Motivation to learn and diversity training: Application of the theory of planned behavior

Abstract

Although training programs are an important component in most companies' diversity initiatives, little theoretical guidance is available for their implementation. This article proposes a model based on the theory of planned behavior, which addresses the roles of attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control in motivation to learn from a diversity training program. The model suggests a number of hypotheses that could be tested to enhance our understanding of the motivation-to-learn construct. Additionally, the model provides practical advice for companies seeking to implement successful diversity training programs.In a recent Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) survey, 66 percent of 321 responding companies reported a strong commitment to diversity (Kluttz, 2002). These companies recognize a number of reasons to encourage the diversification of their workforce. Projected changes in the demographic composition of the population are often cited as a rationale (Digh, 1998). Many organizations also have found that diversity provides a strategic advantage (Flynn, 1998) and helps them serve an increasingly diverse customer base (Miller, 1999). Furthermore, evidence suggests that companies with innovative human resource development programs that encourage full employee participation may reap benefits of enhanced shareholder value (Orlando & Johnson, 2001).Most diversity programs begin with some form of awareness training for employees (Flynn, 1998). Indeed, recognizing the importance of effective training programs to overall diversity initiatives, corporate spending on diversity training remains strong even in economic slowdowns (Leonard, 2002;Kluttz, 2002 264Wiethoff these programs also seek to develop employees' communication skills to ensure that their interactions are free from prejudicial responses that pose potential legal liability for the organization.Despite the recognized importance of diversity training programs, neither human resource practitioners nor researchers who study diversity in organizations have developed theory-based models to explain how these programs succeed or fail. Caveats such as "make top management support for the program visible" and "tie diversity initiatives to performance evaluations" are known to be correlated with effective programs (Dobbs & Brown, 1997), but how and why these commonly accepted mandates work is yet to be determined. Given the large amounts of money and time that companies have already devoted to diversity initiatives, and the projected increase in spending for these programs in coming years (Kluttz, 2002), it is important to comb the literature carefully to develop theory-based assessments to determine, before the fact, whether a diversity training program has a good chance of succeeding. This article seeks to provide some insight into this area.I use the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explain how and why adult learners, such as employees of an organization, are motivated to learn diversityfriendly behaviors. I begin with brief overviews ...

Reviewing Diversity Training: Where We Have Been and Where We Should Go

“…Although some nonempirical literature on diversity training has been very instrumental in offering exploratory guidance and insights on diversity training (e.g., Paluck, 2006;Pendry et al, 2007;Wiethoff, 2004), in reality (as can be seen from our review), diversity training programs still remain somewhat atheoretical in the ways they are conducted and evaluated. We discovered that more than half (N ϭ 106 in our review) of the articles we reviewed were descriptive and did not follow any theoretical tradition (see Table 2).…”

“…Although diversity training programs have been widely used, some have raised critical questions about their quality and methods. Several authors have pointed out that there is still much to learn about diversity training, even given the increasing number of studies in organizational and educational settings (Combs & Luthans, 2007;Hite & McDonald, 2006;Wiethoff, 2004).…”

Diversity training: Analysis of the impact of self‐efficacy

“…Organizations that foster a positive diversity climate are those that select, develop, and promote talent regardless of origin; ensure that pluralistic perspectives are welcomed and heard; demonstrate improved understanding of diverse markets and clients; foster participation in organizational decision making by diverse groups; emphasize the creation of an organizational culture that shuns stereotypes, biases, and prejudices that hinder the individual development and the achievement of organizational goals; and formulate strategic organizational goals that link to successfully managing diversity (Bell, 2006;Cox, 2000;Cox & Beale, 1997;Kidder et al, 2005;Wiethoff, 2004;Wentling & Palma-Rivas, 1998.…”

“…Throughout the HRD and training literatures, diversity training has been examined in terms of content and design (Davidson, 1999;Holladay et al, 2003), organizational context factors (Hanover & Cellar, 1998), planned behavior and behavioral control (Wiethoff, 2004), organizational justification (Kidder et al, 2005), and attitudes toward training and diversity initiatives (De Meuse & Hostager, 2001). While these arguments sometimes address issues of diversity training content, they almost always ignore ways to assess the cognitive and self-regulatory attributes of trainees (for example, their selfefficacy and confidence) as a measure of diversity training effectiveness (Roberson et al, 2003).…”

Analysis of Re-purchase Intention by Hybrid Rice Seed Farmers

“…According to Peterson (2012), intention is an important predictors of behavior, in which the intention is determined by the attitude toward the behavior to be performed, norms subjectively (subjective norms) which relates to the behavior to be performed, and control the behavior (perceived behavioral control) to perform the behavior. Wiethoff (2004) proposed a draft training model based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. He tried to apply the Theory of Planned Behavior to influence the motivation to learn in the Diversity Training Program.…”