[nfbwatlk] Mandatory and most Diversity Training Ineffective, Washington Post, 1/20/08

Thu Feb 7 17:17:17 CST 2008

I agree completely with the article below. Frankly, I find most 
diversity training to be a great waste of time! I know for a fact that 
EEO and diversity coordinators around my building rather hold their 
breaths when they mandate me to go to one of these classes since I tend 
to try to debunk all the stuff and nonsense that often goes on in them 
much to the discomfort of the facilitators.

I *have* been to some excellent classes. But these usually concentrated 
upon imparting specific HR skills rather than upon trying to change the 
outlook of employees per se.

Mike

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Nightingale, Noel
  To: nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org
  Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2008 10:29 AM
  Subject: [nfbwatlk] Mandatory and most Diversity Training 
Ineffective,Washington Post, 1/20/08

  Following up on my post about the unintended consequences of the ADA,
  this seems appropriate to generate more discussion on a related topic:
  diversity training.

  > Link:
  > 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/19/AR2008
  > 011901899.html
  >
  > Text:
  > Most Diversity Training Ineffective, Study Finds
  > By Shankar Vedantam
  > Washington Post Staff Writer
  > Sunday, January 20, 2008
  >
  > Most diversity training efforts at American companies are 
ineffective
  > and even counterproductive in increasing the number of women and
  > minorities in managerial positions, according to an analysis that
  > turns decades of conventional wisdom, government policy and court
  > rulings on their head.
  >
  > How to Judge the Training
  > A comprehensive review of 31 years of data from 830 mid-size to 
large
  > U.S. workplaces found that the kind of diversity training exercises
  > offered at most firms were followed by a 7.5 percent drop in the
  > number of women in management. The number of black, female managers
  > fell by 10 percent, and the number of black men in top positions 
fell
  > by 12 percent. Similar effects were seen for Latinos and Asians.
  >
  > The analysis did not find that all diversity training is useless.
  > Rather, it showed that mandatory programs -- often undertaken mainly
  > with an eye to avoiding liability in discrimination lawsuits -- were
  > the problem. When diversity training is voluntary and undertaken to
  > advance a company's business goals, it was associated with increased
  > diversity in management.
  >
  > The origins of diversity training trace back to the civil rights
  > movement and the belief that education, sensitivity and awareness 
are
  > key to reducing discrimination. While many companies have embraced
  > such training as a way to make workplaces more inclusive and to 
cater
  > to an increasingly diverse customer base, trainers and researchers
  > note that other companies use "sensitivity training" 
superficially --
  > as a cosmetic response to complaints from internal and external
  > critics.
  >
  > Today, U.S. businesses spend from $200 million to $300 million a 
year
  > on diversity training, but the new study is one of the first 
attempts
  > to systematically analyze its impact. What it found is that programs
  > work best when they are voluntary and focus on specific 
organizational
  > skills, such as establishing mentoring relationships and giving 
women
  > and minorities a chance to prove their worth in high-profile roles.
  >
  > "When attendance is voluntary, diversity training is followed by an
  > increase in managerial diversity," said Alexandra Kalev, a 
sociologist
  > at the University of Arizona, who led the research. "Most employers,
  > however, force their managers and workers to go through training, 
and
  > this is the least effective option in terms of increasing diversity. 
.
  > . . Forcing people to go through training creates a backlash against
  > diversity."
  >
  > Kalev said many trainers and executives told her they were not
  > surprised by her findings. What this means, she said, is that many
  > companies are not just pursuing poor policies, but are doing so even
  > though their own experts know the training is ineffective or
  > counterproductive.
  >
  > Several experts offered two reasons for this: The first is that
  > businesses are responding rationally to the legal environment, since
  > several Supreme Court rulings have held that companies with 
mandatory
  > diversity training are in a stronger position if they face a
  > discrimination lawsuit. Second, many companies -- with the implicit
