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December 11, 2009 Dear Colleagues, On behalf of Dr. Shirley Davis and ourselves, it was a pleasure to have you join us for Dr. Mary-Frances Winters’ December 8 webinar, “Diversity Training: Does It Work?” Thank you for being part of a very lively discussion and for providing feedback on the event. We are making additional copies of the presentation slides and several articles written or co-written by Dr. Winters in the light blue box to the right. If you purchased a recording of Dr. Winters’ presentation as a stand alone item or in addition to attending the live event, you’ll access it by following the instructions already send to you by our technology partner, KRM Information Services. If you don’t yet have your codes, contact us and we will set you up to enter the session through the slide image in the same blue column. Dr. Winters, a pioneering thought-leader in the field of diversity, began her presentation with a long-term perspective. Over the past 25 years, she stated, there has been a tremendous amount of discussion and activity in the realm of diversity training. Some of that conversation and some of those results have been very positive, some not. Under what circumstances, Dr. Winters then asked, has diversity training been effective, and when has it not been effective? Using many spot poll questions, Dr. Winters engaged with the audience to illuminate where participating organizations are “at” with respect to diversity. We review those numbers below:
Over the past 40 years, diversity discussions have evolved. From 1964 to 1968, diversity was primarily concerned with Compliance and Regulations. From 1989 to 1995, the conversation and the training revolved around Sensitivity. From 1996 to the present, the forward-thinking organizations have been focused on the Business Case argument. Going forward, Dr. Winters sees the diversity discussion increasingly centering around Sustainability. To clarify her terms, Dr. Winters began with definitions of diversity and inclusion. Organizational diversity, according to Dr. Winters, is the collective mixture of the workforce, and includes both visible (such as race and gender) and invisible (such as sexual orientation and work experience) characteristics. Everyone in an organization can feel part of the diversity discussion through such a definition since everyone, because of their background, thought processes, experiences and visible characteristics is different or diverse. Diversity does not have to be created, in other words, it is inherently part of any group or organization. The challenge, however, is to make that mix work better, Dr. Winters’ expanded definition of diversity is critical for driving inclusion at organizations which she defines as the ability to leverage workforce differences for better business outcomes. There are three fundamental reasons why this diversity / inclusion conversation is becoming more imperative. First, we have increasing diversity in our workforce. As the traditional labor pool shrinks, the new pool is becoming increasingly diverse because of the entry of more women and immigrants. As a result, the workplace (which is essentially organizational culture) is becoming increasingly diverse. Dr. Winters paused to ask participants whether their organizational culture allowed employees to feel included, respected for their input, etc. Inclusion can be measured indirectly through such indicators as engagement, productivity, and innovation. And finally, the marketplace is becoming more diverse, too. Customers come from diverse backgrounds, have increasingly diverse needs for different goods and services, and the marketplace is increasingly global. All three factors are making diversity competence critical for today’s organizations. Achieving diversity and inclusion goals requires “intercultural competence.” Dr. Winters next pointed out the critical importance of connecting diversity training to the organization’s overall strategy. This is done first by aligning diversity training to the organization’s vision and mission; then by enrolling the leadership fully in terms of being advocates for the diversity strategy who are also models of accountability; then by going beyond training, which builds skills, to education, which can actually change mindsets and behaviors. Dr. Winters ended her presentation by describing the pathway organizations can take for achieving their diversity and inclusion goals and how diversity training can be integrated into business processes and strategy. It was a lively and illuminating presentation, and Dr. Shirley Davis fielded many questions from the audience. We’d like to encourage you, if you have more questions or discussion points that you’d like to raise, to do so using the comments feature below where we will continue the dialogue. A copy of Dr. Winters’ book, Inclusion Starts With I: Eight Steps to Inclusiveness – The Personal Journey will be mailed to each registration site shortly. While you wait, we invite you to access Dr. Winters’ blog posts and her and her website for additional research. On behalf of Dr. Mary-Frances Winters and Dr. Shirley Davis, we thank you again for joining us, and look forward to the next occasion. Warm Regards, |
On Demand Recording:
Click the Slide Above to Launch the Presentation Duration: 01:26:20 Please note: if you did not sign up for the recording access but did attend the live session, contact Tad Furtado at (800) 348-3470or via email to learn more about gaining access. Resources: Download the presentation handout packet here, which includes the session slides as well as these three articles:
Read Dr. Winters’ blog posts. |
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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 corporate world cannot fix the pipeline problem alone. It is complex and will take the collaborative efforts of educators, government, not for profits and most importantly parents. Corporations employ parents. Parents have the most direct influence on their children’s lives and today many parents spend more time at work than they do at home. Combined weekly work hours for dual-earning couples with children rose 10 hours per week, from 81 hours in 1977 to 91 hours in 2002, according to a study by the New York-based Families and Work Institute. Bill Gates was on The Oprah Winfrey Show a couple of years ago and said that if we do not do something about public education, The US will soon lose its status as a world power.
Without spirit, we are empty vessels, sapped of our innate power and genius. Workers, especially leaders need to reconnect to the excellence within, to rediscover their true calling and the special gifts they can offer the workplace and the universe. My personal journey has taught me we have more power than we think, more choices than we can imagine. When we open our souls to the universe, new energies and capabilities spill forth.
I conjecture that there would be at least five major glaring observations: 1. We are opinionated and sharply divided in our opinions. 2. We operate in absolutisms: “us and them”, “win and lose”. 3. We “fight” in an almost child-like manner with no widely accepted rules of engagement. 4. Winning (almost at any cost) is all that matters. 5. We are in denial about the role and impact of race in our culture. I would be the first to advocate for different opinions. After all I am a diversity consultant and that is an important element of our thesis. Diversity of thought enhances a group’s ability solve problems, think creatively and be more innovative. In his book, The Difference, Scott Page, shows example after example |
  
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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.
Even in the midst of a recession, there are shortages in such jobs as engineering, healthcare, and information technology. The Employment Policy Foundation estimates that 80 percent of the impending labor shortage will involve skills, not numbers of workers. Obviously, the pipeline issue is serious.
Workers have been on a roller-coaster ride for more than two decades as organizations have downsized, outsourced, reengineered, delayered, divested and otherwise transformed. These monumental changes have left workers frustrated, angry, and dispirited.
If someone from another planet dropped in and listened to any of our numerous news sources over the past several months, what clues about our culture might he/she take away?
