The Three Different Approaches to Diversity Training Programs

The three different approaches to diversity training programs that I selected can be found in Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, & Wright, (2011). They are attitudes programs, behavioral programs, and finally cultural immersion. The attitudes program that most companies use is focused on increasing awareness of cultural and ethnic differences, as well as the differences in personal or physical characteristics to include disabilities. This program helps change the way employees treat each other based off of their attitudes and how their attitudes can affect the overall production and environment. (Noe et al., 2011). Companies use behavior programs to help their employees who inhibit negative behaviors towards diverse groups do to their beliefs and or attitudes towards these groups of people. They show how the employee’s behavior can affect the growth and productivity at all levels due to their behaviors.

The program shows ways to counter these behaviors to help reduce them and improve the growth and productivity amongst the employees and throughout the company (Noe et al., 2011). The final diversity training is cultural immersion, this focuses on placing employees of different cultures (whether it be race, sex, or religion) in a community of another culture and have them learn, mentor, and build working and productive relationships that will help improve all areas (Noe et al., 2011). These are not just for lower levels to be trained on, it is for the lowest level of employee’s, all the way to the president of the company. Many companies like to use videos and experiential exercises to increase awareness of negative, emotional, and performance effects of stereotypes and the resulting behaviors on members of minority groups.

Reference:

Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2011). Fundamentals of human resource management (4th ed.). Chicago, IL: McGraw-Hill. Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, & Wright, 2011, pp.213-214