Frequently Asked Questions – Why is Diversity & Inclusion Training Important?

Why is diversity and inclusion training important?

If you’re asking yourself why diversity & inclusion training is so important, there are plenty of reasons why increasing diversity in the workplace can be beneficial. A better question might be, “What is the cost of not focusing on diversity and inclusion in the workplace?”

• You limit the pool of qualified candidates you have to choose from.
• Your organization will face the additional costs of talent acquisition, talent retention, and training of new talent if you have a hostile or stressful workplace.
• Not only do you have acquisition costs, but you lose productivity when you continuously have to replace talent.
• Discrimination of protected classes leads to workplace disruptions and possible litigation.

It just isn’t worth it in this day and age to ignore the positive aspects of a more diverse and creative workplace while running the risk of making decisions that possibly lead to workplace disruptions or lawsuits.

Organizations that lack the commitment to diversity don’t just miss out on all the benefits, they also create business problems for themselves. Whether it’s through overt discrimination or simply a lack of cultural competence at the leadership and HR levels, businesses that disregard building a thoughtful approach to diversity put themselves in a risky business and legal position.

Businesses can’t just preach diversity on paper. The “checkbox” trainings many organizations host do little to make inclusion a daily workplace value. Diversity, equity, and inclusion needs to be part of the culture at every level. A half-hearted approach to diversity and inclusion can set you up for bigger failure. The organization comes away looking either disconnected from its values or like a fraud. Only say what you are actually going to do when it comes to implementing a diversity, equity, and inclusion program.

Does diversity and inclusion training work?

Diversity and inclusion training works if it is done properly. Poor process leads to poor results. 

Here are a few tips that might help your training succeed.

• Four Questions You Should Ask When Developing Your Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

What does diversity training include?

To be successful, your diversity training should include:

• A knowledgeable professional with a proven track record.
• Commitment from leadership.
• Clear goals and objectives.
• A common analysis or understanding of the issues at hand.
• System-wide integration.

How do you start a diversity and inclusion program?

Start where you are. There are five phases of the diversity and inclusion process. The most important component is figuring out why you want to do this work even before you launch into the work. Your why can factor into any one or all of the following areas:

1. Develop awareness in your workplace
2. Obtain knowledge to further your organizational goals
3. Develop new workplace or customer service skills
4. Begin to take new actions in your workplace to bring about change. These action steps can be internal (focused on institutional change), external (looking at advocacy or activism in the community) or a combination of both.

Once you figure out your “why”, then the organization is ready for the five-phase journey:

1. Commitment of resources and clearly articulated understanding of what success looks like
2. Engagement with staff and execution of a well thought out plan that aligns with the organizational mission
3. Creation of a culture for success involves ongoing training and staff interaction.
4. Incorporation of the proper systems and safeguards into the talent management process.
5. Evaluation of your goals and performance along the way.

What are the different types of diversity?

Diversity is simply variety. In the workplace, diversity is often a term used to refer specifically to cultural, racial, or ethnic differences. However, diversity applies to all the qualities that make people different. From a management perspective, the key to diversity is to understand how different types of diversity and different demographic characteristics can impact behavior, performance, and team cohesion.

Diversity can be based on:

• Cultural & identity factors
• Skills and abilities
• Personality traits
• Values and attitudes

As you seek to establish a diverse and inclusive workplace. You must clearly define what type of diversity…

• is needed
• is achievable
• the organization is committed to achieving. Organizational commitment is the key. What is the desired end, and at what cost?

What should diversity training focus on? 

Primarily, your diversity and inclusion training needs to focus on goal setting—defining what success looks like in your context, and articulating the “why” in the context of your organizational mission or values.

Your training must go beyond feelings and emotions. Without looking at power dynamics, systems, equity, and access you are simply expending resources with little hope of bringing about institutional change. Bottom line, your training must access your starting point, create common understanding, and define the desired ending point.