By Linda F. Willing
Just My E-pinion
Today’s guest columnist says that diversity training is not the same as harassment training, and it shouldn’t focus on the dire outcome of lawsuits.
I recently did a presentation entitled “Leading Diverse Teams” as part of a large national conference. Following the session, one of the nearly 200 participants came up to speak with me at the podium. “I just want to tell you that this wasn’t anything like what I expected,” he said. “I expected to be nauseated. Diversity—the same old crap. I almost didn’t come. But I’m glad I did, because this was really great.”
I laughed and thanked him for his comments. I consider putting his accolade on my website: “Your workshop did not nauseate me!” But really, that’s some of the highest praise you can get when talking about the “D word” these days. Diversity. Why is it still so problematic? Why can’t people talk about it in ways that make sense?
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There are many good reasons why people hate diversity training. Among them is the fact it is often done so badly, and frequently with a much too narrow scope. The effect, if not the intention, is that some people in the audience feel that they are either being singled out or blamed.
I’ve never understood this approach to diversity training. Not only does it not do any good, but in many cases, the information conveyed isn’t even accurate. For example, diversity training that tries to generalize about how certain ethnic or sociological groups behave or think by definition ignores the diversity within those groups.
Appeal to People’s Better Nature
One of the reasons diversity training has gone astray over the years is that it is often lumped together with EEO training and, specifically, legal briefings on the subjects of harassment and discrimination. Telling a group about the dire outcomes of lawsuits is not the best way to get them in the mood to appreciate diversity. Of course, harassment and discrimination training needs to happen. It should be done in a way that is inclusive and that calls on people’s better nature and sense of professionalism, rather than just threatening them. But harassment training is not the same as diversity training.
Diversity goes far beyond the so-called protected classes identified in civil rights law. A discussion of diversity must speak to the myriad differences among all people, even those who look very much alike on the surface. It is these differences—based in cognition, beliefs, and experiences—that make groups and organizations strong. This kind of diversity allows groups to make better decisions and to think more creatively, and may provide protection against the dangers of “groupthink.”
Strength in Differences
People naturally gravitate to those who are more like themselves in experience and background, but we learn more from those who are different. For that learning to take place, a conversation must happen. People must interact; they must have a sense of commonality and ties that bind them together which supersede the differences among them. There must be a framework of respect and inclusion that allows people to really get to know one another, finding genuine connection in the deeper mission they share.
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Good diversity training is skill-based: that is, participants come away from it with much more than just a vague sense that diversity is a useful thing. Maybe the focus will be on effective communication among people with different personal styles, or maybe the training will provide essential conflict resolution skills. Maybe the session will give people the opportunity to recognize how values differences affect group decision making. No matter what the selected focus, diversity training should be practical and useful, not theoretical and preachy.
Practical skills, good leadership, and a fair and inclusive work environment are a powerful combination. For me, this is the essence of good diversity training—giving people the skills and the desire to recognize differences for what they are, and to reach beyond them for that common ground that unites us all.
That’s Linda F. Willing’s opinion. We’d like to hear yours, use the Share Your Comments link below.
Linda F. Willing is president of RealWorld Training & Consulting in Grand Lake, Colorado. www.rwtraining.com.