Facilitating the Discovering Diversity Profile

RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DISCOVERING DIVERSITY® PROFILE

THE QUESTION:

Hello Dee!

I just wanted to touch base with you regarding the Discovering Diversity® sessions that I conducted in 2007 in hopes of gaining your

feedback on one of my concerns....In a nutshell, the sessions went well and generally received favorable reviews through evaluations and follow-up. I say generally because on several occasions some participants communicated a lack of satisfaction with the actual profile. Some participants feel that the wording of the profile statements does not allow for the respondent to answer appropriately; and as a result, the profile is skewed and does not demonstrate a "fair" assessment of their views of diversity.

Specifically, I think that some participants disagreed with the "Your Info" section of the profile and felt that if they had an opportunity to explain their responses, the profile would ‘score’ differently. For example, here are some feedback responses I received:
•    I AM accepting of others. How does this statement in the profile “” In the workplace, people of color earn their positions” say or portray that I am not?
•    To me, the profile seemed to be condescending at times and left no room for past experiences to shape my answers.
•    While the results of the test seem accurate and reasonable,   I found the format of the profile communication poor. The context of the original Q&A seemed lost with the application of the results.
Have you encountered this type of concern? I feel that I have been successful in steering participants away from analyzing the profile to every detail and directing their energy on the idea of diversity and awareness. However, I’d like guidance on this for future sessions. In 2008, this diversity module will be rolled out to all employees. So, I really want to ensure that buy-in to the training will not be negated. Any suggestions or feedback that you can offer will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks a bunch!

OUR RESPONSE:

Thank you for sharing this concern. While I had some thoughts, I wanted to speak to several peer colleagues about your question, including two of the three original authors of the actual profile assessment instrument.   We all agreed on the same response, which I’ll try to write here.

As you know well from your own experiences, the subject of ‘Diversity’ is broad and can be sensitive for some folks to explore.   What we were looking for in the use of the Discovering Diversity® profile was a gentle way to enter that arena of exploration so that participants can begin to think about and discuss their own perceptions/rationales/beliefs, etc. with regards to a wide variety and range of diversity topics.

The purpose of the Discovering Diversity® profile is that it is an awareness tool to lead participants naturally into further exploration and discussion – it was never designed to be a test that is graded. It sounds like some of your folks are in a ‘take a test/get a grade’ mentality when they complete the assessment and review the feedback. When that happens, you will want to move them away from that frame of reference (as you have been) and back to the fact that it is a tool designed to create awareness and promote further discussion.

While the assessment items in the profile have been researched, validated, and aggregated to a generally-accepted explanation/rationale (and these rationales are contained in Volume 1 of the Discovering Diversity® Facilitator Kit,) it is impossible to say that one person’s response will always come from that very same rationale/perspective.    We want to honor that in how we process/facilitate the discussion when someone raises a question or voices another rationale opinion.

For example, you referenced Item #55 as one that someone had a concern about. In the Facilitator’s Guide it says this for the statement “In the workplace, people of color earn their positions” (Tolerance Category):   The preferred answer in the profile is having someone agree with this statement. (Or in effect, “Yes, people of color do earn their positions, just like anyone else does.) The explanation further says: “People may assume that people of color are promoted due to Affirmative Action or EEO legislation (and not merit.) If a respondent answers “almost never,” he/she may have the perception that people of color are inferior.”

So now we know the profile’s rationale for that question and the basis of how the rating in the profile is scored. But participants can be coming from other thoughts, beliefs or rationales when they answer this question (or any of the other items.) The key is to get into the discussion to explore and learn more about their thoughts/rationales/perceptions.   The fact that this person shared their frustration in a statement on the seminar evaluation says to me that this person has much more to say on this topic!

Once the profile has prompted someone to examine and think about what his/her thoughts/rationales/ perceptions are… frankly, the profile has done its job. Feel free to ‘move beyond the profile’ and go on to other discussions – you don’t have to justify or defend the rationale’s in Volume 1 of the Facilitator’s Kit as “right” – they were included so that you would understand the rationales that were used in creating and rating each item.   So, you may ask…”well, then, why even have a rating for the item?” Because it is a quick way to get people to have a reaction…as you are learning so well! Once there is a reaction, there is ‘energy’ and likely an additional active discussion to follow, and that is what we want.

If, in the course of the discussion, the participant feels that he/she should ‘score higher,’ go ahead and encourage them to change their plotting point – remember, the profile isn’t a ‘test’ and the person didn’t receive a ‘grade.’ (Be careful that you don’t fall into the ‘test and score’ mentality!)

Bottom Line: The true ‘test’ of someone’s diversity awareness, education, and respectfulness is frankly how they ‘operate’ day in and day out with their colleagues. Are they ‘walking their talk?’ Does their behavior match their rhetoric?   That’s the only ‘test’ that matters and the participant will be ‘graded’ accordingly based on his/her behaviors in the workplace – not how he/she responded to a learning assessment.      We don’t want good ‘test takers’ when administering and interpreting profile – we want ‘good citizens’ back at work who have spent some time thinking about their actions and the implications of their actions!

Please keep in mind (and help others keep in mind) that the Discovering Diversity® profile is intended to be a beginning awareness building tool that is intended to generate and promote further discussions about diversity. When the profile is used like that, you and others will have a more satisfying learning experience with it. So continue to move participants beyond the ‘scoring’ of the profile as quickly as possible – not to gloss it over, but to get to the meaty part of the whole point of the exercise – the discussions about reactions, rationales and insights.

Also remember these two things we discussed earlier in our mentoring sessions:

•    The initial “Discovering Diversity® profile” seminar was never intended to be a ‘be all and end all’ diversity intervention by itself – it is only intended to ‘gently open the door of exploration’ so that other relevant and more-targeted diversity interventions can be brought in and implemented as needed.   For example, let’s say that you can tell by the responses and discussions that there is a strong need for additional education/understanding regarding age-related diversity (respecting and including older employees) – well then, that is where you will put your focus, energy, and resources next to make sure that this specific diversity topic is further explored and additional information is provided, so demonstrated behaviors regarding this topic can be more respectful and inclusive.
•    No matter how gentle, respectful, and inclusive you are in your approach and facilitation, some participants will still struggle with their exploration of their own diversity thoughts and rationales. It is not unusual for an uncomfortable participant to try to find ‘something else to blame’ to deflect away from his/her own discomfort.    Again, rather than defend the profile as ‘right,’ instead, be accepting of where they are now and encourage them to continue their discussions so you, they, and others can learn more and explore their thoughts further.     And even though they do explore their views more, some participants may not be able to let go of deep-seated and long-held beliefs. The Discovering Diversity® profile seminar is a first step….not a divine intervention…we may not get as much changed behavior as we desire from this one step….but it has opened the door to continue your diversity efforts.

I hope this explanation helps. Please let me know if I can answer any other questions.   I want you to have a satisfying experience with the Discovering Diversity® assessment as you continue to implement it within your organization.

Dee Clarke, Sr. Consultant, The TEAM Approach, Inc.
Send your questions to dee@teamapproach.com

If you are not familiar with the Discovering Diversity® profile, please contact us. We would be happy to send you a complimentary access code so you can complete an online Discovering Diversity® assessment yourself and review it as a possible resource for your organization.