there can be tangible benefits from leveraging differences such as increased productivity, engagement and innovation. Effective educational interventions are an integral part of a compendium of initiatives that lead to culturally competent, high performing, and profitable organizations.

Mary-Frances Winters is founder and CEO of The Winters Group, a 25 year old diversity and organizational development consulting firm headquartered in the Washington, DC area. She is the author of three books, including Only Wet Babies Like Change: Workplace Wisdom for Baby Boomers, Inclusion Starts With I, and CEO’s Who Get It: Diversity Leadership From the Heart and Soul.www.wintersgroup.com