Instead of 'diversity' training, try common sense

By Michael Barone, Michael Barone

Published December 20, 2015

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Here's something rare: a sensible analysis of "diversity" training, in an article in the Harvard Business Review by the CEO of a company that "strengthens leadership in people and in organizations." Excerpt:

"A study of 829 companies over 31 years showed that diversity training had 'no positive effects in the average workplace.' Millions of dollars a year were spent on the training resulting in, well, nothing. Attitudes — and the diversity of the organizations — remained the same.

"It gets worse. The researchers — Frank Dobbin of Harvard, Alexandra Kalev of Berkeley, and Erin Kelly of the University of Minnesota — concluded that 'In firms where training is mandatory or emphasizes the threat of lawsuits, training actually has negative effects on management diversity.'"