In a workforce that increasingly reflects the demographic differences within the population, getting people from dissimilar age, gender and ethnic backgrounds to work together collaboratively can be a real challenge. Fortunately, the fields of psychology and organizational development can provide insight.
"Organizations that truly leverage difference cultivate the capabilities to engage with and learn from diverse stakeholders, including employees, customers, partners, and communities." - Martin Davidson, The End of Diversity As We Know It I first saw mention of The End of Diversity As We Know It on Twitter during the fall. As someone who dislikes the traditional notion [...]
I admit I am a bit of a location snob. Having grown up in a large suburb 15 minutes from the city, then living in an actual city for most of my 20s, I am little biased when it comes to anything beyond those places. That's where my comfort zone is, and I am fully [...]
Value the many different sources of knowledge that exist is one of the Rules of Engagement that we use in our program, and it is also the theme of my latest installment in the adventures of cultural tourist. I began this series last month with an introduction and this month I'll take you on my first adventure: [...]
Paul Meshanko discusses the Road to Respect Continuum.
Ever wonder what kids think about race and difference? You may be surprised! This enlightening video gives some insight into what kids really think about race. People Are Children from Alrick Brown on Vimeo. Want to learn more about how kids develop their beliefs about race? Then check out Are We Born Racist?: New [...]
Why do people do the things that they do? One model of behavior that attempts to help us understand this is called DISC. The DISC model identifies four styles of people.
I didn’t grow up celebrating Christmas. It was “their” holiday. It wasn’t until I met my late husband that I experienced the “magic” of Christmas; the amazing smell of a living tree, the fun of decorating, the comfort of lights on dark winter evenings, the eggnog, the gingerbread and of course, the chocolate. I was [...]
Many times diversity trainers find it difficult to connect with an audience comprised mostly of white males. Not surprising since white males who are in the majority are not used to being stereotyped like a minority – right? Kinda. While it is true that white males do not understand what it is like to be anything other than what they are – white males, they can understand what it means to be stereotyped. You – the trainer or executive – can help them remember, and in doing so increase their comfort level with and curiosity about diversity-related issues at work.
Organizational Development and Learning Consultant, Chetan Borkhetaria is our newest and latest guest blogger to focus on diversity and the value that it brings to an organization. What’s the Value of Diversity? Of course, we can all agree that having people from different races and genders is supposed to be a good thing. Isn’t that [...]
