What is the goal of a diversity training program

Their absence is causing resentment among the other members, and the group plans to penalize the two for absenteeism. Company human resources departments and managers of various departments face innumerable such scenarios day in and day out. To handle such issues, many companies incorporate diversity training in their training agenda.

Diversity training is an initiative taken by most companies to create awareness of diversity issues and bring about cohesiveness in teams. It is primarily a part of the leadership development programs to promote togetherness and level playing field for all.

But when did this concept start? And What is it that they do in diversity training? How do you train a team in diversity?

And Are there different types of diversity trainings? Diversity training started in thes in response to civil rights movement. This laid the foundation for a black and white equality in the workplace or for that matter, anything that required teams to work together, even sports.

He brought together black and white players to create a world-class football team. Apart from color; diversity includes gender, race, religion, caste, and disabilities. Although these are important and most commonly discussed diversity aspects; people may show diversity in terms of personality types introvert or extrovert , attitudes, values, family background, and willingness to take risks. It is important for companies to consider all these aspects while building project teams. A team that has all members who are not willing to take risks will not be an ideal team nor will a team where all the members are risk takers.

An optimal balance of both types of people will make a successful team. Awareness-based training: This type of training is generally used as a sensitizer for employees.

It deals with making employees aware of the importance of diversity in business. It also makes employees aware of their prejudices and cultural assumptions about others. The training uses case studies and experiential exercises as the method of training implementation. Various tools are used to take the employees from the awareness to the proficiency stage. Diversity training may be conducted as lectures , slideshows , elearning courses , interactive games , and role plays.

All these methods have their own benefits and drawbacks. But, each method contributes to the awareness in its own way. When you look at the formation of a company, whatever the industry, you can see that it requires a team of technically-oriented, human resources—oriented, finance-oriented, and other specialized members.

All of these members together form the foundation of an exemplary team. Employee Training and Development. Let's Stay Connected. By entering your email, you consent to receive communications from Penn State Extension. View our privacy policy. Thank you for your submission! Home Diversity Training in the Workplace. Diversity Training in the Workplace.

What is diversity training? According to Cocchiara, Connerley, and Bell , there are several reasons why organizations need to provide diversity training for their employees among them the following: To attract talent and maximize organizations' profits. To comply with the organization's moral and legal standards.

To develop leadership and essential skills to maximize organizational diversity. To disseminate information about diversity-related issues and organizational policies. To intensify leadership development and management effectiveness. The key acts are the following: -- Active understanding of topics included in the training -- Be able to see things in a new way change perspectives -- Reflection about other's perspectives and experiences -- Realization is the manifestation of the reflection at the personal level by seeing it is meaning and understanding diversity training's importance.

The following steps need to be considered: The training's design considers the methodology and the delivery format. Allow learners to be out of their comfort zone while at the same time maintaining an atmosphere of psychological safety. Diversity training needs to allow people to discuss conflictive topics, but at the same time, they need to feel that environment is supportive and appreciative of the disclosure.

The analogy of the journey. Through guided activities and experiences, diversity training helps to adopt different perspectives about others. In our focus on college transitions and preparations, we cannot forget the most basic barriers to access that influence our applicant pool—from admissions applications to parking to financial aid to housing.

We cannot assume an inherent understanding of the pathways to and through our university. We must always look at our systems from the perspective of our first generation, low income, international, rural, and underrepresented students.

We must seek to understand the burden of deciphering the rituals of higher education for students already stretched by their undergraduate or graduate experience. GOAL 2: Identify, attract and retain a diverse faculty and staff.

UC Davis has a responsibility to reflect its global values in its workforce. Our campus community thrives when our workforce reflects the diversity of our student population and the patients we serve. To achieve this goal, we must effectively identify, recognize, and eliminate barriers, and increase accountability at the level of the division, college, school, and department. The actions of each UC Davis employee have an impact on campus climate and in enabling an environment in which opportunity is present for all.

Members of the faculty and staff serve as the key interface for all our students and postdoctoral scholars by providing instruction, research opportunities, and mentoring.

As a result, the work of diversity and inclusion cannot and should not be done by only one office or individual within a department, and must be integrated into the current work of all faculty and staff. This shift requires appropriate acknowledgements by institutional leadership that this will require some reprioritization of workload demands.

There is a critical need to accurately assess and increase the diversity of faculty, which includes both Academic Senate and Academic Federation faculty positions. Going further, we must acknowledge and engage all those who have an impact on learning, research, and service outcomes—including those who may not directly serve in an instructional capacity. As one of the early campuses in the UC system to require diversity statements for all faculty applicants, UC Davis is well-positioned to be a model for our peers.

Additionally, as one of the largest employers in the region, UC Davis is positioned to lead in diversity and inclusion excellence as it relates to staff. Members of the staff touch every aspect of the UC Davis mission and have a significant influence on campus productivity and student, faculty, visitor, and patient experience.

The University of California has the unique advantage of preparing its own workforce; we can recruit internally for staff and future faculty in one of the most diverse undergraduate and graduate student populations in the nation. Federal, state, University of California, and UC Davis mandates are already in place to positively affect the diversity of our institution. However, compliance with these guidelines continues to fall short of expectations, creating a sense of crisis among many members of the campus.

Furthermore, engaging all faculty and staff is essential to this effort. Recruitment and retention must be closely related. Diversity goals for faculty and staff cannot be achieved if objectives related to campus climate, institutional commitment, research, teaching, public service, training, and diversifying the student body fall short and thus jeopardize the retention of a talented workforce.

Our diverse workforce embodies many different lifestyles and work-life orientations. Creating a work environment that is flexible and healthy enough to accommodate those diverse needs, that provides universal accessibility, and in which supervisors and peers feel competent working within a diverse community, will help to make UC Davis a desirable workplace for all.

GOAL 3: Advance a climate that fosters inclusion excellence. While UC Davis values and promotes civility and mutual respect, the reality is that even one incident of bias e. Every person, irrespective of role or position, must take responsibility for their actions and assume shared ownership of the climate in and around the campus community and workplace.

Activities and words that normalize racism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, classism, ageism and anti-blackness go against our ideals and create toxic environments for those we most need to welcome and understand. Our practices should enable all participants to be authentically present in the classroom, workplace, health care facility, and community.

Such efforts enhance the climate of our university; improve our health and wellness; maximize learning outcomes; increase persistence, retention, and success; and facilitate professional fulfillment and improvement. Food, energy, health, education, the environment—UC Davis is focused on solving the most pressing challenges facing our world.

We are leading the way to a better future by a relentless pursuit of knowledge through innovation. This will require a campus that promotes collaboration across disciplines, positions, or silos that we may connect ideas with problems; provides spaces and means to work together formally or informally; and makes accessible resources and services that advance a cooperative climate or respond immediately to a breakdown.

In other words, we desire a campus that leverages the diversity and creativity of our many parts to achieve a common vision of education and inclusion excellence that improves our community and our world.