Supervisor Sensitivity TrainingNo Matter the Workplace

It is more than, Sensitivity training is a form of training with the goal of making

people more aware of their own prejudices and more sensitive to others.

The goal and PRACTICEUnfreezing the old values -It requires that the trainees become aware of the inadequacy of the old values. This can be done when the trainee faces dilemma in which his old values is not able to provide proper guidance.

Yes it is about and OTHERSIn one way Sensitivity training is the process of developing emotional intelligence, which means "the mental ability an individual possesses enabling him or her to be sensitive and understanding to the emotions of others as well as being able to manage their own emotions and impulses". [Emotional intelligence, according to Merriam Webster, "describes the ability, capacity, skill or, in the case of the trait, to identify, assess, and manage the emotions of one's self, of others, and of groups."] Emotional intelligence enable employees to act according to the situation in the organization faced by him. It develops the ability to understand others feeling and their mental status and interact accordingly. Conflicts and misunderstandings are mostly raised because of lack of emotional intelligence possessed by the person which leads to breakup in perception and relationship they main since long time in organization and effects the productivity of the organization.

Your Head and Your OUTER VOICE

Trying to rewrite that Page• The competencies include...Emotional Self-Awareness (knowing what

you are feeling),• Emotional Self-Management (choosing your emotions - transforming

negative emotions into positive emotions),• Emotional Self-Motivation (using positive emotions to persist under

pressure),• Empathy (awareness of other's feelings and using that awareness for

successful solutions), and• Nurture Relationships (creating a cooperative and collaborative climate)• The ability to stop and transform negative feelings in any given moment

helps us to stop much of the stress that we might have otherwise experienced.

What was, is not longer played in the workforce or any other place

The Role of the Supervisor• Setting goals• Demonstrating effective behaviors• Decision-making• Managing Change• Time Management• Communication Skills• Effective Meeting Skills• Motivation• Delegation• Training

Effective behaviors

• Patience• Tolerance• Sensitivity• Empathy• Decisiveness• Sense of humor

Decision Making

• Be truly open-minded• Avoid taking sides• Recognize your own bias• Don’t let titles or prestige influence your

decisions• Avoid absolute wordings in your decisions

Communication Skills• Present one idea at a time• Keep it simple• Make it brief• Personalize it to the other person• Use the right tone of voice and body language• Get acceptance of each idea• Respond to the emotions of the person• Appreciate your listener’s concerns• Encourage listeners to express themselves

Steps to improve listening skills

• Ask questions• Concentrate – stay focused• Identify the main idea• Listen for the rationale• Listen for key words• Organize in your mind• Take notes

Criticism• Do it as quickly as you can after discovering the problem

• Limit comments to the person’s actions in this situation

• Let them do some of the talking

• Be considerate• Don’t mix criticism with

praise• Don’t play psychiatrist• Make it private

Unconscious Bias*Our brains unconsciously make decisions on what feels safe,

likeable, valuable, and competent.

“We make decisions largely in a way that is designed to confirm beliefs that we already have.”

Unconscious beliefs impact the way we perceive others, perceive ourselves, and as such influence our organizations.

Life or Death?

Symbols – What do you think?Gladiator Signal from Emperor

Doesn’t Matter What Message You SendOnly the Message That Was Received!

It is a Co-Responsibility

Cultural Derailing BehaviorsCarry A Powerful Impact

Pushing Buttons or Can Buttons Push You?

How Many Symbols Can You Identify?

Christian Cross Star of David Muslim Crescent

Hindu Omkar Shinto Torii

Hindu Lotus Flower

Sikh Khanda Toaist Taiji ZoroastrianFaravahar

Baha’I Nine Pointed Star

Buddhist Dharma Wheel

Jainism Wicca Unitarian-Universalism

Unification Church

Atheist

A defined set of values and principles, and demonstrated behaviors,

attitudes and structures that enable employees and leaders to work

effectively cross-culturally. Managing Diversity At Duke University: A Toolkit for Managers: Cultural Competency

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Defining Cultural Competence

What is “Cultural Competency?”

