There’s no shortage of problems in business. Whether it be with a product, a person, or a service line. And what must meet problems? Solutions. With lackluster numbers of women and minorities in leadership positions across the US, a solution we have turned to is diversity training. And while I agree that education is indeed a strong tool for changing behavior, we must be wise in how we approach teaching essential concepts. Regrettably, some training(s) — with antiquated approaches — can offer short-lived solutions to an ageless and rampant problem.

Researchers have been examining whether people who undergo training shed their biases. In fact, this has been researched for over 90 years in thousands of studies. It turns out that diversity training can indeed elicit people to respond correctly to questionnaires about bias, but those right answers are soon forgotten – in as soon as a day or two. What’s more, studies suggest that this training can activate bias.

Regardless of the not-so-compelling data for diversity training, many companies participate (nearly all the Fortune 500, for example). What gives? Why is diversity training contributing to the problem? For starters, three-quarters of training use negative messages– drawing upon figures around lawsuits and large settlements in their training. The idea is that fear will motivate. And guess what? Just as in management, threats or “negative incentives” do not encourage people to listen to the message at hand.

Another reason your training may be missing the mark? Making the training a requirement. The general response to compulsory courses is met with anger and resistance and actually makes animosity grow toward other groups after these sessions. Further, and this is even scarier, when corporations require training, an inverse reaction occurs: Minorities in leadership positions decrease.

Being a leadership consultant means I bet my livelihood on the efficacy of leadership education (which includes many facets of DEI knowledge). Including tidbits like this. If your consultant or training group incorporates damning facts about the risk to the bottom line if you do not participate in diversity training, keep looking. This is not the motivation your teams need. Further, if you sign up for diversity training and make the training a requirement, think again. While it may seem counterintuitive to not make it mandatory, rely on data to steer you in the correct direction with your DEI efforts. Studies show that optional training is associated with an increase in women and minorities in leadership positions.

Now that you’re clear on the things not to do in diversity training, what type of education should your sessions include? More to come.

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

With the past 15 months behind us, we are starting to see some normality return. Face-to-face schooling, plans for fall sport revivals, women being able to return to work as the disproportionate labor(s) are deputed elsewhere… But we are also seeing a social shift: A new political climate, an increase of awareness about the stark contrast in opportunity for those underrepresented at work, and the pieces falling into place about the essentiality for defined and persistent DEI efforts within corporations.

As we re-enter physical working spaces, albeit with a slow and steady return, what can companies do to craft a thoughtful and meaningful Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program?

First, we must take the time to understand the scope in needs of employees. As an example, I found in my recent research that working adults were far more likely to opt for time off, flexible schedules, and family leave before hoping for salary increases and other perks. The key here is to seek out responses from the collective of the organization, uncovering the concerns, needs, and opportunities for re-writing the norms of company culture as it pertains to inclusive decision-making. Case in point: Whom you seek out to answer these questions must be a diverse set of people within the company. A combination of qualitative and quantitative measures can provide the data you seek for determining what changes must take place, and then there needs to be a way to convey how in fact they will occur.

As a thought-starter:

What are your representation goals for the coming year?
How do you address overt internal discrimination?
What can people do when they feel they are a part of an out-group?
How are you addressing pay inequity?

If you haven’t considered the answers to these questions, it is time to do so. Realize also that it is one thing to inquire and it is another to act. The intent must be to institute change for better belonging and psychological safety and must also be paired with transparency. How are you going to reach that end goal? Being forthright about how to uncover pay inequity, for example, will demonstrate a commitment to all people within the organization (and a great place to start is a pay audit). Be upfront about the process, the timeline, and the intended outcomes. How will the inequities be corrected?

If you’re not sure – let’s brainstorm! There is only an opportunity for improvement ahead.

Why (a lot of) Diversity Training Misses the Mark

Is Your DEI Plan Taking Shape?