Diversity & The Diversity Advantage: Food for Thought Preview Videos

By Coastal Human Resources

What makes a company successful? Some organizations feel the answer to that million-dollar question is managing diversity.   With increased global competition, many organizations have claimed that the key to their success is their people and their ability to educate their people to becoming more open and accepting of each other´s differences.

Diversity: Food for Thought

Short and to the point, this 20-minute video introduces viewers to Dom, the owner of the "Diversity Diner," and other different "customers" who explain what diversity is and how it can be an important tool because it gives people a chance to learn from others by acquiring different perspectives.   Also explored are the roles of HR in working with a diverse workforce, including such factors as:

v         Creating and promoting a safe and friendly environment for a diverse workforce

v         Ensuring that recruitment, hiring, promotions, and incentive plans encourage diversity

v         Preventing discrimination by instigating programs that support diversity and encourage open communication

Furthermore, this video facilitates discussions about change and the need to accept change as a part of success. Both employees and managers need to have an understanding of what diversity is, how different people can work with each other, and how to encourage each other to stop concentrating on differences and to learn to appreciate each other´s contributions.   Several suggested ways of promoting diversity include:

v         Acknowledging individual biases

v         Practicing sensitivity

v         Being flexible and accepting new ideas

What this video does not do is teach people how to become completely open-minded and fully accepting of every belief and value system out there. What it does do however, is create awareness of everyone´s individual prejudices and facilitates discussion on how to manage this prejudices in a way that offers respect and professionalism.  

The Diversity: Food for Thought Trainer´s Toolkit/Video includes the 20-minute video program, 50 handbooks, an expanded leader´s guide, a laminated poster and 5 menu reminder cards.   Interested users can purchase this package for $650 or rent it for 7 days at $165.   Extra menu cards are also available for an additional fee.   Interested users can also contact Coastal Training Technologies for a preview of the product.

The Diversity Advantage: Food for Thought

In the continuing saga of the Diversity Diner, where viewers were first introduced to restaurant owner and diversity advocate Dom, Coastal Human Resources offers another lesson in the importance of diversity in the workforce.   This 20-minute training video re-emphasizes the fact that diversity is here to stay and that today´s successful organizations need to make changes to keep up with diversity.   As Dom says, "Today´s diversity is tomorrow´s competitive advantage!"

In the Diversity Advantage, viewers meet up again with several of the characters from the first diversity video, in addition to being introduced to a few new faces.   This time, the issues under discussion involve how to learn and prosper from cross-cultural communication training.   Some of the issues that were discussed included:

v         Developing diversity initiatives

v         The ability to successfully form, foster and improve relationships with members of a culture different from one´s own

v         The need for management to ensure that they are making the working environment open to diversity

While the topic of the first Diversity video was to introduce viewers to the concept of diversity and the fact that everyone is different, the purpose of this video is to recognize and celebrate these individual differences.   Furthermore, it is equally important to find a common ground that individuals can relate to each other on.   Barriers to finding this common ground, such as stereotypes and prejudices, are also addressed in the video in addition to ways of breaking down those barriers.

Throughout the video, which is short, attention-grabbing, and to the point, viewers are repeatedly informed of the benefits that cross cultural training can have in helping dispel the assumptions other people make about people from other cultures.   It stresses the importance of the communication of goals and expectations and encourages honest feedback so everyone can work towards a common goal, regardless of their individual differences.

Once again, this diversity video encourages discussion and communication among viewers.   It is useless to use this video by itself and expect that those who have watched it will become enlightened individuals on diversity.   This video is great at facilitating group discussions about how your organization can gain from having a diverse workforce and how all individuals can work towards making it a better place to encourage diversity.   Like Dom says, "When we take the time to listen and learn and understand the value of a diverse workforce, then we can be more competitive.   And that´s the diversity advantage."

The Diversity Advantage: Food for Thought Trainer´s Toolkit/Video includes a 20-minute video program, 50 handbooks, an expanded leader´s guide, and a laminated poster.   Interested users can purchase this package for $650 or rent it for 7 days at $165. Interested users can also contact Coastal Training Technologies for a preview of the product.

About the Company

Coastal Human Resources, a division of Coastal Training Technologies, offers a variety of award-winning management training materials on a variety of human resources related topics.    For more information on these products, check out their website at www.coastal.com or contact 1-800-285-9107.