  > cooperation of diversity trainers -- find it easier to offer 
exercises
  > that serve public relations goals, rather than to embrace real 
change.
  >
  >
  > "They are more symbolic than substantive," said Lauren Edelman, a
  > University of California professor of law and sociology, who
  > independently reviewed Kalev's study. "It is a response to the 
general
  > legal environment and the fact organizations copy one another."
  >
  > Longtime diversity trainer Billy Vaughn said the results match what 
he
  > has seen in practice. Vaughn is the co-founder of the national firm
  > Diversity Training University International, which has been hired by
  > organizations including wireless phone giant Qualcomm and the 
Central
  > Intelligence Agency.
  >
  > "If they are doing it for legal protection, they don't care" whether
  > the training works, he said. It was hardly surprising that training
  > could have counterproductive effects, he added, when the attitude
  > often is, "Just do it, and just do it as cheaply as possible."
  >
  > Kalev's latest research, which is not yet published, is the second
  > comprehensive analysis that she and her colleagues have done. Her
  > initial study, published in 2006 in the American Sociological Review
  > when she was at the University of California at Berkeley, was the
  > first systematic assessment of diversity training. It found that 
such
  > training had minimal benefits.
  >
  > Her new work sought to tease apart what works from what does not. 
Both
  > studies compared reports that companies filed with the federal Equal
  > Employment Opportunity Commission about the number of women and 
people
  > of color in management positions with survey data about whether the
  > firms offered diversity training.
  >
  > All companies with more than 100 workers and federal contractors 
with
  > more than 50 workers must submit the EEOC reports. To encourage
  > participation in her survey, Kalev promised not to disclose the 
names
  > of the companies.
  >
  > "Executives must treat diversity like any other business goal and 
put
  > someone in charge," Kalev said. When companies believe diverse
  > workplaces give them a competitive advantage, they go beyond 
cosmetic
  > changes. Companies that appointed task forces with the authority and
  > responsibility to increase diversity in top jobs saw the number of
  > female managers increase by 14 percent, the number of black women 
rise
  > by 30 percent and the number of black men rise by 10 percent.
  >
  > Clay Osborne, vice president of human resources and diversity at
  > Bausch & Lomb, based in Rochester, N.Y., said the findings matched
  > what his own company has discovered. Programs that work, he said,
  > focus on the business advantages that come with diversity of 
thought,
  > and that requires having people with diverse backgrounds.
  >
  > "Most successful ventures in companies are tactics that help improve
  > the bottom line," he said. "To the extent you can get diverse 
programs
  > and initiatives into that model, you can minimize backlash."
  >
  > Frank Dobbin, an organizational sociologist at Harvard and one of
  > Kalev's co-authors, said narratives about interpersonal conflict 
that
  > are sometimes featured in "sensitivity training" can be
  > counterproductive. For one thing, he said, they upset many people, 
who
  > then actively resist change. But more important, he said, they
  > downplay the importance of organizational structure in embracing --  
or
  > resisting -- long-term change.
  >
  > Women and minorities often fail to get ahead, he said, because 
people
  > tend to form social groups with others who are like themselves --  
and
  > many managers are simply unaware of the talent in their own
  > organizations. Policies that require or explicitly encourage 
managers
  > to meet with subordinates in different departments can alert 
managers
  > to talented employees with different social and ethnic backgrounds 
and
  > help younger employees figure out what they need to do to get ahead.
  >
  > Marc Bendick, an economist who researches diversity at Bendick and
  > Egan Economic Consultants in the District, said his surveys suggest
  > there is a role for conventional sensitivity training. But he agreed
  > that the training is likely to be effective only in the context of 
an
  > organization genuinely interested in cultural and structural change.
  >
  > "If you ask what is the impact of diversity training today, you have
  > to say 75 percent is junk and will have little impact or no impact 
or
  > negative impact," Bendick said.
  >
  >
  >
  >

