The notion and management of diversity is not new. It is an an old idea in a new context.

More often than not the commotion around diversity has been about the inclusion of people from different racial and cultural backgrounds into organisations, a philosophy embedded in the foundations of black economic empowerment (BEE).

Once this has been achieved, the question that then arises is how this black economic empowerment can be preserved, retained, and used to the organisation's best advantage.

How do we ease cultural tension, gain insight into individual cultural backgrounds and create a workforce that is knowledgeable about the different cultures and values found in our society?

Mandate Molefi human resource consultants have for the past 10 years been involved in developing strategies designed to allow discussion, and create awareness and some level of understanding of South Africa's diverse cultures.

The aim is to enable acceptance of people from different socio economic and cultural backgrounds within organisations, to allow for efficiency in productivity and to create effective communication among fellow workers.

Mandate Molefi has been using the Corporate Diversity Game to expose companies to the concept of diversity and how to manage it within the workforce.

It is an innovative board game which was developed by Dr Alan Richter of QED consulting in New York and was recently voted one of the top training tools in the US.

Throughout the years the game has constantly been updated, to meet with the demands of current corporate challenges in alignment with the social context of our nation.

Nene Molefi, chief executive of Mandate Molefi consultants, says the game is played in a fun environment, and addresses diversity related challenges within organisations.

It focuses specifically on challenges relating to sexual orientation, racial issues, socio economic status challenges and religion.

It also places focus on the ability of individuals, housing conditions, and age, ideology and education matters.

"The game provides a platform on which employers and employees can interact on an informal level, and gain some understanding of diversity issues within the organisation," Molefi says.

"It enables organisations to gain competitive advantage on premises of value in diversity. It is however important to note that a totally homogeneous group cannot win in this game.

"Learning occurs through sharing of ideas by employees from different cultural and religious backgrounds, and enables efficiency in communication.

"Through robust debate, facilitators ensure that all involved in the game acquire influencing skills, persuasive skills and assertiveness, required by effective teams in the workplace."

Molefi points out that in the game everyone gets an opportunity to motivate their answers.

It is through those motivations that potential problem areas that need to be addressed by the organisation are highlighted. "The greatest benefit of the game is that every scenario discussed leads to a question on policy and systems within organisations that need to be addressed.

These scenarios highlight gaps that need to be filled within an organisation's policy."

Questions that arise during discussion may be formulated into an action plan on policy gaps in the organisation.

Molefi noted that the diversity game addresses complex issues in a simplified and non-threatening manner, as issues are addressed in the form of this board game.

"Any company can benefit from the game, as it addresses all aspects of diversity ranging from race to hierarchical structures within an organisation," Molefi says.

"It is an effective tool for team building, but most importantly it assists companies in identifying policy and implementation gaps within the organisation, and allows for development of action plans" she concludes.

nFor more information on how to use the Diversity Game in your organisation call mandate Molefi on 011-880-0086 or visit www.mandatemolefi.co.za