CULTURAL DIVERSITY TRAINING FOR MANAGERS

Many situations which managers face in supervising a culturally diverse workforce can be confusing and challenging. Often, however, situations which on the surface appear to have no easy answer, may in reality have a quick, common sense resolution when we are able to grow beyond the fear and prejudgments which often cloud our thinking on matters of cultural diversity. This course is designed to help managers in that growth.

Research has shown that when managed effectively, diverse organizations are consistently more creative and produce higher quality products than monocultural organizations. Conversely, when managed poorly, diverse organizations are less creative and turn out poorer quality products than monocultural organizations. For that reason, in order for the employer to remain competitive, it is imperative that managers be able to effectively supervise employees from extremely diverse cultural backgrounds. Difficulties in managing "diverse employees" may surface, however, when managers are unaware of their own cultural filters and/or are unfamiliar with the cultures of employees who are culturally different from themselves. Gaining such awareness and familiarity are important both for the organization's productivity and in order to avoid the alienation and discomfort often experienced by employees who are the targets of prejudicial attitudes, comments and actions in the workplace.

Interactive, adult learning techniques and experiential exercises to help participants achieve higher levels of self-awareness and skill in managing a diverse environment are used in the workshop. A two-day workshop is highly recommended to effectively address the variety of issues around which this course is designed. Both one and two day workshops, however, are available.

The objectives of "Effectively Managing in a Culturally Diverse Environment" are to:

1. Raise participants' knowledge of the significant business advantages of effectively managing diversity;
   
   
2. Increase participants' understanding of:
   
   
   • The many, typical ways in which employees' present skills and future potential may be unconsciously judged; and,
   • The serious adverse impact on both the employer and the employee, of pre-judging employees in that way.
     
     
3. Heighten participants' awareness of both:
   
   
   • The many, typical, often daily "micro-inequities" perceived, experienced and reported by "culturally different" employees; and,
   • Simple actions that can be taken to avoid such "micro-inequities".

Specific topics to be covered in the workshop include:

1. Areas of personal unfamiliarity with specific aspects of cultural diversity. Participants will be afforded ample opportunity to ask and obtain answers to questions in those areas of unfamiliarity in an atmosphere of openness and lack of judgment.
   
   
2. Stumbling blocks managers commonly experience when managing a culturally diverse workforce and common sense strategies for avoiding them.
   
   
3. Becoming aware of one's personal leadership style and its relative effectiveness in managing a diverse workforce.
   
   
4. A range of different leadership styles in the areas of communication, giving work assignments, monitoring employee performance, giving feedback and conducting performance evaluations, that are consistently more effective in culturally diverse settings.
   
   
5. Developing a personal action plan for more effectively managing workforce diversity, including:
   
   
   • Integrating "diverse" staff members into work settings
   • Accurately determining when problems are due to cultural diversity vs. other issues;
   • Effectively resolving and otherwise responding to cross-cultural conflict;
   • Reducing prejudice; and,
   • Preventing discrimination.
     
     
6. Creating and maintaining a work environment in which all employees feel valued and respected by both their manager and their colleagues.