Week 5 assignment paper - Essay Example

Diversity and Inclusion in Organizations Assignment No. 5 Brian Giuliano Texas A&M Commerce There are a great variety of training strategies targeted at reducing discrimination, prejudice and stereotypes, which are guided by a basic set of principles. Thirteen principles were articulated by a group of renowned researchers commissioned by the Carnegie Corporation in 1995, with the task of providing guidelines for action to strategy developers in improving intergroup relations. The Denver Foundation has also defined three approaches to inclusivity training: the intercultural/valuing differences approach, the anti-racism approach, and the prejudice reduction approach.

These principles and approaches are useful guides to designing training programs to reduce or eliminate discrimination, stereotyping, and prejudice. The best methods that are adopted are those which address behaviour modification, such as workshops and sensitivity seminars, role playing, and group dynamics. These should be followed on the job with the formation of multicultural teams and fostering collaboration among groups to attain a common goal.Training and methods organizations resort to in an effort to reduce discriminationThere are a great variety of training strategies targeted at reducing discrimination, prejudice and stereotypes, which are guided by a basic set of principles.

Thirteen principles were articulated by a group of renowned researchers commissioned by the Carnegie Corporation in 1995, with the task of providing guidelines for action to strategy developers in improving intergroup relations (Teaching Tolerance, 2012). The first of these is that strategies should address both institutional and individual sources of prejudice. Strategists make the mistake of directing training and methods to address personal prejudices without providing a remedy for organizational or institutional policies that are discriminatory.

The second is strategies should change behavior and motivation, not just inform. Too many training programs stop at providing lectures and seminars that cater to the intellect, but do nothing to transform the behavior and personal outlook of the individual. The fifth in the series is that strategies should have the support and participation of those with power and authority in the organization. Effective programs are those which enjoy the endorsement of top management, because managerial backing minimizes resistance and facilitates resource availability.

According to the Denver Foundation (2012), inclusivity training can assume any of three approaches: the intercultural/valuing differences approach (emphasizing and understanding intergroup differences, and celebrating them together), the anti-racism approach (which examines racial oppression and highlights the responsibility of the majority group towards minorities), and the prejudice reduction approach (that individuals must find ways to address the effects of injustice on their own world perception).

Organizations adopt one of these approaches, depending upon the social or institutional milieu in which they operate. Companies mostly follow the intercultural/valuing differences approach, but incorporate a little of the other two.Whether or not the efforts are working well, and why.The social identity theory by Tajfel & Turner (1979), “the norm of intergroup conflict is central to one’s sense of self” (Park & Judd, 2005, p. 110), which is why it is difficult to expect behavioral change only on the basis of seminars and lectures.

Some efforts work well if they are introduced to children early enough in their development before prejudices are formed, and if they celebrate intergroup differences rather than negate them in favor of a uniform standard. Within organizations and among employees, the efforts are less effective in addressing deep-seated prejudices, but legal or formal compliance may be effected by appealing to reason.Any personal experience with any of these trainings or methods; thoughts on the matter I have attended seminars on the legal and social issues surrounding discrimination and inclusion.

I found that these were necessary for me to know, and holding seminars was better than just reading the literature because of the opportunity to ask for clarifications during the open forum. However, I found that the seminars were taken for granted by some employees, and were forgotten as soon as the participants stepped out of the seminar room. I observe that knowing something does not necessarily translate to tolerance, much less understanding of others.Types of training and methods could your organization may use The best training and methods to use are those that create a mutual understanding among groups without diminishing any of them, but by promoting multiculturalism.

This may be accomplished through inclusivity live-in seminars off the job, employing techniques like role playing and sensitivity workshops. Group dynamics exercises with members of different groups working towards a single goal also enhance cooperation and interaction. On-the-job, the creation of work teams with members of different groups reinforces the inter-group collaborative effort. Expanding the corporate culture to include multicultural elements further enhances familiarity. ReferencesPark, B.

& Judd, C. M. (2005) “Rethinking the Link Between Categorization and Prejudice Within the Social Cognition Perspective.” Personality and Social Psychology Review, 9(2), 108-130Southern Poverty Law Center (2012) “Strategies for Reducing Racial and Ethnic Prejudice: Essential Principles for Program Design.” Teaching Tolerance. Retrieved from http://www.tolerance.org/activity/strategies-reducing-racial-and-ethnic-prejudice-essential-prTajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1979). “An integrative theory of intergroup conflict.” In W. G.

Austin & S. Worchel (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 33-47). Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.The Denver Foundation (2012) “Module 2: Inclusiveness Training.” Inclusiveness at Work, pp. 15-32. Retrieved from http://www.nonprofitinclusiveness.org/files/Module%202.pdf