Tompkins Consulting Group's diversity training at Ambiguity Unlimited

Tompkins Consulting Group

The focus of the modern organizations has changed significantly throughout the past recent decades. Once concentrated exclusively on production, the modern economic agents are now striving to integrate and combine customer satisfaction, employee on the job satisfaction and increased shareholder value. Noteworthy efforts have been made in terms of cultural integration and acceptance and most of these efforts have been condensed into diversity training programs.

The Tompkins Consulting Group is a firm offering specialized consultancy in numerous aspects, including diversity training. They offered their assistance to Ambiguity Unlimited and despite the overall positive results, some negative aspects have been revealed. An analysis of the limitations encountered will support the future development of Tompkins.

Case Summary

The case study presents the endeavors launched by EEO specialist Dan River in order to find consultants that could help the organization Ambiguity Unlimited in various tasks, including their reaching of the BoD directive. The primary role of the consultants would be that of offering training programs on workforce diversity for the supervisors and above staff. River first contacted Tompkins Consulting Group and solicited information on the services they could offer and the conditions for these services. He also pointed out that he would be requesting information from two international consultancy organizations. Tompkins replied with a generalist offering of training services in the field requested, but mentioned that a clearer schedule could only be possible with the answering of the questions related to the desired outcomes of the training, the audience of the training and the time that would be committed for the training.

In order to set the basis for a professional and fruitful relationship, Tommy Tompkins also annexed various organizational information to their offering. River had a rather tough time in making a decision, but in the end Ambiguity Unlimited chose to collaborate with the national consultant. The training session would be entitled Professional Effectiveness: Working with a Diverse Customer Base and would be aimed at improving relations between customers and staff members through a better understanding of multicultural and diversity features. The stated objectives of the program are to "reinforce what this level of management already knows about diversity in general; to create a context to discuss what the trends are related to diversity; and, to identify the diversity challenges for the organization" (case). Two sessions will be organized and employees will only have to attend one of them; the duration of the session will be of four hours and the company will have to provide the space for the meetings, the transportation of the consultants and other features, totaling to a $7,000 cost of the training. An additional contract was signed and it saw the offering of 10 more sessions throughout 12 weeks, provided for an estimated 480 employees and for a total cost of $35,000.

The general response to the training was a positive one, with 24 out of 40 evaluations stating the positive outcomes and developments of the diversity training program; 12 evaluations stated that the program was OK, but did not generate major impacts, and the remaining 4 evaluations stated that the program was a waste of time and generated no positive effects whatsoever.

Complete surveys

The levels of survey participation are an indicator of loyalty and trust in the employer. This statement is proven by the simple fact that staff members who do not trust the organization, nor care about it, will not lose their time filling in surveys. High rates of survey completion reveal high levels of commitment to the employer. The question is then what can be done to encourage survey participation. The following three elements must be considered:

The employees must feel that their feelings, materialized in the responses to the survey will be considered by the managerial team and might make a difference within the organization

The questions in the survey have to be seen as meaningful and relevant for the employee answering them, and third

The employee must be entrusted that he will not suffer any negative repercussions from voicing his concerns (Joseph, 2009)

Other issues that must be addressed to increase the participation rates to survey include clarity, consistency and easy read format of the questions asked, the design of the survey or the prior announcement of the survey, which could familiarize the employees with the idea and reduce their reticence (Super Survey, 2005).

Better interactions

In order to avoid the dissatisfactions of the Ambiguity Unlimited employees from reoccurring, it is crucial for the Tompkins Consulting Group to pay more attention to the communication needs of the participants. Otherwise put, the consultants will have to listen to the problem from the standpoint of the participants to the training program. Also, it is advisable for the consultants to align the goals of the program with the goals of the organizational management, but also with the individual objectives of the staff members. In addition, they should accommodate the diverse learning styles and individual differences of the employees. Fourth, the consultants at Tompkins ought to implement teaching techniques that stimulate interactive and participatory learning. Finally, they should use feedback and questions from employees to continually improve the teaching methods (Six Interactions, 2007).

Material concerns

Most of the material concerns related to the training agenda are the responsibility of Ambiguity Unlimited, but Tompkins Consulting Groups should pay attention in the future so that the employers provide the participants to the training program with sufficient space, adequately aired facilities, rooms free from phonic pollution or sufficient refreshments. The chairs should be sufficient in numbers and should allow for comfortable 3+ hour sitting. The rooms should also possess appropriate disability access and should be adequately equipped with electronic devices (Infonic Document Management Inc.).

It might be difficult at times to convince the employer to invest additional sums of money into increasing the comfort of the process, but the consultants should point out the importance of this task. They ought to emphasize, with proof from employee surveys, that insufficient refreshments or room reduces the satisfaction and concentration capabilities of the employees, resulting as such in decreased results.

Shorter classes

In order to ensure that they have the undivided attention of their audience, the Tompkins consultants ought to organize their teaching activities into classes of short duration. This would ensure that the employees maintain their concentration abilities. Also, the schedule should be adapted to the unique needs of each group and when the pre-planned schedule does not satisfy the team, the trainer and the participants should set the breaks according to their desires on the site of the program (Training Point, 2009). The Sustainability Center states that a training session should not extend over five days and each training day should not exceed five hours.

Stay on topic

In order to avoid boredom and ensure that the employees are still paying attention and finding the training course interesting, consultants often direct the conversation towards other topics. In doing this however, they sometimes lose the interest of the audience who is there with a special purpose. As a result then, trainers need to find a balance between interesting stories that keep the audience alert and the actual teachings. Otherwise put, the programs need to offer consistency throughout the course of one session, as well as between all sessions offered (DiJulius, 2008).

More clarity

The clarity of the training program is an indubitable requirement for the overall success of the program. Achieving it is generally based on the technical skills of the trainers and their capability to organize the resources they possess, such as electronic appliances or pieces of information. What is more difficult to achieve however is the relationship between trainees and the object of study. Studies have shown that staff members reveal superior levels of benefits from training programs if they can relate to the trainer, the objectives of the program, if they can laugh throughout the process, if they can enjoy the learning process and if they feel personally linked to the objectives (WYNN Solutions). This can be achieved if the consultants at Tompkins offer real life examples that help the individual trainees relate to the information acquired. Also, it is important to present a managerial plan that includes the personal development of the staff members and the endeavors launched by the management to use, preserve, and enhance these newly acquired abilities.

5. Conclusions

The modern manager is faced with multifaceted challenges and a large proportion of his contemporaneous interests revolve around the treatment of employees. In a desire to integrate all staff members into a unitary component that will support the organization in reaching its overall goals, managerial teams often seek the specialized assistance of consultancy organizations. The Tompkins Consulting Group is such an entity and they have been called in to assist Ambiguity Unlimited in their development and implementation of a diversity training program.

The overall results of the program were satisfactory, but despite these, some shortages were revealed. They revolve around the dissatisfactions felt by the participants to the training program and could be succinctly presented as: the failure to convince all employees to respond to surveys, the lack of entertaining interactions with the audience, material shortages, classes of long duration, digressions from the core subject and a failure to relate the subjects taught to the individuality and application for each employee.