Diversity Training - Research Paper Example

Diversity Training Name Institution Date of Submission Abbreviations AA- Affirmative Action NCRVE- National Centre for Research in Vocational Education NGT- National Grid Transco SIETAR- Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research Introduction This research paper is about a detailed analysis of ‘Diversity Training’. It involves a clear understanding of the background of Diversity Training, its significance in organizations as well as the challenges that organizations face in the implementation of the same. A case study of an organization will be employed in furtherance of the understanding of ‘Diversity Training’; after which a concluding summation will be provided. Definition of Diversity Training Organizations have different perspectives of defining diversity training. Many times, organizations define diversity training based on their individual understanding of diversity concept. From a broader point of view, NCRVE (2005) attests, “diversity training is raising personal awareness about individual differences in the workplace and how those differences inhibit or enhance the way people work together and get work done.” From the narrowest perspective, it entails compliance education on matters such as sexual harassment, equal opportunity in the employment sector as well as affirmative action. Diversity training is critical in determining whether a company is in a position to achieve its goals based on diversity. It lays the ground for employees and employers to work in a diverse environment. It is empirically proven that training lays the ground for minimizing disruptions related to workforce diversity increases (Thomas, 2008). History of Diversity Training In the US, Diversity Training concept has its roots in the Executive Order 8802 in 1941. This is the period in which president Roosevelt contained discrimination based on race and dealt with equality in employee recruitment in agencies of the government as well as defence industries. This laid the ground for the prohibition of discriminatory practices. Seven years later, President Truman passed another Executive Order 9981 which required equal treatment and opportunity for everyone in the services of the army. Awareness of diversity issues across cou tries was then propelled by the civil rights movement in 1960. It required racial equality for women and minority groups in all societal sectors. The Civil Rights Act was then passed in 1964. The US Peace Corps was one of the organizations to deal with cultural training in the 1960s. It adopted a model on cultural training in training its members. Organizations started addressing issues of diversity in the 1970s like SIETAR. Trainings which addressed issues of interracial were designed and enforced. The major training in the 1970s was concerned with sensitivity on human relations model. Individuals’ own prejudices, beliefs and value system were examined. This created strained and soar relations between soldiers making them highly resistant to learn. In the 1980s, organizations were booming and so was diversity training. Organizations were needed to post their workers and family members in foreign countries for further training on different backgrounds of culture. At this time foreign nations and global business were centrality of diversity training. The workforce of the US then diversified between 1980s and 1990s increasing the need for diversity training. Demographic alterations and stiff competition convinced business leaders that employing diversity training was a more strategic aspect for organizations. The 1990s period entailed the development of some sort of program in myriads of the US biggest organizations which addressed diversity of workforce, or it was in its preliminary phases (Douglas, 2007). From a broader point of view, NCRVE attests, “diversity training is raising personal awareness about individual differences in the workplace and how those differences inhibit or enhance the way people work together and get work done.” From the narrowest perspective, it is compliance education based on equality on employment opportunity, Affirmative Action as well as sexual harassment. Training can be crucial in determining whether a company would achieve its goals based on diversity. It influences the ability of employees and employers to work in a diverse environment. The Value of Diversity Training to a Hospitality/Tourism Organization Douglas, (2007) contends that with changes in demographic patterns, efforts of diversity can enhance a company’s productivity competitiveness, market share and general productivity. Organizations have now realized that it is crucial to employ diversity training to attract, sustain and promote a larger spectrum of individuals to stay ahead of their competitors and keep their businesses going. Tourism or hospitality organizations are not an exception. To stay right ahead in the competitive forces, managers find themselves responsible for the performance of their employees. To keep their performance in check, they need to comprehend that diversity influences how people contribute to the organization’s overall performance; and this is achieved through diversity training initiatives. Moreover, diversity training helps the tourism personnel in their professional experience in the understanding of people’s various cultures, ethnic backgrounds and races. Besides, it is through this that the organization would be able to increase exchanges based on culture and which would ultimately increase global tourism. Besides, hospitality companies would be able to eliminate barriers to equality in opportunities in the employment aspects from hiring, recruitment, promotion, retention to developing professionals. Also, team performance and culture in the workplace would be enhanced through the training by assisting managers and workers overcome strongly-held misconceptions and stereotypes. Only then would such organizations be more accepting and welcoming to clients increasing their overall business performance and productivity (Penguin, 2011). A Case Study: Diversity Training Clements and Jones argue that National Grid Transco (NGT) is addressing some of its business challenges through diversity training; employing diversity strategy and inclusion ways. This organization was established in 2002 after the National Grid and Lattice merger. It is the biggest utility organization in the UK. It produces a profit of 2.2 billion pound sterling with a staff of 24,500 in the year 2004. It delivers electricity to about 3.3 million clients and gas to 560,000 clients in the US. It accedes to corporate government responsibilities and some of the committees it has established include: finance, executive, audit, remuneration as well as risk and responsibility. All of these directly report to the Board. NGT, based on policy framework, commits itself to: Creating a working arena that lacks intimidation, harassment, or bullying. Being an employer that embraces equal opportunities eliminating discrimination and embracing diversity based on nationality, race, gender, age, sexual orientation, colour, religion, race, status, social origin, disability among other status not related to a person’s ability to work. Important consultation with representatives of employees as well as the employees themselves. Developing recognition schemes and reward which will allow the businesses of NGT to recruit sustain and motivate its workers in relation to the market they operate in. In relation to balancing gender, the sector of utility and energy is dominated largely by male workforce. Male workers make about 74% of the total workforce and 54% in the economy of UK. This figure predicted the fall of employees in the following years. In relation to ethnicity, there is