Rephrase and summarize the main points of the following paragraph:

"For a diversity program to be successful, companies must create work environments in which workers feel valued, respected, included, and safe. Employees should not feel a need to repress parts of their persona in the workplace, but minorities often do. Well-designed programs are key to benefiting from diversity, but they do not come without challenges. Lisa Burrell concludes that more than a decade of studies support that "a diverse workforce measurably improves decision-making, problem solving, creativity, innovation, and flexibility". A study published in the Harvard Business Review, however, suggests diversity training can lead to new pressures, blame, and negative messages, which may actually increase employee bias and animosity towards minority groups

Most people agree that hiring, development, and compensation decisions should favor those with the greatest merit, but is it possible to objectively determine what constitutes merit or to define diversity? The Deloitte study cited above found that millennials think of diversity and inclusion as expanding participation by employees with different personalities and perspectives, while older workers think of diversity as equitable representation and assimilation from different demographic groups. This disconnect is causing businesses hardship, according to Deloitte, which believes that if businesses do not expand their diversity and inclusion initiatives, they may lose their millennial employees and have an even harder time retaining Generation Z employees. Opening up to younger employees may be what businesses need to transform their approach.

Cognitive roadblocks prevent the objective implementation of diversity programs. Research has shown that applicants with names that "sound" African-American are 14% less likely to get a call back than those with names that "sound" white. Another common bias is the assumption that diversity will spark an interpersonal conflict; subjects in experiments tended to assume that all-black or all-white groups are more harmonious than those with a combination of both blacks and whites In addition, the rate of advancement, particularly of women, may reflect choices women make that affect career trajectories, such as not applying for promotions that require extensive travel or long hours because they prioritize family and household responsibilities or seek a better work-life balance, rather than women's actual capabilities.

Managers who think they are good judges of talent may be surprised to learn they are not; even those who are committed to equality and promoting diversity fall prey to biases. In the early 1970s, approximately 5% of musicians in orchestras were women, who were falsely perceived as less competent by auditioners. Then orchestras began blind auditions behind a curtain; today, more than 30% of players are women. Mindsets did not change, but putting up a curtain for auditions removed unconscious bias on the part of the auditioners, allowing them to focus on talent.This same bias is likely to occur in the traditional hiring process during interviews.

An SAT score should not be affected by whether a person is male or female; however, previously the test penalized test takers for incorrect answers on multiple-choice questions. Men tend to be greater risk takers than women and more likely to guess, whereas women are more likely to skip questions. Up to 40% of the gap between male and female students' results on the SAT was found to be due to penalizing incorrect answers and the male propensity for greater risk- taking.

In another example of gender favoritism, until recently, only pictures of men hung on the walls of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. For beliefs to change, people's experiences must change, and seeing role models who look like one's self can affect what one thinks is possible. The message is to ensure that inspirational practices do not favor one gender or group over another.

Stereotypes result in evaluating and treating equal performers differently. Studies have consistently confirmed this "paradox of the meritocracy;" seemingly meritocratic organizations favor male employees over equally qualified female employees for managerial positions and award males larger monetary rewards. Believing that merit is justly rewarded is convenient for those at the top; if management believes the world is fair and just, they will not recognize or think about systemic unfairness. In addition, people consistently underestimate the benefit of good luck and mistake it for merit-based reward. Hindsight bias also causes people to believe that random events are predictable

Consultants believe they can counteract bias through group discussions; however, group conversations may actually dampen diversity by having racial stereotypes influence decisions when the ability of a candidate is not clear. Research supports the idea that bias is less of an issue for candidates at the top and bottom, but tends to surface for those in the middle. Black and Hispanic men are often seen as lacking polish, even when strong in other areas, while white men are deemed coachable. Shy, nervous, or understated nonwhite men are rejected for being unassertive; for whites, these traits are seen as a virtue of modesty.

"Maybe" candidates need a champion among evaluators to receive an offer. Champions are often white men and push for candidates similar to themselvesthat is, "white, affluent, athletic graduates of elite institutions"while women and minorities champion fewer candidates than white men do (Burrell 2016).

Although 40% percent of companies fight bias with mandatory hiring tests that assess the skills of candidates for important jobs, managers resent being told what to do & often selectively use tests that could magnify bias. Furthermore, studies show that, in performance reviews, raters tend to give lower scores to women and minorities. Researchers have concluded that grievance procedures often lead to retaliation against or belittling of employees who complain rather than the rehabilitation of biased managers. As a result, employees become less likely to report discrimination. Thus, poorly constructed diversity policies may increase discrimination. Members of the dominant group often assume that the system is fair because the company has a policy in place, which may lead them to discount instances or patterns of discrimination.

Studies indicate positive effects of mandatory diversity training rarely last more than a day or two and can activate backlash; however, 50% of midsize firms and nearly all Fortune 500 firms have diversity training. If rewards are perceived to be based on race, gender, sexual orientation, or other factors rather than ability, a barrier is created that prevents diversity from being a benefit. When this happens, organizations reduce support for a diverse organizational culture instead of strengthening employees' behaviors towards diversity. Voluntary rather than mandatory training leads to better results (Dobbin and Kalev).

Diversity training must complement a culture of diversity that pervades the company. Policies and strategies must be customized to the organization. Diversity programs can even lead to discrimination against whites encouraged by perceived or actual unfair treatment. This occurs when policies or practices encourage companies to base recruitment and promotion on personal characteristics rather than qualifications or job performance. Mandatory training might incorporate pressure, blame, and negative messages. Poor communication can arise due to perceptual, cultural, and language barriers, leading to confusion, lack of teamwork, and low morale. Some employees resist social and cultural changes in the workplace, preferring to do things the way they have always done them.

When minorities are underrepresented at a company, they often feel pressure to conform to majority styles of dress, manners of speaking, and standards of demeanor. A 2012 Harvard Business Review report concluded that 40% of African-Americans feel like outsiders at work, and 35% of people of color report that they feel the need to project a workplace identity that differs from their authentic selves. This causes minorities to feel alienated from coworkers and disengaged from the corporate culture. Furthermore, it reduces loyalty and job performance.

Many organizations are wasting money on diversity training, as most diversity training programs do not work. Many companies conduct diversity training programs without measuring whether or not they work. Biases exist, and companies should redesign processes to reduce the opportunity for bias in decision making. It is hard to eliminate bias, but it is possible to make it easier for biased minds to make more objective decisions."