Diversity Training, Cultural Diversity in the Workplace

Discover Your Organization’s Strength in Employee Diversity

Your organization, like most, is composed of individuals of different races, ages, ethnic groups and countless other identity characteristics. In an ideal world, these individuals work together harmoniously, fully contributing their talents to the greater good of the organization.

Unfortunately, prejudices and biases often hinder an organization from reaching its potential. Like a director discovering a new onstage talent, employees may need to be prompted to appreciate one another’s differences. When they do, each will be free to contribute the gifts of a rich diversity to the organization’s goals. Albion’s Discovering Diversity workshop helps employees to "discover" the talent that is already among them.

Who Should Attend?
All employees can benefit from this course that encourages bridge building between groups. The general course is four hours in length, and an additional two-hour segment is recommended for managers, supervisors and team leaders.

A Script for Positive Change

At Albion, we understand that fostering respect for diversity and reducing prejudice and bias are some of the most challenging workplace issues. Our instructors are well equipped to sensitively lead participants to:

• Discover the information and misperceptions they learned about other groups
• Value the uniqueness of groups other than their own

An Interactive Approach Engages Participants

Our workshop requires candor and honesty between participants so that positive relationships can be built among members of different groups. To achieve this, classroom methods emphasize interactive activities, exercises, group activities, group discussion, role playing, and include lecturettes. Guilt, shame and blame are never used as tools in the sessions. A summary of the workshop sessions follows.

Activity One: Introductions
Participants discover their differences beyond generalizations and stereotypes, and their commonalities. Participants are asked why they like a particular diversity poster lining the walls and are asked to tell something about themselves. By the session’s end, diversity has moved beyond race or sex to such traits as avid reader, grandparent, cyclist, gardener, procrastinator and countless others.

Activity Two: Identifying Biases
Participants are taken on a voyage of self-discovery. In an uncensored exercise, biases and prejudices are uncovered when participants are asked to express their first thoughts when a characteristic group is mentioned. This leads to an informative lecturette on the origin of biases and prejudices.

Activity Three: Impact
This exercise, which is the workshop’s main event, breaks the class into a number of identity groups. Participants may find themselves in several of these groups. Each group develops a list of what they never want anyone to do, say or think about their group again. After each powerful presentation, the class applauds—and has learned an unforgettable lesson about the damage of prejudice.

Activity Four: Discovering Allies
In this optional segment, participants share their personal experiences with stereotyping in the workplace. Each situation is rated with Albion’s Work Environment Quality Index (WEQI) and rated as fostering a healthy, hazardous or toxic work environment. In the process, they further discover the power of coalition-building that embraces diversity.

Training that Yields Results
At the end of this interactive workshop, participants have learned to:

• Recognize the similarities and differences among groups
• Describe the subconscious images we all have of other groups
• Understand the great pride people take in their own groups
• Recognize the many different ways people have experienced discrimination
• Tactfully manage situations when others use oppressive remarks, jokes or slurs
• Resolve conflicts and build coalitions

Environmental Protection Services: "Superfund" Training for Your Workplace Cleanup

Like chemicals or particles that pollute, inappropriate conduct can make a workplace toxic to employees’ well-being. Our Discovering Diversity workshop, along with Anti-Harassment, Equal Employment Opportunity Compliance, Workplace Violence, and Anti-Harassment is one of a quartet of Superfund programs that are bottom-line requirements for the environment of any healthy organization. Each program is interactive, fun, informative and legally compliant. Included in each module is Albion’s own tool, the Work Environment Quality Index (WEQI). During the training, employees learn to avoid situations that may cause a workplace to read "hazardous" or "toxic" on the WEQI dial.

When employees have completed this quartet, they understand laws and policies governing anti-harassment and equal opportunity and have a tool to identify and prevent damaging behaviors. They also will have learned to appreciate one another’s differences and use diversity to reach their work group’s common goals.

Ask about our Superfund today and let Albion Associates help with site cleanup and improving workplace dynamics. For course details, see our other Superfund brochures:

• Anti-Harassment
• Equal Employment Opportunity Compliance
• Workplace Violence