Meeting the leadership challenge of a diverse and pluralistic workplace: implications of self-efficacy for diversity training.

Executive Summary

Ways to maximize benefits of an increasingly diverse workforce and client base is a continuing concern for organizational leadership. The current processes for managing diversity continue to be necessary but are not sufficient to result in effective outcomes in 21st century organizational environments. Diversity training remains the primary method used to facilitate behavior change. However, existing diversity training is perceived to have failed, calling for a new diversity leadership focus to improve diversity performance. This paper proposes application of the research supporting the self-efficacy construct to build diversity self-efficacy and bridge the gap between diversity training and diversity performance.

Over the past several decades, leadership has had to operate and participate in the creation of a more diverse workplace. The 21st century is marshaling in a new era for a leadership focus on diversity management. This challenge emerges from the effects and interactions of globalization, expanded markets, and changing workforce demographics. These factors demand that leadership in organizations provide a more systematic and innovative approach to harnessing and utilizing the positive influences of difference. In this article it is offered that Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1986) with its focus on self-direction and self-regulation provides guidance to organizational leaders for improving and strengthening individual and collective results of diversity training. More specifically, it is proposed that the construct of self-efficacy (Bandura, 1997) or the individual's judgment of ability to perform a certain task can positively affect motivation and behavior with respect to diversity and diversity training effectiveness.

Research suggests that situations reflecting serious overt and subtle discrimination continue to exist in the work environment. Grossman (2000) suggests that in spite of organizational efforts to manage diversity very little has changed in the experiences of culture, ethnicity, race, and gender groups. A new leadership effort must emerge to address diversity issues. To effectively integrate diversity in the 21st century work place, this new leadership focus must rely on proven theory based approaches. Diversity programs and initiatives require examination and reformulation in order for organizations to meet the increasing demands of work environments that are "colored" by difference.

Organizational leadership has opted, most frequently, to use diversity training to bring about a positive diversity climate. Diversity training infuses the organization with information and seeks to change the behaviors of employees related to diversity. In many cases the perception is that diversity training has not met expectations as a mechanism for alleviating the work environment of discrimination and prejudice (Caudron, 1999). As a change strategy, diversity training has been labeled ineffective (Flynn, 1998; McKee & Schor, 1999) Many suggest that such training does very little to promote a positive diversity climate. And, at best, diversity training programs, as currently constructed, result in only short-term suspension of discriminatory behaviors and often create more trouble than they resolve (Hemphill & Haines, 1997).