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-------------- next part --------------
I agree completely with the article below. Frankly, I find most diversity training to be a great waste of time! I know for a fact that EEO and diversity coordinators around my building rather hold their breaths when they mandate me to go to one of these classes since I tend to try to debunk all the stuff and nonsense that often goes on in them much to the discomfort of the facilitators.

I *have* been to some excellent classes. But these usually concentrated upon imparting specific HR skills rather than upon trying to change the outlook of employees per se.

Mike

----- Original Message -----
From:
mailto:Noel.Nightingale at ed.gov Nightingale, Noel
To:
mailto:nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org
Sent:
Thursday, February 07, 2008 10:29 AM
Subject:
[nfbwatlk] Mandatory and most Diversity Training Ineffective,Washington Post, 1/20/08
Following up on my post about the unintended consequences of the ADA,
this seems appropriate to generate more discussion on a related topic:
diversity training.
> Link:
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/19/AR2008 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/19/AR2008
> 011901899.html
>
> Text:
> Most Diversity Training Ineffective, Study Finds
> By Shankar Vedantam
> Washington Post Staff Writer
> Sunday, January 20, 2008
>
> Most diversity training efforts at American companies are ineffective
> and even counterproductive in increasing the number of women and
> minorities in managerial positions, according to an analysis that
> turns decades of conventional wisdom, government policy and court
> rulings on their head.
>
> How to Judge the Training
> A comprehensive review of 31 years of data from 830 mid-size to large
> U.S. workplaces found that the kind of diversity training exercises
> offered at most firms were followed by a 7.5 percent drop in the
> number of women in management. The number of black, female managers
> fell by 10 percent, and the number of black men in top positions fell
> by 12 percent. Similar effects were seen for Latinos and Asians.
>
> The analysis did not find that all diversity training is useless.
> Rather, it showed that mandatory programs -- often undertaken mainly
> with an eye to avoiding liability in discrimination lawsuits -- were
> the problem. When diversity training is voluntary and undertaken to
> advance a company's business goals, it was associated with increased
> diversity in management.
>
> The origins of diversity training trace back to the civil rights
> movement and the belief that education, sensitivity and awareness are
> key to reducing discrimination. While many companies have embraced
> such training as a way to make workplaces more inclusive and to cater
> to an increasingly diverse customer base, trainers and researchers
> note that other companies use "sensitivity training" superficially --
> as a cosmetic response to complaints from internal and external
> critics.
>
> Today, U.S. businesses spend from $200 million to $300 million a year
> on diversity training, but the new study is one of the first attempts
> to systematically analyze its impact. What it found is that programs
> work best when they are voluntary and focus on specific organizational
> skills, such as establishing mentoring relationships and giving women
> and minorities a chance to prove their worth in high-profile roles.
>
> "When attendance is voluntary, diversity training is followed by an
> increase in managerial diversity," said Alexandra Kalev, a sociologist
> at the University of Arizona, who led the research. "Most employers,
> however, force their managers and workers to go through training, and
> this is the least effective option in terms of increasing diversity. .
> . . Forcing people to go through training creates a backlash against
> diversity."
>
> Kalev said many trainers and executives told her they were not
> surprised by her findings. What this means, she said, is that many
> companies are not just pursuing poor policies, but are doing so even
> though their own experts know the training is ineffective or
> counterproductive.
>
> Several experts offered two reasons for this: The first is that
> businesses are responding rationally to the legal environment, since
> several Supreme Court rulings have held that companies with mandatory
> diversity training are in a stronger position if they face a
> discrimination lawsuit. Second, many companies -- with the implicit
> cooperation of diversity trainers -- find it easier to offer exercises
> that serve public relations goals, rather than to embrace real change.
>
>
> "They are more symbolic than substantive," said Lauren Edelman, a
> University of California professor of law and sociology, who
> independently reviewed Kalev's study. "It is a response to the general
> legal environment and the fact organizations copy one another."
>
> Longtime diversity trainer Billy Vaughn said the results match what he
> has seen in practice. Vaughn is the co-founder of the national firm
> Diversity Training University International, which has been hired by
> organizations including wireless phone giant Qualcomm and the Central
> Intelligence Agency.
>
> "If they are doing it for legal protection, they don't care" whether
> the training works, he said. It was hardly surprising that training
> could have counterproductive effects, he added, when the attitude
> often is, "Just do it, and just do it as cheaply as possible."
>
> Kalev's latest research, which is not yet published, is the second
> comprehensive analysis that she and her colleagues have done. Her
> initial study, published in 2006 in the American Sociological Review
> when she was at the University of California at Berkeley, was the
> first systematic assessment of diversity training. It found that such
> training had minimal benefits.
>
> Her new work sought to tease apart what works from what does not. Both
> studies compared reports that companies filed with the federal Equal
> Employment Opportunity Commission about the number of women and people
> of color in management positions with survey data about whether the
> firms offered diversity training.
>
> All companies with more than 100 workers and federal contractors with
> more than 50 workers must submit the EEOC reports. To encourage
> participation in her survey, Kalev promised not to disclose the names
> of the companies.
>
> "Executives must treat diversity like any other business goal and put
> someone in charge," Kalev said. When companies believe diverse
> workplaces give them a competitive advantage, they go beyond cosmetic
> changes. Companies that appointed task forces with the authority and
> responsibility to increase diversity in top jobs saw the number of
> female managers increase by 14 percent, the number of black women rise
> by 30 percent and the number of black men rise by 10 percent.
>
> Clay Osborne, vice president of human resources and diversity at
> Bausch & Lomb, based in Rochester, N.Y., said the findings matched
> what his own company has discovered. Programs that work, he said,
> focus on the business advantages that come with diversity of thought,
> and that requires having people with diverse backgrounds.
>
> "Most successful ventures in companies are tactics that help improve
> the bottom line," he said. "To the extent you can get diverse programs
> and initiatives into that model, you can minimize backlash."
>
> Frank Dobbin, an organizational sociologist at Harvard and one of
> Kalev's co-authors, said narratives about interpersonal conflict that
> are sometimes featured in "sensitivity training" can be
> counterproductive. For one thing, he said, they upset many people, who
> then actively resist change. But more important, he said, they
> downplay the importance of organizational structure in embracing -- or
> resisting -- long-term change.
>
> Women and minorities often fail to get ahead, he said, because people
> tend to form social groups with others who are like themselves -- and
> many managers are simply unaware of the talent in their own
> organizations. Policies that require or explicitly encourage managers
> to meet with subordinates in different departments can alert managers
> to talented employees with different social and ethnic backgrounds and
> help younger employees figure out what they need to do to get ahead.
>
> Marc Bendick, an economist who researches diversity at Bendick and
> Egan Economic Consultants in the District, said his surveys suggest
> there is a role for conventional sensitivity training. But he agreed
> that the training is likely to be effective only in the context of an
> organization genuinely interested in cultural and structural change.
>
> "If you ask what is the impact of diversity training today, you have
> to say 75 percent is junk and will have little impact or no impact or
> negative impact," Bendick said.
>
>
>
>
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