Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Diversity training ineffective

Just read a fairly interesting article dissing diversity training. No, its not an assault on political correctness, rather it says its not effective. Money quote after the jump

Many companies were not investing in the strategies that have proven most effective. Three of the four most popular programs—diversity training, evaluations, and network programs—have no positive effects in the average workplace. The two least popular initiatives, mentoring and diversity managers, were among the most effective. On average, programs designed to reduce bias among managers responsible for hiring and promotion have not worked. Neither diversity training to extinguish stereotypes, nor diversity performance evaluations to provide feedback and oversight to people making hiring and promotion decisions, have accomplished much. This is not surprising in the light of research showing that stereotypes are difficult to extinguish.
It does not surprise me that "diversity performance evaluations" are ineffective. Most systems are poorly implemented. It is unrealistic to expect critical evaluations from a manager concerning a subordinate whom is expected to continue under the supervision of the evaluator.