AFSNews Careers Column June 1996

Careers

Diversity training is a growing field in which consultants develop programs for organizations to help their employees learn to work with people from different backgrounds. As the workforce continues to become more diverse, the need for diversity trainers will increase. Gregory Hansen worked for nine years as a folklorist and diversity trainer before enrolling at Indiana University to complete a Ph.D. in folklore.

Gregory has agreed to share some of his insights in this column.

Why did you choose to study folklore? What is the focus of your studies and research?

I became interested in folklore while attending Penn State as an undergraduate. During my master's study at Western Kentucky University, I became particularly interested in folklife in education projects and I gained a broad exposure to the discipline of folklore, particularly as folklore studies relates to public sector folklore work.

What are the key skills that you have learned or developed as a folklorist?

The key skills have been those that have allowed me to complete folklore fieldwork primarily for developing and coordinating public programs. In the course of researching folklore and assisting with the production of festivals, concerts, exhibits, and school presentations, I have found that the ethnographic skills can be applied not only to research the events but to develop more effective means for presenting them.

Describe your work in diversity training and how you got into that line of work.

I coordinated a teacher education program to introduce multicultural education in the Duval County [Florida] public school system. This project began from my work with folklife in education programs in various schools during which I received training in multicultural education through in-service programs offered by the school system. I also assisted with cultural diversity training programs coordinated through the Jacksonville office of the National Council--formerly the National Council for Christians and Jews.

What did your work entail? How did you use your skills as a folklorist in your job?

My research skills were valuable in helping me design professional development programs for teachers. In addition, as a folklorist, I was able to provide teachers with an an approach to education within which they use ethnographic skills not only to develop better means of representing cultural diversity in their lessons but also to develop a more accurate understanding of the cultural backgrounds of their students. This approach is used in support of what multicultural educators term a "culturally responsive pedagogy."

Did you experience any criticism from other folklorists for "selling out"?

No. Some have raised concerns about adapting folklore content for multicultural education--concerns I shared, since I was not sure that graduate work in folklore had prepared me to assist teachers with teaching from a multicultural perspective. The education professors, human relations trainers, and school system administrators I worked with assured me that I was using pedagogically sound content and methods and that the in-service training I offered met the objectives established by the district's school board.

During the course of the project, I further assisted the National Council with additional programs on diversity training and I did diversity training as a consultant. During these projects, I worked with human relations trainers and counselors. They focused on the human relations component of the training while I emphasized understanding cultural dynamics.

Folklorists have also raised questions about the ethics of using our folkloristic training to support the interests of management over labor. It has been argued that diversity training is sometimes used as a tool to reinforce corporate hegemony within the workplace. This poses serious ethical consideration for the folklorist. But rather than simply refusing to use our skills within corporations, we can call attention to inequities within the system by serving all segments within a corporation.

Although I personally have not conducted diversity training within the corporate world, there is great potential for expanding our services to develop programs that use folklore research to address problems resulting from racism, sexism, homophobia, and classism within the private sector. The ethical dilemmas involved in using our training in such settings should not keep us from attempting to resolve problems resulting from perceptions of diversity; instead we should be working for better ways to resolve the ethical dilemmas that may keep folklorists from working within the private sector to teach tolerance and challenge the status quo.

Although diversity training is a market for folklorists, I would recommend that we offer our skills in conjunction with the services of counselors, human relations trainers, or social psychologists. We can provide the understanding of cultural basics that is needed within these programs, but effective diversity training also involves principles of counseling and an understanding of the dynamics of small group process. Diversity training has the potential to turn into therapy. As folklorists, we must avoid the temptation to engage in an ethically suspect presentation of our skills. Under no circumstances should folklorists attempt to practice psychological counseling without the required licenses.

At the same time, after participating in numerous programs centering on diversity training, I am convinced that folklorists have precisely the skills needed to be effective trainers. There are many opportunities for offering our services to corporations by completing ethnographic studies of businesses and developing diversity training programs based on the results of the research.

If you are interested in doing diversity training, you should include the title "consultant" in all your contracts and on your resume. The term is much more salient to business people than such job titles as "folklorist." Consequently, you should require compensation for your abilities on an scale that is competitive with the fees charged by other consultants in business sectors.

Consultant fees are high, but the amount of research and preparation required to provide the services balances the high price.

What advice would you give a folklorist who is looking for work?

Gain a wide range of experiences and skills. Look for ways to adapt the skills and unique perspectives gained through folklore study to job situations that are not necessarily "folkloristic." At the same time, balance professional obligations with your own personal interests in folklore. Burnout starts to set in when folklorists feel that they are drifting too far from their own interests in folklore after employment opportunities point them in other directions.

Do you have any other comments you would like to add?

The field of folklore needs a system for professional development for public folklorists after they have completed academic training. Although attending conferences and producing events with other folklorists offers some degree of professional development, it is especially difficult for contract folklorists and folk arts coordinators who are working independently to keep abreast of developments in the field. Perhaps one means of creating these types of structures is to negotiate for time for professional development experiences in contracts and job descriptions. The idea of a non-academic folklorist taking a sabbatical should not seem farfetched and curious.

As Gregory points out in his comments, if you are working as a consultant, you should charge fees at the market rate. Remember that your fees may seem high, but they must cover many expenses normally provided by an employer--office space, utilities, long-distance telephone calls, travel, postage, and materials, for example. In addition, you must pay for your own insurance and other needs that are generally included as part of a compensation package. The value of fringe benefits can equal a third or more of one's salary.

As a consultant, you must decide whether to charge a rate based on time (by the hour, day, week, etc.) or by the project. Also remember to specify which supplies and expenses are to be paid for by your client. If you have suggestions for future columns, please contact me at Career Services, Lucina Hall, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306 (tel: 765/285-2430; fax: 765/285-3757; e-mail: 00jpgoodwin@bsuvc.bsu.edu).

Joseph P. Goodwin Ball State University