Diversity Management

DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT

Diversity Management is a strategy that is intended to foster and maintain a positive workplace environment.  An effective diversity management programme will promote recognition and respect for the individual differences found among a group of employees.

More than ever, a workplace is a diverse collection of individuals proud of whom they are: their gender, their sexual orientation, their religion, their ethnic background, and all the other components that make an individual unique. In order for the workplace to succeeds, employees need to be encouraged to be comfortable with diversity in the workplace and develop an appreciation for differences in race, gender, culture, language and other factors that may not be shared by everyone working in the workplace.

Diversity essentially refers to the fact that no two people are exactly the same. While people might be similar in some ways, they simultaneously differ in other respects. The underlying principle of diversity management has to do with acceptance. Employees are encouraged to accept the fact that there are diverse interests, diverse values, and differences in the workplace in respect of personality, knowledge, perceptions, emotions and feelings, and personal values. Mindsets need to be developed which value people – where people freely communicate and support one another with any task associated with the job.

Diversity-related training and development

Training can be the key to successful business transactions. Within the workplace, diversity training can be used to combat racism, sexism, ageism, and overall exclusion. Diversity management typically involves an on-going effort by the manager to encourage input by the community, co-workers and management.

With Workplace Diversity Training employees will learn:

• Understanding what diversity and its related terms mean
• Understand how changes in the world have affected them and their view
• Be able to identify their stereotypes
• Understands what the pitfalls are relating to diversity and understand how to avoid them
• Develop a management style to encourage diversity
• Understand what terms are politically correct and which are not, and why
• Manage differences amongst team members
• Dealing with disagreements within the workplace

Workinfo.com is presenting a fun and creative diversity intervention board game as part of our one-day Diversity Training Course, or as a stand-alone half-day diversity intervention. The game seeks to  improve “the cultural intelligence” of corporate employees by increasing awareness of their own culture and improving their understanding of others’ culture (valuing our differences, celebrating our commonalities), thus building better relationships, faster.

The outcomes of the board game:

• Gain awareness and knowledge of various SA cultures, language groups and religions
• Share personal beliefs and assumptions and learn about others’ points of view.
• Learn about personal positive and negative stereotypes one has of one’s own culture.
• Celebrate our commonalities – our dreams, wishes, hopes for South Africa and ourselves.
• Learn ways of “fitting in” to other South African significant cultural or religious functions and events.
• Relationship-building and improved co-operation through increased awareness.

The overall process will spark conversation and get people sharing their own perspectives. The game is suitable for all levels of management and is ideal for groups from 8 – 24 people.

For more information please feel free to contact us at Workinfo.com.