After a recent argument (lets say heated debate or irreconcilable differences) at the AngryDude Packing Co., mandatory cross-cultural and diversity training has been deemed necessary. Management at AngryDude Packing Co. has decided that they should not handle the matter internally and will be seeking the assistance of a firm specializing in de-escalating workplace tension.

All old and new employees will be required to take an online course designed to help them construct holistic and wholesome ideas about working with other people. To be sensitive to workplace differences, management really wants to take the human aspect out of the training. For example, they want to use avatars or animations to represent people, they want to use hypothetical examples and non-real-life scenarios as this could minimize some of the iffy feelings that people were having.

The course itself was designed by an external consultant who worked with subject matter experts (SMEs) to determine what management wanted in the course and how they could meet those demands. It contained some okay reference material and placed learners in routine scenarios through which they were made to analyze standard cases and reflect on how they would react to non-real-life scenarios. Not only did the training program flop at engaging learners in reflecting on their past experiences with people from other backgrounds, it failed to highlight the real issues at AngryDude.

The executives who brought in the consultant and who were the primary SMEs were satisfied with the overall results, it didnt cause any extra trouble, the workforce was given a diversity training module and it didnt cost much to deliver. They saw minimal improvements in worker morale and the arguments didnt escalate, they were just moved behind closed doors. Though it was a lacklustre outc they were able to see all these improvements, AngryDude questioned the overall longevity (long-term effects) of the training program. Will the workplace return to normal after a while? Will the concepts be forgotten? How would we bring new hires into the fold?

Answer the following questions:

1. What were some strengths of the training program designed, developed and delivered by the external consultant? (3 points)
2. How would you improve the training program? (3 points)
3. What would you propose to AngryDude Packing Co. to respond to their concerns regarding longevity? (4 points)