Diversity Programs Can Enhance Group Productivity

<B> Diversity Programs Can Enhance Group Productivity</B>

By Lauren Bielski

Whether you side with the President or against him, the ongoing accusations about sexual misbehavior in the White House have sparked interest in diversity training programs that focus on the art of inclusive management. But a corporation doesn't have to be in trouble for the diversity concept to work its special magic on meeting productivity.

Tim Mulvaney, a diversity consultant in New York City, maintains that smart communications strategies employing the diversity theme ensure that meaningful conversations occur in all conference rooms, not just the Oval Office. His approach so far has been adopted by clients that include Blue Cross Blue Shield, The Pillsbury Company and American Express Financial Advisors.

At least three other companies also specialize in this type of training. J. Howard Group in Boston, The Institute for Diversity Management in Atlanta and ProGroup in Minneapolis all focus on diversity, and special divisions of major consulting firms also coach fairer playing rules as more companies try to advance positive relationships, boost productivity at the office, and draw the best and the brightest workers from the smallest pool of workers in recent history.

Mulvaney and his competitors coach managers to facilitate less guarded communication. The point, he said, is not to lecture a roomful of white male executives about how women or minorities think, but rather to get individuals to become conscious of their own attitudes.

"Meetings are really the place where the rubber hits the road as far as testing out diversity concepts," Mulvaney said. "Many managers don't realize that their preconceived ideas about a person can block the exchange of useful, potentially lucrative ideas."

Raising Tolerance Levels

Myrna Marofsky, president of 12-year-old Minneapolis-based ProGroup, said her company tries to get managers and their teams "beyond the tolerance zone" and moving toward an "appreciation of diverse viewpoints" by making them aware of hostile, inappropriate or demoralizing judgments and behaviors. This is particularly important for meeting planners, whose job is to make every attendee feel included.

The simple act of assuming that you understand the significance of religious dietary practices without consulting someone in the know, for example, negatively can impact how an entire meeting is received. Similarly, scheduling a meeting on a religious or cultural holiday can so offend attendees that virtually nothing positive can be accomplished.

Mulvaney said most people are well-intentioned, but lack the communication skills to keep a meeting moving in a reasonable direction. "A lot of managers are very good at grilling subordinates or cornering them, but aren't so great at being clear or soliciting information through follow up questions," he said.

Mulvaney's training exercises--which are applications of cognitive restructuring techniques--get people to examine the thought processes fueling their behavior.