2.Excersises on Male as Norm and Merit in the Diversity Training Class.

3.Integrating Networking, Homosocial Reproduction, Tokenism and Sexual Harassment into Diversity Training

4.Exercises Trying to Integrate Solutions such as Comparable Worth and Affirmative Action

5.Excersizes on Incorporating Family/Work
 
 
 

Exercises on Theory: Conveying the Public/Private Split and Segregation
1) Scavenger Hunt --- Split people into groups.  Each group is then given a list of things they must find throughout the building.  Some people have long lists and some people have short lists.  Whoever gets back first gets to network with the boss and receive a reward.

Purpose: This exercise conveys Private/Public split:  how difficult it is for people with home responsibilities to compete with people without them.
 

2) Group task ----   Allow people to form their own groups.  Once they do, give each group an exercise that it must solve.     After the group solves the problem, ask each group member to look and see who they sat next to and why.   After they reflect upon this,   have them sit in diverse groups (if there is diversity) and now ask them to solve the problem.  What new ideas emerge?

Purpose: This exercise conveys segregation: how people often place themselves within homogenous groups and how by doing this, their creativity is stifled.
 

3) The “Race” ---     Have people line up, ask them questions about the private/public split.  IE, for those who made lunches this morning, please take a step back.   Then ask questions about segregation, IE.  About schooling.  Have them note who “wins” the race.

Purpose: These exercises convey how because of the p/p split and segregation some groups are more advantaged than others

4) Wearing a pink scarf/hairy mole --- Have all the men put on a pink scarf around their neck and have women wear a hairy mole.   Have them wear it all day, including when they have a lunch break and don’t let them tell anyone WHY they are wearing it.    See how people react towards them.   Do they just want to stick with other people like themselves because everyone is staring?

Purpose: This segregation exercise shows that people of color always stand out.  They are noticed by others, stared out and judged.

5) Convey that when people are stuck in homogenous groups, they are less able to come up with innovative ideas.

Excersises on Male as Norm and Merit in the Diversity Training Class.
 

1) Split the group into 6 littler groups and give each group a resume.  The resumes will be exactly alike accept for three variables: school background, names and addresses.   Now ask each group to evaluate the resume.  Discuss its strengths and weaknesses and explain why each of these is a strength and weakness.

2)  A) Questionnaire that measures bias
 B) Networks and Merit --- Divide the big groups into  groups of four.    Choose one of the members to be the boss.  Have the group do various activities.   After some time, take two of the members of the groups and replace them with new people.  Now, ask the “boss” to determine who deserves a promotion.  The idea is that the boss will choose the person he/she is most familiar with.
 C)   Networks, Merit and Race -- Give people different colored cards.  Ask them to form groups but don’t tell them how to do it.    What is salient to them is the card and they will sort themselves on that basis

Solutions --- Have more than one person evaluating and do self evaluations

3) Two scenarios of situations of advancement.  Everything is the same except person B is late but doesn’t take lunch.   Takes more personal days off.    Also, person B is warm but respected.  Person A comes in on time and is feared by respected.  Who’s more qualified.

Now, put people into groups and see if their evaluation changes.  This shows how more input can lead to different conclusions.

4)  A) Have a list of 100 characteristics related to merit; IE. Nurturing, on-time, etc.  Now ask people to evaluate 10 least important characteristics and the 10 most important.

Solution: Awareness

5) This group didn’t share their exercise because wants to present it to class.  But, please type it up and give it to me.  Thanks.

Integrating Networking, Homosocial Reproduction, Tokenism and Sexual Harassment into Diversity Training Manuals

1)
a.  Networking -- play the telephone game.  People closer to the network source are better able to communicate the original message than those farther away from the source.

b. Tokenism -- Several people wear a dunce cap to the different workshops.   You can alternate so that eventually everyone wears a dunce cap.   Did people in the groups make comments about the dunce-caps?  Did it make it harder to be taken seriously?  This shows how it feels to be a token

c. Sexual Harassment -- Do skits which show obvious forms of SH, but also skits in which SH is less obvious.    For instance, give scenarios which vary the beauty of the victim and the status of the aggressor to see if people interpret the event differently
 

2)
a. Networking -- Get pictures of the managers.  Ask participants to ask how managers are the same and different.  Put down similarities on: residence, sex, race, religious affiliation, music tastes, etc.

Also, ask people to write down characteristics of the best managers they’ve had.  See if they are all same race and gender.
 

b.Sexual Harassment -- approach blue collar workplaces and give them conversations and ask if each is SH

3)
a.  Tokens --- Have one member of one group a pink scarf and with the second group have half wear pink scarves.

b.  Networking -- Break people into groups of six.  Have a picture box with one peep hole at first.  Ask one person to look through it and describe what s/he sees.  Then make another hole and ask some one else to look through it and describe.  Another hole and ask another hole.  Now ask each person to look through the hole and describe what exists.   This shows that the more perspectives you have the better picture you can make.
 

4)
a.   Tokenism Two pictures: one with all white men.  Put an x on the one man and ask what problems this person may have and why.  Now another picture with all men except one white woman.  Put an x on her and ask people to discuss what problems this person may have and why.

Exercises trying to integrate solutions such as Comparable Worth and Affirmative Action

1) Comparable Worth

 Role Reversal   a) have managers do their secretaries job to see how some of the skills which are often devalued are challenging.   b) do the same thing with vignettes.  c) ask managers to live off the salary of their secretary.
 

 Skill Inspection – Have a list of skills.  Ask people to fill out what skills they have.  Show how many people use very similar skills however they are paid a lot differently.

 The Solution – comparable worth, as described by Vicki Demkey
 

2 Affirmative action

 Song  – “Don’t go Pokin’ My Token”

 Board game – Create a board game which gives everybody different opportunities, but each must try to win.

 Commercial Review — Create a video which shows different companies and how homogenous they are.  Then discuss problems that tokens might face when move into company.

Solutions for combining family/work

1) First and foremost, the company must be convinced that it is profitable to institute family/work solutions.

  A) Provide evidence that companies which institute such policies are financially secure, have a more loyal workforce and less absenteeism.

 B) Provide a theoretical rationale suggesting that when people are less worried about home responsibilities they will be more likely to focus on work.

 C) Show a company that they would make money by opening their own daycare?  (I’m not sure how true this is).

2) Offer solutions:   flex-time, provide hour lunches, subsidized daycare, onsite daycare, have an entire telecommuting company.

3) Convince the government to provide tax breaks to companies that provide family/work solutions.  Have government insure the playgrounds.

4) Show how family/work issues left unresolved creates problems:

Give workers a questionnaire and ask them about family/work and show how many workers are impacted by this.

Give managers a mechanized baby that they are in charge of to show how hard it is to be a good worker and responsible for babies.

5) Provide monthly diversity training classes sponsored by the companies.  Reward employees who exhibit behavior that aligns with diversity.   Assess whether they understand the concepts by seeing how they institute the ideas in their departments.   This would change the culture of the company.

6) Noone mentioned, but I think it’s important how providing livable wages helps the family/work conflict as well.  If your salary does not allow you to support your family, how much effort must you be putting into your job?