Methods for good diversity management

 

Methods for good diversity management

  

 

There are many methods and tips to manage diversity properly so that everyone benefits and is enriched by it.

Sensitivity training. Many companies decide to do diversity training. But often these are formal training, based mainly on reducing prejudices, which is positive but does not produce great practical results. Sensitivity training teaches how to be more attentive to others and more sensitive to group dynamics. It works on perspective, in the sense that employees are asked to put themselves in the shoes of other people who are considered to be different. And they also work on objectives: for example, they ask them to set themselves the goal of addressing inappropriate comments about some minority group. When using this method, it is essential to involve everyone, and it is useful that executives also receive specific training. This is new to many and that is why the professional figure of the diversity manager should start to be considered. Soon, it may become essential. The key elements advised of a good diversity training programme are 5:

- focus on concrete actions and not on the reduction of prejudices;

- involve all people and invite them to promote communication;

- focus on professional issues and not get into the personal ones;

- keep the programme active through diversity managers and mentoring actions;

- be flexible and able to adapt activities to specific needs, because each company, and also each group of employees, has its own needs.

Setting diversity goals is not enough: they must also be communicated and explained many times. This is why there are manuals and training programmes for managers in inclusive leadership. It is essential to work on corporate culture because it creates a sense of belonging that acts as a glue and facilitates the demolition of cultural barriers. The diversities are many.

The group that benefits most from diversity activities in companies are the employed women. The projection in middle and top management is lower but, even so, there is an improvement aimed at breaking the 'glass ceiling'. The second group is young people, and then the elderly, followed by a group of people with disabilities. It seems that issues such as the gender gap, the glass ceiling and female leadership, although far from being solved, are now more present. However, diversity management goes beyond the gender issue. Inclusion is a movement that accompanies the organisation, understood as a community of people.

The world is evolving and new problems are not solved with old remedies. We must be aware that we are already a multicultural society, that our children already study alongside children from different cultures and ethnic groups. The individual must be considered in his or her uniqueness and ability to contribute to the organisational world in which he or she lives. This is the value of diversity that we must be able to harness.