Home / Non-Accredited / Human Resources, Labour & Employment Equity / Adding Value in Managing a Diverse Workforce (3 days)
Quick Look Course Summary:Adding Value in Managing a Diverse Workforce (3 days)
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Length: 3 day(s)
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Price (at your venue): 1 Person R 14,997 EX VAT 3 Person R 11,205 EX VAT 10 Person R 8,120 EX VAT
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Certification Type:Non-Accredited
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Locations & Venues: Off-site or in-house. We train in all major city centres throughout South Africa.
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Adding Value in Managing a Diverse Workforce (3 days)
Managers turn the differences in their team into better ideas, fair treatment and stronger results, instead of misunderstanding and conflict.
South African teams bring together people of different races, cultures, languages, generations, beliefs and abilities. Managed well, that mix produces better ideas, better service and a wider pool of talent. Managed badly, it breeds misunderstanding, conflict, grievances and legal risk. This diversity management training gives supervisors and managers a practical way to make diversity work for the team and the business.
Day one builds understanding: what diversity, inclusion and equity mean, how culture and values shape behaviour at work, how stereotypes and unconscious bias affect decisions about people, and the legal framework of the Constitution, the Employment Equity Act and the harassment code. Day two covers the business case, the internal and external obstacles to inclusion, and how to manage similarities and differences towards shared team goals. Day three focuses on resolving diversity-related disagreement and conflict, inclusive leadership in daily management, and a diversity action plan for each delegate's own unit.
The course is discussion-based and practical, with exercises, case studies and role-plays drawn from South African workplaces.
Why this course
For your organisation
- Managers who use the strengths of a diverse team instead of avoiding its differences
- Fewer conflicts, grievances and discrimination complaints
- Fairer decisions on recruitment, work allocation, promotion and development
- Support for employment equity and transformation goals
- A diversity action plan for each participating unit
For your delegates
- Insight into your own assumptions and blind spots
- Practical ways to adapt your management style to different people
- Steps for resolving diversity-related conflict
- A diversity action plan for your own team
What delegates will be able to do
- Explain diversity, inclusion and equity and the dimensions of diversity in a South African workplace
- Describe how culture, values and beliefs shape behaviour at work
- Recognise stereotypes and unconscious bias in your own and others' decisions
- Apply the main legal and policy requirements on unfair discrimination, reasonable accommodation and harassment
- Identify internal and external obstacles to inclusion in your unit
- Manage team members fairly, taking both their similarities and their differences into account
- Resolve disagreements and conflict that arise from diversity
- Draw up and present a diversity action plan for your unit
Who should attend
Supervisors, team leaders, junior and middle managers and heads of department who manage diverse teams, and HR and transformation practitioners who support them.
Course outline
Day 1 – Understanding diversity
What diversity really means
- Diversity, inclusion and equity defined
- Dimensions of diversity: race, gender, age, disability, religion, language, nationality, sexual orientation, background, education, experience and job level
- Visible and invisible differences
- Diversity in South African workplaces today
Cultures and values
- National, ethnic, generational and organisational culture
- How values and beliefs shape behaviour at work
- Individualism and collectivism, power distance, high and low context
- Exercise: mapping your team's cultural profile
Perceptions, stereotypes and bias
- How perceptions, stereotypes and prejudice form
- Unconscious bias in decisions about people
- Racism, sexism and other discrimination as barriers
- Reflection: examining your own assumptions
The legal and policy framework
- The equality clause in the Constitution
- Employment Equity Act: unfair discrimination and affirmative action measures
- Disability and reasonable accommodation
- The Code of Good Practice on the Prevention and Elimination of Harassment in the Workplace
- Your organisation's diversity, equity and harassment policies
Day 2 – The value of diversity and managing it
The business case
- Innovation, decision quality, customer reach and talent
- How diversity shapes organisational culture
- The cost of diversity that is poorly managed
- Case study: diversity as a competitive advantage
Barriers and obstacles
- Why diversity is not yet treated as a business priority
- Internal obstacles: culture, systems, leadership behaviour and tokenism
- External obstacles: social history, economic pressure and community dynamics
- Identifying the obstacles in your own unit
Managing similarities and differences
- Finding common ground in the team
- Adapting your management style to individual needs
- Inclusive communication and meetings
- Fair allocation of work, development and recognition
Aligning diversity to shared objectives
- Building shared team goals and values
- Using diverse strengths in team roles
- Inclusive decision-making
- Practical: drafting an inclusive team charter
Day 3 – Conflict, inclusive leadership and action
Diversity-related disagreement and conflict
- Common sources of conflict linked to difference
- Early warning signs in a team
- Conflict styles and choosing an approach
- Cross-cultural communication under pressure
Resolving the conflict
- Facilitating a difficult conversation
- Mediation steps for the line manager
- Complaints of discrimination or harassment, and when to involve HR
- Role-play: resolving a team conflict
Inclusive leadership in practice
- Behaviours of inclusive leaders
- Role-modelling respect in daily management
- Recruitment, promotion and development through a diversity lens
- Measuring inclusion in your unit
Your diversity action plan
- Diagnosing your unit's diversity climate
- Objectives and practical actions
- Monitoring and reporting progress
- Presenting the plan for peer feedback
How it is delivered
Three days, 08:30-16:00. In person at your offices anywhere in South Africa, at a BOTI venue, or live online. One delegate or a group of up to about 20; case studies can be adapted to your sector. Workbook, exercises and an action-plan template included. We deliver it at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and anywhere else in South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online for teams in different places.
What our clients say
“We were highly impressed by the high caliber of the training provided. The facilitator demonstrated a deep level of expertise that added significant value to the sessions.”
“The course was efficiently scheduled and planned around our timetable. We were impressed by the quality of training given.”
“[The organisation] was highly satisfied with the work conducted … demonstrated a high level of professionalism when conducting the training and deadline driven. Quality material and well-designed course content was utilised.”
Frequently asked questions
Do you present the course at the client's premises?
Yes. We train on site anywhere in South Africa, at a BOTI venue, or live online.
How many people can attend?
From one delegate to a group of about 20. Mixed groups from different departments and backgrounds make the discussions richer.
Is it accredited?
No. It is a non-accredited short course and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
Can the content reflect our own organisation?
Yes. The facilitator can use your diversity, equity and harassment policies and anonymised situations from your workplace.
Is this the same as the Employment Equity Fundamentals course?
No. Employment Equity Fundamentals is a two-day course on the Employment Equity Act, the EE committee, plans and reporting. This course is about managing diverse teams well day to day.
Can you run this course in Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban?
Yes. We train on site at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and across South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online so a team spread over several offices can attend together.
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