| Think of the two people on your team with the least in common. Do they utilize these differences to enrich their common understanding or do they tend to just avoid one another?
"Connections" helps your team members find genuine points of similarity--the connections necessary for a true and beneficial exploration of differences. | | |
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| Participants identify where their beliefs come from. They go on to discuss and understand impacts. | | |
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| Employees who have been encouraged to act as Change Agents now need the next step, tools that show them a way to do it. Day-to-day Change Agent behavior | | |
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| Team members must decide if they're part of a dominant or non-dominant group. They then go on to explore their choices.
NOTE: This is a deeply personal exercise. Some participants may not be comfortable doing this activity. We recommend Diversity Councils or other groups that are clearly ready to have this conversation. Create a safe environment by setting up guidelines and discuss confidentiality. | | |
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| Several words are consistently used to talk about diversity. Many contain subtle connotations about diversity. In small groups or pairs, participants explore and discuss certain words. Then they have a chance to confront and challenge assumptions they have had about language and jargon. | | |
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| Sometimes changing our behavior takes a little urging and encouragement from others. Participants consider possibilities and impacts. | | |
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| Do you think people who speak only English use the rules of grammar properly a majority of the time? If not, then how does that affect someone trying to learn the language? Participants are challenged to expand their horizons of understanding non-native speakers. | | |
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| Today, more U.S. residents than ever (a 40 percent increase during the 1990s according to Census Bureau data) are speaking a language different from English when they are at home.
– U.S. Census Bureau Survey data as of December 7, 2001 | | |
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| In this activity, participants are forced to rank whom they would like to be with in a variety of situations. The learning comes from the discussion following the ranking, rather than from the ranking itself as participants hear how biases become part of their thought process. | | |
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| Many of the statements that we hear and say ourselves have an implied assumption behind them. This activity plumbs these assumptions. | | |
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| As heritage months grow increasingly popular, this is a good group of ideas for celebrating them. These are just a few examples of activities or tools you can use to create a unique feel for each month and aid in education around these cultures. | | |
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| When a new employee arrives on the job, that person is excited, eager, anxious, and nervous, all at the same time. New employees of diverse backgrounds, or those who are "different," enter a new workplace and often, unconsciously, check out the environment to see if it's a place that can be navigated easily and provide the support needed. It all begins the first day. | | |
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| New language learners often find it easier to understand a second language when they listen to or read it than when they speak or write it. We often make the assumption that if it can't be written or spoken, it's not understood and then jump to the conclusion that communication isn't possible. | | |
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| This discussion requires a great deal of honesty and trust within the group. It needs to be done very seriously to work. In many workplaces, there are people who, for whatever reason, are made to feel like they are the ones who really matter. They feel appreciated and often are sought out for projects and friendship. At the same time, others are made to feel like they are less important or insignificant. They are marginalized and they know it. There is a strong correlation between this concept and performance. Often, it overpowers skills and abilities. When people are marginalized their self-esteem and confidence are eroded, so they doubt their abilities and minimize their skill contributions. | | |
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| We know that a sense of belonging is a critical element for an inclusive culture. We also know that many of the social customs in an organization's culture that promote gathering and belonging have become an unconscious norm. While some may adapt to these customs easily, others may find that the norm is foreign to them or uncomfortable because of their culture, background, religion, or values.
Social norms in a culture frequently involve food, drink, and celebrations. | | |
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| As our population becomes more and more diverse, we have adopted new language to identify "people groups. " These labels may or may not be the preferred terms for the individuals involved.
– U.S. Census Bureau Survey
NOTE: This can be a sensitive activity and requires a nonthreatening and respectful approach. | | |
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| Participants consider Diversity Change Agent behaviors that they have demonstrated. They take a quick run around the group, using worksheet as a guide. | | |
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| Newspapers are wonderful sources of learning about different cultures. They are a valuable resource that is often overlooked, as people outside the culture may be hesitant to use them. | | |
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| It's possible to determine what is important to a culture by starting with its heroes/heroines and then working backwards through the layers to get to the core of beliefs that the heroes/heroines represent as part of the culture. | | |
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| Often, when we come into a new situation, rules are imposed upon us without any rationale or explanation. These rules may be shared, or, as in the last step of this activity, they may be unspoken. | | |
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| Participants join a small group based on the ethnic, gender, religious, and cultural category associated with that small group. Groups answer questions together. A debrief session follows. | | |
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| Tour your work environment and identify any access concerns or usage barriers that could inhibit people with disabilities from doing their jobs.
This is a good activity for a Diversity Council to do as a group, or for a manager to do alone, or with input from employees. | | |
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| With Hispanic heritage month just around the corner, these Hispanic proverbs might add some multicultural flair to an email attachment or internal mailing. | | |
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| One of ProGroup's Mentoring modules, the Learning Partner Toolkit helps you start and maintain a mentoring relationship | | |
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| One of ProGroup's Mentoring modules, Your Career Journey invites you to manage your career journey. You determine what things you are passionate about, what your goals are, both professionally and personally, and how much energy you are willing to invest along the way. | | |
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| One of ProGroup's Mentoring modules, Sharing Organizational Knowledge. Working with a mentor can provide more than the "nice to know" facts about your organization. Your mentor
can provide insights and knowledge that can really make a difference in your ability to navigate for success. | | |
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| One of ProGroup's Mentoring modules, Influencing Others Through Leadership. | | |
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| Successful organizations are staffed with employees who balance tasks and relationships. The dual competencies of task and relationship are influenced by personal culture, work environment, deadlines, societal influences, and collaboration between individuals and teams. | | |
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| One of ProGroup's six Mentoring Modules, Increasing Visibility. This module will challenge you to think about ways that will spotlight your day-to-day activities in positive ways. | | |
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