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News
| QUESTIONS FOR THE HR EXPERT COLUMN BY KATHARINE ESTY |
| 06/11/2007 |
Q. How many dollars are spent each year on diversity training each year?
A. Too many! This is the conclusion of a recent new study by researchers Frank Dobbin, Alexandra Kalev and Erin Kelly of Harvard, University of California and University of Minnesota. They found that diversity training had little effect on the diversity mix in organizations and did nothing to increase the numbers of people of color and women in the ranks of management.
Certainly diversity training is costly. Most companies today have trained their employees in diversity, some many times over the last fifteen years. The cost of diversity training for large companies often totals over a million dollars. Fees for two trainers to facilitate a one day diversity program usually run between two and five thousand dollars.
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As a diversity consultant in the Boston area for the last twenty years, I would take issue with the conclusions of the research study. First of all, the purpose of diversity training is usually not to increase the numbers or diverse managers or to create a more diverse workforce. The main objectives of the hundreds of diversity trainings that I have facilitated are to increase awareness and develop new skills. For examples here are some of the common objectives for diversity trainings.
• To increase awareness of my own cultural lens
• To learn about a model of diversity
• To increase my skills in working effectively in a diverse team
• To increase my skills in cross-cultural communication
• To learn more about the dynamics of inclusion
• To understand how I as an individual can help support diversity in my organization.
And while a single day can’t undo decades of socialization, it can begin to provide information to challenge stereotyping. It can teach important communication skills. It can provide employees with increased understanding of how to address the dilemmas they face everyday in the workforce. I do believe, however, that diversity training is only one part of a well-conceived diversity plan and it is not necessarily the place to begin. Finally, it is clearly not the most cost effective intervention.
Q. What do you believe are the most effective interventions that an organization can undertake to create an inclusive work culture and where would you put diversity training in your ranking?
From my twenty years working in the diversity field, here is how I would the rank the effectiveness of various kinds of interventions. All of them need support and resources from the top to have any chance of success.
Most effective - in order of effectiveness
1. An accountability mechanism for managers for diversity and inclusion. This can be part of the rationale for their bonus or part of their yearly goals as part of the performance management system. When it is utilized, it works like magic.
2. Dedicated staff. Most large companies have a Director of Diversity today who may report to the CEO or the head of HR. Having a person and an office gives focus and momentum to diversity efforts.
3. A Diversity Council. It works to have a group of 12 to 20 who meet over time. This is a low cost option that provides the focus and momentum that the diversity staff can bring. With good leadership within their ranks and support from the top, they can produce amazing results.
4. Developing the business case for diversity. Once employees are convinced of the financial rationale for supporting diversity for their organization, they swing into action.
5. Diversity training. This remains a way to change an entire system. Training is particularly effective when the focus is on skills.
6. Mentoring programs. Working one on one to support the development of promising managers who are people of color, women or people from another culture can be an effective way to level the playing field. It is, however, difficult to develop a process and structure that really works.
My biggest failures, by the way, have been a mentoring program which was ravaged by the demands of the day that the managers/ participants confronted. Meeting after meeting was cancelled. The other failure was a large scale diversity assessment where there was no follow up and the results were never even distributed to the organization because of internal politics.
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