• CULTURAL COMPETENCY acknowledges that, while people develop a more or less automatic depth of understanding of the subject positions and cultures into which we are born and socialized, achieving something like that depth of understanding of other subject positions and other cultures is far more difficult, but not impossible.

• The process of gaining depth of understanding of subject positions and cultures other than your own is the process of gaining various degrees of CULTURAL COMPETENCY

Cultural Competence ContinuumCultural Proficiency

Systems and organizations hold culture in high esteem, as a foundation to guide all of their endeavors.

Cultural Competence

Systems and organizations that demonstrate an acceptance and respect for cultural differences.

Cultural Pre-competence

Awareness within systems or organizations of their strengths and areas for growth to respond effectively to culturally and linguistically diverse groups.

Cultural Blindness Expressed philosophy of viewing and treating all people as the same.

Cultural Incapacity Lack of capacity of systems and organizations to respond effectively to the needs, interests and preferences of culturally and linguistically diverse groups.

Cultural Destructiveness

Attitudes, policies, structures, and practices within a system or organization that are destructive to a cultural group.

National Center for Cultural Competence (NCCC). Cultural Competence Continuum. Adapted from Toward A Culturally Competent System of Care, Volume 1, Cross et al.

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Secondary Dimensions of Diversity

Traditionalist Baby Boomer Generation X Millennial1922 –1945 1943 –1965 1963 – 1982 1978 – 2002

• Greatest Generation

• Matures• Silent

Generation• Veterans

• Boomers • Baby Bust• Gen X• Xers

• Digital Generation

• Echo Boomers• Generation E• Generation Y• Nexters• N-Gens• Net Generation

Source: Generational Differences in the Workplace by Anick Tolbize, August 16, 2008

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Ascribed Characteristics of 4 Generations

Traditionalist Baby Boomer Generation X Generation Y/

MillennialOutlook Practical Optimistic Skeptical HopefulWork Ethic Dedicated Driven Balanced AmbitiousView of Authority

Respectful Love/Hate Unimpressed Relaxed, Polite

Decision-making

Hierarchy Consensus Competence Collaboration

Relationships Self-sacrifice Self-gratification Noncommittal Loyal, inclusive

Perspective Civic-minded Team-oriented Self-Reliant Civic-minded

Turn-Offs Vulgarity Political Incorrectness

Clichés, Hype Cynicism, Condescending

Adapted from Talent Strategies Update: International Association for Corporate & Professional Recruitment, 2011-01.

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Generational Differences

Inappropriate dress 55%Poor work ethic 54%Excessively informal language and/or behavior 38%Need for supervision 38%Inappropriate use of or excessive reliance on technology 38%Lack of respect for authority 36%Lack of respect for organizational hierarchy 35%Inability to balance work and life 28%Inability to navigate office politics 24%Inability to work within a defined structure 22%Low productivity 19%General skills deficiencies 18%Inability to work as part of a team 17%

What complaints or concerns have people managers in your organization raised about the performance of younger workers?

Note: n = 242. Excludes responses of "N/A, not aware of any complaints or concerns raised by people managers regarding younger workers." The response category "Unrealistic expectations of employment, current job and/or advancement" was added based on the write-in responses to "other." Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response options.

• Young people have an attitude problem• Want everything on their own terms• Don’t understand “paying dues” concept• Want expensive training right away• Work minimum hours and then go home• Have short attention span• I am doing more parenting than managing• They dress too casually for the workplace

Traditionalist/Baby Boomer Perspectives

The Greatest Generation Great Depression New Deal World War II Korean War Frank Sinatra Gone with the Wind John Wayne, Bob Hope Honeymooners Sputnik went into Orbit Party Line Phones

Boomers:Civil RightsWoodstockCold WarMLK/JFK,RFK DeathsRoom size computersMan Walks on the MoonVietnam War and ProtestsCaptain KangarooElvis, Rolling StonesBeam Me Up ScottyHippies (Peace,Love)Digital Phones

Events and Experiences

• I don’t like being stuck in a cubicle with nothing to do

• Supervisor has hardly any contact with me• My skills have not been tested• I don’t want to be locked in a dead-end job• Nobody asks for my opinion• Nobody recognizes my contributions

