Final answer:
Diversity training typically consists of awareness building and skill building, aiming to educate about cultural differences and provide tools to reduce biases and enhance communication in diverse teams. Such training is crucial in global workplaces to facilitate teamwork and improve overall performance. It also supports introspection and development of self-awareness in multiple contexts.
Step-by-step explanation:
Typically, diversity training in the workplace has two main components: awareness building and skill building. The goal of such training is to improve team collaboration in a diverse work environment that may include various religious, ethnic, or racial backgrounds. Awareness building focuses on educating participants about these cultural differences, potentially reducing prejudice as supported by Pettigrew and Tropp's meta-analysis which found that contact between groups can lessen prejudice especially under certain conditions such as equal standing and institutional support. On the other hand, skill building is intended to provide practical tools to engage and interact effectively across cultures, contributing to the reduction of implicit biases and improving communication within diverse teams.
For companies operating on a global scale, where employees may work alongside colleagues and suppliers from different parts of the world, such training is vital for workplace cohesion and performance. Moreover, these concepts are not exclusive to corporate settings but are also important in educational and social justice contexts, where leaders and institutions must prepare individuals to effectively operate in multicultural environments. This preparation often includes introspection and continuous self-awareness processes as part of career and personal development.