Diversity Impact on Training & Development 

Training & development includes all activities that are designed and implemented to support an employee’s knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs, or “competencies”). For your Strategic Diversity Management Plan, training & development specifically relates to those activities that ensure that all employees are equipped to create a work environment that is both diverse and inclusive.

In addition to (or instead of) supporting knowledge, skills and abilities, many training & development initiatives related to diversity attempt to influence the attitudes (or values) of their participants. It should be noted that training & development initiatives that attempt to make significant change with regard to attitudes require a great deal of time and investment if they are to be successful.

Training & Development ensures that employees have the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do their individual jobs and further the aims of the organization. Simply put, it is both unrealistic and unfair for employers to demand competencies of staff without providing them with resources to attain and practice them.

Training & development includes but is not limited to classroom-based, instructor-led education initiatives; mentoring programs; competency assessments; on-the-job action learning; executive and manager coaching; team building; lectures and keynote speeches; posters; self-study; and e-learning programs.

1. What knowledge, skills and abilities (i.e., communication, empathy) must employees of your organization possess if they are to effectively contribute to a diverse and inclusive workplace?
2. What additional knowledge, skills and abilities (i.e., issue identification, group dynamics) must managers in your organization possess if they are to effectively recruit a diverse team and manage staff in an inclusive way?
3. What additional knowledge, skills and abilities (i.e., visioning, cross-cultural competence) must leaders in your organization possess if they are to role model diversity, ensure that your organization’s clients or customers are treated with respect, and chart the correct path for your organization’s future?
4. Which learning methods would be the most appropriate to employ, given the competencies you wish to support?
5. How can your organization frame training & development related to diversity so that it is, if at all possible, an ongoing activity, not restricted to isolated experiences in a classroom?
6. Who must you engage to lead the diversity training & development initiatives within your organization?

If there is no one internal to your organization with the competencies to guide the diversity learning of others, consider partnering with a well-regarded consultant to help guide your training & development efforts.

Begin with the end in mind: Create solid, measurable learning objectives based on KSAs before making any decisions on methodology, timeframe or design. Ensure that all activities map directly back to the learning objectives that are specific to your organization, your workforce and your customer base.

There are many studies that definitively state that diversity training does not work. Don’t believe it. When properly focused on KSAs rather than attitudes and values, and when integrated into a larger Strategic Diversity Management Plan that also addresses important issues such as recruitment, marketing and rewards structures, diversity training is not only effective, but an essential component of organizational culture change.

If engaging a consultant to assist with your training & development efforts, frame the relationship as a strategic partnership rather than a single transaction. Consider working with your strategic partner early in the process to help frame learning objectives and implement a variety of learning solutions.

Choose your strategic partner carefully, and beware of making a decision based solely on price. Be prepared to research the experiences and reputations of your slate of candidates, and resist practitioners that offer off-the-shelf, one-size-fits-all solutions to your organization’s needs.

"A Retrospective View of Corporate Diversity Training From 1964 to the Present" (Anand/Winters)

Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice (1997), Adams, Bell & Griffin, eds.; Routledge, New York & London

The Skilled Facilitator (2002), Schwarz, R.; Jossey-Bass, San Francisco