Generation X & Y Perspectives

Xers:Fall of Berlin WallWatergateWomen’s LiberationDesert StormEnergy CrisisAIDS IdentifiedSchoolhouse Rock, Sanford and

SonSingle ParentsCell Phones/Real ComputersBoth parents working

Millenials:School shootingsOklahoma City, ColumbineEveryone Knows (Facebook)Child focused worldMulticulturalTechno Savvy, Smart Phones/IPADIraq/AfghanistanEveryone Hates ChrisReality Shows, Dancing with the Stars,

Lost, American IdolVideo GamersExpectations for Telework

Events and Experiences

Psychological Safety - TrustOutside of your own family, whom do you trust?

Your doctor/surgeon?

New or Used Car Dealer?

Auto Mechanic?

Commercial Airlines?

Banker or Broker, FDA or the Government?.....VA?

Listen to the worker’s perception of the problem

Explain your perception of the problem

Acknowledge and discuss differences/similarities

Recommend course of action

Negotiate course of action

The LEARN Model

Berlin and Fowkes from Stanford University

• Respectful to each other• Willingness to share, risk change,& explore• Open to each other’s differences• Understand the power of action and words• Ability to recognize learning opportunities• Possessing knowledge of one’s self• Having an attitude that “Different is okay or interesting”• Commitment – Co-Responsibility

Skills and Characteristics of Cultural Competency

• Cultural Competent skills– Use inclusive language - Make no assumptions– Learn about each other’s culture, generation, &

beliefs– Active Listening – Learn about the client’s culture– Explain what you want to do and why– Approach with engagement, openness and with the

willingness to learn

Cultural Competent Communication Skills

Your NEWLY LEARNED GOALSThese include:

1. Increased understanding, insight, and self awareness about one's own behavior and its impact on others, including the ways in which others interpret one's behavior.

2. Increased understanding and sensitivity about the behavior of others, including better interpretation of both verbal and nonverbal clues, which increases awareness and understanding of what the other person is thinking and feeling.

3. Better understanding and awareness of group and intergroup processes, both those that facilitate and those that inhibit group functioning.

4. Increased diagnostic skills in interpersonal and intergroup situations. For the authors, the accomplishments of the first three objectives provide the basic tools for accomplishing the fourth objective.

5. Increased ability to transform learning into action, so that real life interventions will be more successful in increasing member effectiveness, satisfaction, output, or effectiveness.

6. Improvement in individuals' ability to analyze their own interpersonal behavior, as well as to learn how to help themselves and others with whom they come in contact to achieve more satisfying, rewarding, and effective interpersonal relationships.

Different sensitivity programs may emphasize one or more of these goals or may neglect some. However, they are goals that are common to most T groups.

Self ROLES and OrganizationsSelf• Increased awareness of own feelings and reactions, and own impact on others.• Increased awareness of feelings and reactions of others, and their impact on self.• Increased awareness of dynamics of group action.• Changed attitudes toward self, others, and groups; i.e., more respect for, tolerance for, and faith in self, others, and groups.• Increased interpersonal competence; i.e., skill in handling interpersonal and group relationships toward more productive

and• satisfying relationships.

Role• Increased awareness of own organizational role, organizational dynamics, dynamics of larger social systems, and dynamics

of the change process in self, small groups, and organizations.• Changed attitudes toward own role, role of others, and organizational relationships, i,e., more respect for and willingness to

deal with others with whom one• is interdependent, greater willingness to achieve collaborative relationships with others based on mutual trust.• Increased interpersonal competence in handling organizational role relationships with superiors, peers, and subordinates.

Organization

• Increased awareness of, changed attitudes toward, and increased interpersonal competence about organizational problems of interdependent groups or units.

• Organizational improvement through the training of relationships or groups rather than isolated individuals.

Equality of Employees

It is not Quantum Physics but…What is Diversity…..really?

In its broadest context, diversity includes all that makes us unique:

Nine Dimensions of Difference

race, color, gender, religion, national origin, age, disability, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, parental status, educational background, socioeconomic status, intellectual perspective, organizational level, and more.

From ODI’s Glossary of Termshttp://www.diversity.va.gov/tools/glossary.aspx

YouIt is I!

