David Brooks' column in the NYT on New Year's Day (the article in the url below) covers the way people make decisions, but focuses almost entirely on diversity training in the workplace. I think it is worth sharing because of the way various companies responded to the rise of the BLM social movement last summer; it is interesting, though, because, to me at least, it illustrates how complex such topics are and, most importantly, how good intentions often do not lead to good outcomes. These two paragraphs from the article are pertinent (particularly, the second one):
"One of the most studied examples of this flawed model is racial diversity training. Over the last few decades, most large corporations and other institutions have begun racial diversity programs to combat the bias and racism pervasive in organizational life. The courses teach people about bias, they combat stereotypes and they encourage people to assume the perspectives of others in disadvantaged groups. These programs are obviously well intended, and they often describe systemic racism accurately, but the bulk of the evidence, though not all of it, suggests they don't reduce discrimination. Firms that use such courses see no increase in managerial diversity. Sometimes they see an increase — not a decrease — in minority employee turnover."
"First, 'short-term educational interventions in general do not change people.' This is as true for worker safety courses as it is for efforts to combat racism. Second, some researchers argue that the training activates stereotypes in people's minds rather than eliminates them. Third, training can make people complacent, thinking that because they went through the program they've solved the problem. Fourth, the mandatory training makes many white participants feel left out, angry and resentful, actually decreasing their support for workplace diversity. Fifth, people don't like to be told what to think, and may rebel if they feel that they're being pressured to think a certain way."
As an attempt to minimize or counteract implicit biases (that we all have to some degree), the research suggests that most of the training programs employed in organizations today are, at best, ineffective and, at worst, counterproductive. Executives think they are doing something to correct the injustice, but in fact are not doing anything at all to address the underlying problem (and might well be making it worse):
"… as Tiffany L. Green and Nao Hagiwara wrote in Scientific American this past August, 'But to date, none of these interventions has been shown to result in permanent, long-term reductions of implicit bias scores or, more importantly, sustained and meaningful changes in behavior.'"
Brooks' solution to what seems like an intractable problem is, in essence, forced integration:
"Real change seems to involve putting bodies from different groups in the same room, on the same team and in the same neighborhood. That's national service programs. That's residential integration programs across all lines of difference. That's workplace diversity, equity and inclusion — permanent physical integration, not training."
Take care
David
David Chandler
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We Just Saw How Minds Aren't Changed
By David Brooks
January 1, 2021
The New York Times
Late Edition – Final
A19
