When people ask me why training is critical to building a culture of inclusion, I ask them to take a step back and think about the challenges of understanding diversity & inclusion among people. Almost all of our global organizations are already diverse today, and research shows that diverse organizations can be more productive and financially vibrant, if they are inclusive. We all know the advantages of cultural diversity, yet building an inclusive culture where diversity thrives is not intuitive. It takes effective training to build an inclusive, diverse culture.
Advantages of Building an Inclusive Culture:
- Stronger Financial Performance
It's well established that diverse perspectives and backgrounds are beneficial financially. Several years of McKinsey & Company surveys and reports demonstrate that “Companies with more than 30 percent women executives were more likely to outperform companies where this percentage ranged from 10 to 30, …and in the case of ethnic and cultural diversity, our business-case findings are equally compelling: in 2019, top-quartile companies outperformed those in the fourth one by 36 percent in profitability” (For a recent report see: “Diversity wins: How inclusion matters,” by McKinsey & Company, May 19, 2020).
- Wider Choices in Hiring Good Talent
A LinkedIn survey of recruiters and HR professionals found that while 69% said their organizations were committed to more diverse hiring, only 47% are holding hiring managers accountable.
- Inclusion Aids Retention
A Deloitte study, Deloitte Digital, January 2, 2023, by Courtney Sherman, states “…that fostering trust, opportunities for growth and employee well-being…lead to increased workforce retention….” All of this is predicated on valuing the employee regardless of their diversity.
There is also research and anecdotal evidence to indicate that diversity alone isn’t enough. People need training to become inclusive.
What is Effective Training to Build an Inclusive, Diverse Culture?
It follows that effective inclusion training is the first basic step towards building a culture that values diversity and is inclusive of all people.
In order to create such a strong, productive culture, values regarding respect for all types of differences must permeate every level of the organization. This isn’t easy. It takes a systematic approach that begins with training as well as clearly stated policies, excellent communication and continuous reinforcement through training and leadership.
Training for Diversity & Inclusion comes in many varieties: Digital self-paced courses, digital mini-courses, webcasts, and live training. The effectiveness of each type depends upon the quality of the instruction and training where individuals need instruction.
A Training Starting Point
All good training initiatives should start with a solid measurement of where the needs are. For example, RW3’s Global Inclusion Assessment is a starting point where organizations learn about the their employees’ training needs and then create a strong training program based on their goals.
The Assessment measures individuals on nine areas that impact inclusive behavior and delivers a report to the learner that illustrates their areas of challenge as well as strength. This is where effective training should start.
Many of RW3’s clients compile the anonymized data from these assessments to see where their companies need improvement and use it to begin their training programs. For almost all organizations, the first step is Awareness. Individuals need to learn about global cultural differences and where they have implicit biases.
Effective inclusion training starts by building an understanding of the importance of diversity and why valuing differences and being part of an inclusive culture is beneficial for everyone.
Training then goes on to describe how implicit bias is very common to all of us, and how it gets in the way of embracing differences. (Bias is the way our brains work because it is a shortcut to navigate through the millions of bits of information our brains must sort through all the time. But it favors what’s familiar and is uncomfortable with unfamiliar people and situations.)
When people see their individual Global Inclusion Assessment reports, they personally understand where they sit on the Implicit Bias spectrum. It also reports on their Cultural Awareness, their Flexible Thinking, and Curiosity so they see where they stand as they start their journey towards inclusive behavior.
Effective Diversity and Inclusion Training Engages Learners
Once you know about your own preferences, strengths, and challenges, you’re more likely to involve yourself in the learning and benefit from the training. Effective training encourages and builds on that interest. Programs that offer real-life examples, case studies and scenarios are more likely to sustain your interest.
Best of all, Diversity and Inclusion Training, both digital and instructor-led, should give learners lots of opportunities to interact with the material. Interaction can take the form of games, Q&A, even role playing. RW3 CultureWizard’s course Overcoming Implicit Bias provides a wide array of these opportunities for learners to engage with the material and can actively learn how to overcome their biases.
Reinforcement for Inclusion is A Best Practice
A fundamental concept in effective training is reinforcement. Most people, no matter how engaged they are during a learning session, will forget some of what they’ve learned. Offering sessions to reinforce the training concepts is fundamental and can be accomplished in many different ways:
- Provide digital mini courses as refreshers of concepts
- Encourage team leaders to integrate the concepts into regular meetings
- Encourage Employee Resource Groups to talk about the concepts that impact them
- Schedule follow-up training
Effective Inclusive Training Targets Leaders, Too
If you’re in a position to influence culture change, it’s important to train managers and leaders in Creating a Diverse, Inclusive Culture. They will be instrumental in maintaining employee awareness of the inclusion goals of your business.
Of course, their training should include elements of inclusive leadership as well. Some companies start with a general training for a large number of employees and provide more advanced concepts through webinars and digital courses. This not only provides the information the leaders and managers need, but it is cost effective at the same time.
Quality Inclusion Training Enhances a Culture of Diversity
It’s not difficult to implement excellent inclusion training to build a productive, collaborative culture that is diverse. It takes thought, a strategy, an understanding of the needs of the individuals and finding a good partner in the training arena who can deliver effective training.
Your organization could benefit financially, with recruitment and in the area of employee retention. The effort is well worth it.
Learn more about how to build a culture of diversity and inclusion. Schedule a call with our consultants.