Secondary Dimensions

• Characteristics that represent an individual’s group identity

• Unlike primary dimensions because of the element of choice

Cultural Competence

Cultural Competence refers to a combination of knowledge, skills and awareness pertaining to cultural differences and different interpretations across groups

It includes the awareness of and respect for differences, without making assumptions that everyone from a particular background holds the same beliefs and practices.

• Regardless of the various demographic groups each person is an individual with unique preferences, strengths and perspectives.

• Each of us wants to be respected and understood.• Being more respectful and formal with conversation • Being open-minded

– does not have to always equal acceptance or agreement but does help foster mutual respect.

• Flexibility and adaptability

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Key Attitude and Approaches

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Workplace Harassment

• Harassment is any unwelcome verbal or physical conduct based on race, color, sex (regardless of whether it is sexual in nature), sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or retaliation that is so offensive as to alter the condition of the victim’s employment.

• This standard is met when: – The conduct culminates in a tangible employment action, or– The conduct is sufficiently severe or pervasive as to create a hostile

work environment.

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Tangible Employment Action

• Definition: A management official’s harassment that results in a significant change in an employee’s employment or job status.

• Examples of tangible employment actions include but are not limited to:– Hiring and firing– Promotion or failure to promote– Demotion– Undesirable reassignment– Work assignments and other actions.

• Even an isolated instance of such misconduct is unlawful.

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Hostile Work Environment

• A hostile work environment is created by unwelcome conduct that is severe or pervasive.– The key issues are frequency and severity. The more severe the

conduct, the less frequent it must be to rise to the level of a hostile environment. The less severe the conduct, the more frequently it must occur to constitute a hostile environment.

• The conduct must be viewed as objectionable not only from the standpoint of the victim/target but also from the perspective of a “reasonable person” in similar circumstances.

• Anyone in the workplace can commit this type of harassment: a supervisor or manager, co-worker, or even a non-employee.

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Agency LiabilityFor Harassment by Management Official

• An agency is automatically liable for harassment by a management official that results in a tangible employment action regardless of whether upper management had knowledge of it.

• When harassment by a management official does not result in a tangible employment action, the conduct is analyzed as to whether it was severe or pervasive enough to create a hostile environment.

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Agency LiabilityFor Harassment by Management Official

• If the conduct created a hostile environment an agency is liable unless it can establish both elements of a two-part affirmative defense.– It exercised reasonable care to prevent and promptly correct

any harassment (agency has anti-harassment policy and complaint avenues); and

– The employee unreasonably failed to take advantage of any preventive or corrective opportunities provided by the agency or otherwise avoid harm. (employee failed to take advantage of complaint process).

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Agency LiabilityFor Harassment by Co-workers

• If harassment by a co-worker creates a hostile environment, the agency is liable if it knew or should have known of the conduct and failed to take immediate and appropriate corrective action.

• Example of co-worker harassment: When a female complains about the vulgar language and jokes that routinely fill the break room, her male co-workers tell her to, “lighten up and get use to it, because that’s how the boys behave.”– Do you think that management should have known of the

objectionable conduct that occurred in the break room?– Discuss the potential agency liability. – How would you as the manager handle this situation?

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Preventing Workplace Harassment

– Avoid initiating or participating in any behavior that may be misconstrued as possible harassment, including the following types of behavior:Verbal: unwelcome comments, yelling, offensive jokes or

stories;Visual: offensive pictures, photos, cartoons, posters calendars,

magazines or objects;Physical: unwelcome touching, hugging, kissing, stroking,

ogling or suggestive gestures;Written: unwelcome letters, notes or e-mails of a personal

nature.(please note that participation in or acquiescence to

objectionable behavior does not necessarily mean that the behavior is welcome)

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Preventing Workplace Harassment

• Avoid sexual, racial, ethnic, cultural, age/disability related jokes, epithets, comments, and e-mails.

• Respect a person’s indication that conduct or attention is not welcome.

• Do not invade another individual’s personal space.• Clearly inform those engaging in offensive behavior that you find it

objectionable.• Report observed instances of behavior that you believe qualify as

harassment.

