Diversity training in organisations: an introduction

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on diversity training and examine the effect of power, privilege and politics on diversity in organisations. Design/methodology/approach -This is a conceptual paper examining the arguments in favour and against diversity training in organisations. It identifies the presence of dominant groups in society leading to the marginalisation and oppression of minority diverse groups. It introduces the papers to the special issue under the three themes of: organisational impacts and outcomes; identify and self-presentation and resistance to diversity. Findings -The value of diversity training to promoting inclusivity, equality and fairness in organisations is underlined as is the importance of the human resource development community adopting a more proactive role in addressing the issue of diversity through research and course cirricula. Originality/value -The paper introduces this special issue in "Diversity training in organisations" by examining the background concepts and providing an overview of the contributions to the issue.

A Gendered Analysis of Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace

“…Diversity training for managers includes avoiding discrimination in recruitment and promotion, and general diversity training for all staff focuses on the theme of inclusion for all groups at work (Dobbin, Kim, & Kalev, 2011). McGuire and Bagher (2010) highlight a detailed set of priorities of diversity training at individual, group, and organizational levels. At the individual level they suggest diversity education, promoting an understanding of the effects of power and privilege, harnessing positive attitudes, and assisting individuals in overcoming inequality barriers.…”

“…While many of the practices highlighted by McGuire and Bagher (2010) would help to address EI and women’s disadvantages explored in this article, the practice of mentoring for women is deemed integral to this approach. Mentoring provides opportunities for social support, advice, learning and development, visibility, exposure, and enhanced self-efficacy (e.g., Kram, 1985) and is seen as a valuable career development tool for women.…”

Managing workforce diversity from the perspective of two higher education institutions

“…This finding highlights the importance of promoting diversity among faculty and staff. According to McGuire and Bagher (2010), universities that promote diversity and value their staff competencies by focusing on effective cultural awareness training aligned with their values and strategic objectives, can enhance performance and have the ability to recruit the most skilled faculty and staff. The majority of faculty and administrators at both universities endorsed diversity, seeing it as a determinant of increased performance.…”

Understanding and managing workplace bullying

“…Diversity has now become part of every workplace, it has become necessary to learn, respect, and value differences on a daily basis. With the dual effects of workplace globalization and workplace mobility increasing, diversity training is becoming a more pressing priority for human resource development (HRD) to minimize harassment, foster greater equality, inclusion and fairness at the workplace (McGuire and Bagher, 2010). Employees must learn through each other's experiences to get a better understanding about the similarities and differences.…”