little data regarding the proportion of personal ethnic minorities hired in the sector of utility. However, information records that the White ethnicity dominates the workforce. Interestingly, in the water and gas sector, 20% of the staff is from minority ethnic backgrounds (Clements and Jones, 2008). The diverse training initiative is very much in its preliminary stages in NGT Company. Besides, the organization is experiencing several challenges that impede the implementations of any strategies it aims to achieve. Also, the enforcement of such initiatives and programs need stringent support from the top management. In relation to this, it is crucial that Group Director be involved. Aside from that, the employees at all organizational levels should be equally involved in the training initiative. They should understand the purpose of the training initiative and identify the likely influences of the programme to their personal responsibilities and roles. Through establishing the case of the business of valuing diversity and people via inclusion and by stating coherently what the initiative entails, the company is likely to gain the support of its employees on the initiative. All staff needs to understand the positive results of such training initiatives and how they would impact of the organizational success and operational practices (Clements and Jones, 2008). The organization is at an advantage since it gets support from the Board level. Moreover, it employs diverse training programme in meeting its bigger strategic aims or goals. NGT’s strategy seems to be an integral characteristic of a larger corporate strategy entailing profitability, business growth, and company’s responsiveness in a dynamic competitive market (Clements and Jones, 2008). Evaluation Strategies for Evaluating Diversity Training Success According to NCRVE (2005), there are several reasons for the evaluation of the effectiveness and impact of diversity training initiatives. Firstly, this is needed in order to measure the scope and nature of investment return in relation to the benefits and costs incurred in the diverse training. Secondly, is to put the before and after situations under comparison, to find out if the objectives of the training were a success. NCRVE (2005) states that evaluation is significant for the persons trained in feedback giving of their achievements. It is also important for the trainers since it enables them identify with their strengths and weaknesses when it comes to the training design; which could be used for project appraisals. It is important that outcomes of diversity training be emphasized on, since if they are unmeasured, there is a possibility that good intended efforts of diversity could results in the organization’s costs based on money and time and at the same time not create any important long-term change. The reasonable attributes to consider when evaluating diversity training of an organization is potential negative or neutral results as well as cost (NCRVE, 2005). Additionally, an organization’s success in the diverse training can be measured based on the weaknesses and strengths of a program as well as its impacts. If there is no information on the same, delivery and content are likely not to be improved. Another important concept is conduction of formative evaluations. If this is not employed during the training, it is likely that the organization failed in the ultimate success. Formative evaluations enhance the ongoing training. They also determine summative evaluations. The way to this is to have trainees undertake on-the work evaluation or a post-training to figure out if the transfer has taken place (Wildermuth, 2005). Why Organizations Do Not Use Diversity Training Diversity training is not utilized by many organizations because of the cultural perspective of those companies and the nature of those trainings themselves. NCRVE (2005) posits that many organizations face myriads of challenges with the employment of diversity training. Some companies have shown doubts about the effectiveness of diversity training. Some believe that these programs are coercive in nature such that they intimidate males from white ethnicity into acceding to AA. They posit that diversity training entails ‘brainwashing’ and that they offer unreasonable window dressing without giving out the real results or change (Wildermuth, 2005). Moreover, many companies consider diversity training time-consuming. It downsizes their work schedule and keeps them under the pressure of competing issues. Some companies have employees who are resistant to change. This may be as a result of fear. Such programs result in changes in the attitudes and behaviours of people in an organization. Some of the employees and managers have strong convictions on their own beliefs and attitudes and any alterations would result in resistance of diversity training. They thus resort in maintenance of their status quo (NCRVE, 2005). Some companies consider trainers of Diversity Training unqualified and this can be a threat to their workplaces. Besides, most of the times, such trainings have negative impressions by organizations. For instance: companies get the impression that trainers are commonly members of ethnic minorities or women; the trainers emphasize more on white managers, the training programs are in association with a certain set of values not coinciding with the values of the company in question; the programs are mostly driven by guilt, some trainers focus more on the manner in which ideas are communicated rather than the intended objective; as well as the program-orientation is past and future-centred and not contemporary-based. All these factors may inhibit an organization from employing diversity training. Thus, it is recommended that diversity trainings be carefully planned considering the likely obstacles that would result in its failure (NCRVE, 2005). Conclusion In sum, it is clear that much work has been written concerning the importance and use of diversity training in organizations. In as much as strong arguments posit that it is crucial for companies to have diversity training, many organizations do not accept it socially. In fact, it is looked upon as a strategic business aim intended to make companies more competitive in the dynamic business world. The fundamental role of the training is to increase the organization’s overall performance as well as its effectiveness. Thus, managers should be concerned with the implementation of diverse training despite the fact that it is controversial when it comes to its impact on the behaviour of employees. Besides, should we be ignorant of discrimination at workplace based on race, religion and background just because we are uncertain of the real effects of diversity training? Should we let organizations and businesses be dominated by the majority insensitive of the rest of the population? References Clements, P. and Jones, J. (2008). The Diversity Training Handbook: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Changing Attitudes, Edition 3. London: Kogan Page Publishers. Douglas, B. (2007). The Impact of Diversity Training in Organizations: A Systematic Review Using a Meta-analysis Methodology from 1991-2006. Ann Arbor: ProQuest. NCRV (2005). Diversity Training. Retrieved 6th September 2014 from http://ncrve.berkeley.edu/abstracts/MDS-934/MDS-934-DIVERSIT-2.html Penguin Staff (2011). Ways Your Hospitality Organization can Promote Diversity. Retrieved 6th September 2014 from http://www.penguinstaff.com/2011/11/ways-your-hospitality- organization-can-promote-diversity/ Thomas, C (2008). An Analysis of the Effects of Diversity Training on Employment Practices. Ann Arbor: ProQuest. Wildermuth, C (2005). Diversity Training. Alexandria: American Society for Training and Development. Read More