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Retaliation

• There are three essential elements of any retaliation claim.– Protected activity: (i.e., participation in the statutory complaint

process or opposition to discrimination);– Adverse employment Action: Demonstrating that the

employer’s action in question “well might have dissuaded a reasonable employee from making or supporting a charge of discrimination”; and

– A causal connection between the protected activity and the employer’s action(s).

• Typically, the link between a protected activity and the challenged employer action is established if the action follows shortly after the protected activity. And if the individual that undertook the challenged action had prior knowledge of the protected activity.

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REASONABLE

ACCOMMODATION(Reassignment is the accommodation of last resort.)

Modifying Work Sites

Providing Readers

and Interpreters

Assistive

Devices

Flexible Leave Schedules

Accessible Facilities

Modifying

Work

Schedules

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Diversity DefinedDiversity is the mosaic of people who bring a variety of backgrounds, styles, perspectives, values and beliefs as assets to the groups and organizations with which they interact.

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Primary and Secondary Dimensions of Diversity

Age Gender

Disability

RaceEthnic Heritage

SexualOrientation

MilitaryExperience

WorkExperience

Socioeconomic status

Religion

FirstLanguage

OrganizationalRole and Level

Communication Style

FamilyStatus

Work/thinking Style

Education

GeographicLocation

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All Communication is Filtered Through Your Cultural Perspective

• Age• National origin• Race• Sexual orientation• Religion• Disability• Gender• Education• Work role/experience• Personality• Customs

• Geographic location• Functional discipline• Languages used• Values• Communication style• Work Style• Learning style• Economic status• Family situation• Military experience• Philosophical

perspective

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Benefits of Workforce Diversity & Inclusion• Improved understanding of those you work for, with, and

around.• Creates a work environment that allows everyone to reach

their full potential.• Provides multiple perspectives on problem solving.• Better performance outcomes.• Increases employee productivity.• Increased retention rates.• Boosts employee morale.• Improved customer relations.• Reduces complaints and grievances.• It’s the right thing to do!

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The Business Imperative:What does the research show?

• Workforce diversity is positively associated with higher business performance outcome measures.

• Racial diversity is positively associated with higher performance in organizations that integrate and leverage diverse perspectives as resources for product delivery.

• Gender diversity is positively associated with more effective group processes and performance in organizations with people-oriented performance cultures.

• Diverse teams are more creative and perform better in problem solving than homogeneous teams.*

• The effects of diversity on group processes and performance are highly dependent on the presence of facilitating or inhibiting conditions in the organization; absent facilitating conditions, the aforementioned outcomes are reversed.

Conclusion: Diversity enhances performance but requires attention.

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The Human Imperative: What are the lessons learned?

• Notwithstanding the economic costs, the human costs of intolerance to diversity is incalculable.

• Defining diversity solely as race and gender can have a detrimental effect; “understanding the multidimensional nature of identity is important in defining diversity in work teams.”*

• A framework for diversity in work groups should include:**– personal demographics– knowledge, skills, and abilities– values, beliefs, and attitudes– personality and cognitive and behavioral style – organizational demographics

• When defining diversity in multidimensional terms, including DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT, it naturally brings in aspects grounded in race, gender, and ethnicity.

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Key Questions1. Do staff, volunteers, or program

participants“check their individual identities at the door?”

2. What’s wrong with just being “color-blind” or “gender-blind” or whatever-kind of blind?

3. Does the “way we’ve always done it” close out thinking as well as staff, volunteers, program participants and community partners?

4. Is there some way you “ought to be” in order to fit in the association and its programs?

Organizational Culture

The expression of an organization’s collective values, beliefs, and behaviors.

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Organizational Inclusion

Extent to which the organization provides fair and equitable treatment to all employees and groups

Equity of Practices

Extent to which culture avoids assimilationist strategies and is open to learning from different and non-traditional sources

Organizational Culture

Extent to which the organization draws upon diverse sources of knowledge and experience for planning and operations

Voice & Participation

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Cultural Competence Cultural Competence is the ability to respond effectively and

appropriately to different cultural/generational contexts in the workplace.• Acknowledge and accept differences in cognitive,

behavioral, philosophical, social, and communicative styles that arise from different cultural generational contexts.

