LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT MARETHA SMIT
Training a more inclusive workforce Maretha Smit looks at why organisations need to undertake a gap analysis to get the most from diversity and inclusion training programmes and the core knowledge areas that underpin learning how to thrive in a new New Zealand.
D
iversity and the ever-increasing complexity of diversity dimensions have become a defining feature of the New Zealand workplace. While our talent pool in Aotearoa is diverse by default, we need to actively design for inclusion within our organisations. Building knowledge through training is an essential component to ensuring all our people feel respected and valued and that New Zealand organisations can harness the benefits of diversity and inclusion to create better business and social outcomes. But there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to effective diversity and inclusion training. While training has some core areas, the first step for any organisation is to understand the maturity of their current diversity and inclusion journey and analyse areas for improvement. 22
HUMAN RESOURCES
AUTUMN 2021
This allows business leaders or human resources departments to develop a strategic approach that will provide the best return on investment, rather than taking an interventionalist approach when issues arise. Later this month, Diversity Works New Zealand is launching the Aotearoa Inclusivity Matrix (AIM). This evidence-based framework references global research but is specifically developed for the unique diversity and inclusion dynamics we face in New Zealand workplaces. It will be supported by tools that analyse the maturity of workplace practices across seven areas of impact, including leadership, attraction and recruitment, career development, inclusive collaboration and social sustainability. Its purpose is to enable business leaders to understand where they are at now and formulate a roadmap for transformation, which should include training specifically designed to meet the needs of the organisation. However, before you can implement advanced training programmes to improve organisational capabilities across your workforce, it’s essential to ensure people have a basic awareness of the concepts of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Three core areas of training are fundamental in delivering that awareness and creating a drive for inclusion throughout your talent force. We recommend starting with an understanding of unconscious bias, because that gives people an insight to themselves. It is difficult to begin a journey into valuing and understanding others if we do not start by understanding ourselves and how our brain works. Once we understand ourselves, we move to understanding others, especially those who are culturally different. Cultural intelligence training gives us perspective on how other people think and feel and why they behave the way they do. The third core area is inclusive leadership. Once we have a better understanding of ourselves and those around us, we use that knowledge in a strategic way to create more collaborative interactions in the workplace so everyone feels supported and able to do their best work. These basic elements of awareness are essential foundations that need to be in place to successfully embed diversity, equity and inclusion across your organisation’s systems, processes and strategies.
