Diversity program failure

Diversity programs might also be creating a worse working environment for white men. In a study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology , researchers compared the job interview performance of white men at companies with and without stated diversity programs.

They also performed more poorly in the job interview, as judged by independent raters. And their cardiovascular responses during the interview revealed that they were more stressed.

And perhaps more importantly, their research sheds light on diversity approaches that actually seem to work. Diversity training is used in about half of mid-sized companies and nearly all of the Fortune But these programs fail for a number of reasons:. Many programs are mandatory.

Some companies make it clear that diversity programs are remedial , particularly after harassment cases or complaints against managers. It is the one that is most adaptable to change. This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here. More From Forbes. Jan 12, , pm EST. Jan 12, , am EST. Jan 11, , pm EST.

Jan 10, , pm EST. Y'all see this? The percentage of African-American men who hold board seats has actually fallen over the past decade, according to a recent survey. Their own research has focused on how diversity policies can alter perceptions of how workers are treated.

In a recent paper , they found that the presence of a diversity policy makes white males more anxious about fair treatment. They have more research forthcoming on how Latinos perceive diversity programs. The authors also pointed to the need for good data and research on what works. Tech stalwart Intel, for example, has concrete, measurable goals around diversity in hiring. Businesses started caring a lot more about diversity after a series of high-profile lawsuits rocked the financial industry.

They have also expanded training and other diversity programs. Although the proportion of managers at U. The numbers were even worse in investment banks though that industry is shrinking, which complicates the analysis. Among all U. Even in Silicon Valley, where many leaders tout the need to increase diversity for both business and social justice reasons, bread-and-butter tech jobs remain dominated by white men.

Firms have long relied on diversity training to reduce bias on the job, hiring tests and performance ratings to limit it in recruitment and promotions, and grievance systems to give employees a way to challenge managers.

Yet laboratory studies show that this kind of force-feeding can activate bias rather than stamp it out. As social scientists have found, people often rebel against rules to assert their autonomy. Yet this approach also flies in the face of nearly everything we know about how to motivate people to make changes. Do people who undergo training usually shed their biases? Researchers have been examining that question since before World War II, in nearly a thousand studies.

It turns out that while people are easily taught to respond correctly to a questionnaire about bias, they soon forget the right answers. The positive effects of diversity training rarely last beyond a day or two, and a number of studies suggest that it can activate bias or spark a backlash.

Nonetheless, nearly half of midsize companies use it, as do nearly all the Fortune Many firms see adverse effects. One reason is that three-quarters use negative messages in their training. Another reason is that about three-quarters of firms with training still follow the dated advice of the late diversity guru R. Roosevelt Thomas Jr. Trainers tell us that people often respond to compulsory courses with anger and resistance —and many participants actually report more animosity toward other groups afterward.

Research from the University of Toronto reinforces our findings: In one study white subjects read a brochure critiquing prejudice toward blacks.

When people felt pressure to agree with it, the reading strengthened their bias against blacks. When they felt the choice was theirs, the reading reduced bias. Companies too often signal that training is remedial. The diversity manager at a national beverage company told us that the top brass uses it to deal with problem groups.

Managers tend to resent that implication and resist the message. This kind of thing still happens.