Embracing diversity can be a rather complex issue. Many people claim to be open-minded and welcoming of others, but in reality are not as tolerant as they think. Because there is no room for discrimination in today’s workplace, organizations are wise to periodically brush up on their diversity and inclusion training.

The animated and entertaining video A Peacock in the Land of Penguins provides an excellent refresher. This video reminds viewers to appreciate people whose personalities and backgrounds are different from their own. It emphasizes the dangers of conformity while showing the organizational success that can be achieved when all individuals are able to utilize their unique strengths and knowledge.

It paints a vivid picture of why organizations must overcome the tendency to stick with “the way we’ve always done it”, and shows how things like problem solving and innovation benefit from the inclusion of all types of opinions, input and expertise.

This video is a must see for any employee. It is powerful for non-managers who work on diverse teams as well as for upper management and executives who are responsible for building a tolerant and welcoming organizational culture.

When someone says something hurtful, whether to us or to someone else, it’s easy to retreat into ourselves.  After all, much of the popular self-help wisdom out there advises us that it’s a sign of maturity to let hurtful statements roll off our backs.

When we see another person subjected to stereotypical comments or prejudice, we might think it’s up to them to respond.  How can we know what hurts or offends anyone else – and who are we to step in to defend someone?

Yet prejudicial, stereotypical statements are painful, whether they’re directed at us or at another individual or a group we don’t belong to.  We all react in some way. (more…)

We tend to focus on diversity as an issue of workplace relationships.

It’s much more than that.

When we limit our focus to whether or not people are “playing nicely” together, the idea of diversity can take on a lot of destructive baggage.  We can even begin thinking that it would be easier if we had a less diverse workforce.  After all, if everyone were more alike, we wouldn’t have to deal with these issues – right?

Maybe, and maybe not. (more…)

Have you ever been startled to discover yourself thinking thoughts you don’t agree with?

Perhaps you’ve found yourself with foot-in-mouth disease, listening to yourself say something intolerant about – for instance – an ethnic or religious group.  Even as you hear the words coming from your lips, you’re thinking, “I don’t really believe that!”

You’re not going crazy, and you’re not some sort of secret bigot. (more…)

The first time we meet someone, they’re a stranger.

No matter how that meeting takes place – an introduction from a friend or co-worker, at our favorite neighborhood coffee shop, or by chance at a party – that person is a stranger to us.

(We’re also strangers to them, which is something we tend to forget.)

Human beings are wired to fit things into categories, and in general that’s a good thing.  Just think how difficult it would be if we couldn’t lump similar items together into groups – “houses” or “cars” – but instead had to keep a separate space in our brains and vocabularies to remember and describe each item individually.

However, value judgments tend to get lumped into those categories along with the items. (more…)

Isn’t it amazing how we can find an individual with just the skills our organization needs, then attempt to change that person so they think and act more like us? Here’s a free animated video clip that shows how unwelcoming organizations can be when it comes to diversity.

Recommended Training Resource: Anyone Can Be An Ally  Featuring subject matter expert Brian McNaught and commentary from numerous individuals, this program puts a face on issues that confront LGBT workers. Viewers learn about unwelcoming vs. welcoming behaviors and are shown how to build a workplace where everyone feels comfortable and fully able to contribute.

By Steve L. Robbins, Ph.D.

Who out there knows everything?”  (Recognize that I didn’t ask, “Who thinks they know everything?”) No human knows everything. None of us has had ALL experiences. All of us have incomplete knowledge when it comes to our world and the people and ideas in our world. All of us are missing some data—a lot of data relative to the universe of data. And if that’s the case, (that we lack sufficient knowledge in many areas and subjects of which we have little experience), do you suppose we could be wrong every once in a while, maybe even more than every once in a while? I think you know the answer to that question. (more…)