Diversity strategies must become part of the business purpose and vision. Failing to see a diversity effort as an understanding that requires knowledge and experience in the content of diversity and systems change theory can lead an organization into frustration and negative backlash. All organizational change requires extensive knowledge and experience with planned change strategies-adding the issues of diversity to the work calls for additional depth of experience. Seeing resistance and push back on the diversity issues as failure has stalled many diversity efforts that were on the right track. Unfortunately, no real change takes place in organizations without significant resistance.
Resistance is the source of energy for systems change.
If there is no resistance, then nothing significant is changing. Assuming that training changes behavior is a common worst practice in diversity. Awareness training to shift perceptions and unarticulated assumptions is critical to change-and must be a part of an overall strategy that includes specific goals, measurement, behavior skills training and accountability. Awareness training alone will not change behavior. Leadership being influenced by individual women or people of color who personally fear change and advise the dominant leadership to avoid any controversial issues or approaches is a common worst practice.