• Seek to understand; ask for clarification or reasons for the behavior

• Communicate policies, procedures clearly to employees if you are a manager

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Cultural/Generational Differences

• Individual vs. team work orientation• Visual vs. oral learning style• Expressive vs. introverted behavior• Physical vs. non-physical • Emotive vs. reserved personality• Assertive vs. acquiescent behavior• Gregarious vs. solitary social style• Work vs. family focus• Divergent vs. convergent thinking• Long term vs. short term career planning

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Cultural Competence

• Respect others’ opinions.• Acknowledge cultural/ generational

differences and historical injustices without becoming defensive.

• Be open to learning about other cultures and ideas.

• Give others the benefit of the doubt in a dispute.

• Seek first to understand others’ point of views; then to be understood.

Don’t stereotype.Don’t judge others by your own cultural standards.Don’t assume your culture’s way is the only way.Don’t talk down to anyone; communicate effectively.

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Impediments to Cross-CulturalCommunication

• Irrational Assumptions

• Misunderstanding

• Prejudice

• Fear

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Irrational Assumptions

An irrational assumption is a belief that is founded on baseless supposition, often skewed by bias. One of the best examples of irrational assumptions are the stereotypes we formulate about people based on their association or membership with cultural or ethnic groups.

“If we all worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true is really true,

there would be little hope of advance.”--Orville Wright

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Misunderstanding Misunderstandings are a normal part of communication

either because we unintentionally or intentionally use the wrong words or because we don’t understand what is being said to us. To prevent misunderstanding know who you’re talking to, be respectful, and be sure of what you want to say.

“Listen, I’m going to talk to the Indians. It’s probably a misunderstanding.”

--General Custer

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Prejudice By definition, prejudice is either a bias in favor of or against

something. Such biases can of course be benign, however, those preferences having to do with people can be hurtful and cause problems especially in the workplace.

“Just as a child is born without fear, so it is born without prejudice.

Prejudice, like fear, is acquired.”Marie Killea

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Fear

Fear of change in the workplace is counterproductive, especially fear of ideas and people who are different from us.

“I think we have to own the fears that we have of each other,

and then, in some practical way, some daily way,

figure out how to see people differently than the way we were brought up to.”

--Alice Walker

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Number 1 Rule for Diversity, Inclusion, and Constructive Conflict Management

• Dialogue! In order to understand the other’s point of view, seek first to understand.

• Dialogue! In order to communicate your own position.• Dialogue! In order to arrive at a mutually beneficial

agreement that serves common goals.

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Leadership Commitment

• Communicate and practice commitment to diversity and inclusion often.

• Reinforce diverse work and employment practices, including diversity of thought.

• Practice constructive conflict management.• Educate the workforce on the business value of diversity and

inclusion.• Mentor and coach diverse employees.

What is culture? • “. . . people with common origins, customs and

styles of living, who share a sense of identity and language. Their common experiences shape their values, goals, expectations, beliefs, perceptions and behaviorCulture is “all those things that people have learned to do, believe, value, and enjoy in their history. . . the ideals, beliefs, skills, tools, customs, and institutions into which each member of society is born” (Sue, 1981, p. 37).

• There is your own culture and the culture of others.

Self-Cultural Awareness Why do we need to be critically cognizant of our own

culture? • To understand the reasons for our actions and reactions;

based upon the social constructions of our These social constructions can differ from culture to culture.

• To realize that the socially acceptable/ unacceptable social constructions within a culture are ‘natural and common sense’ to the people in that culture because they are continuously a part of their way of life; learned from an early age

How can we facilitate self-cultural and cross-cultural awareness?

• Culture shock activity • Can be “ a powerful learning tool” (Adler, 1987, p. 24).

• Culturally Responsive Teaching• Inclusion of students' cultural references in

all aspects of learning (Ladson-Billings, 1994).

Purpose of Activity

• To demonstrate that in order to become aware of someone else’s culture, particularly the differences that may cause tension, we need to have a common language of expression.

• Written and/or oral

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Last Words To Ponder

“When we feel a sense of belonging it is not because we are the same as everyone else, but because we have been accepted as we are.”