Discussing
race, ethnicity and gender...
in a safe environment.
As a member of the National Consortium for Academics
and Sports, each college and university is offered the successful and
impactful, TEAMWORK Leadership Institute (TLI).
Created in 1990 by Dr. Richard Lapchick, Executive Director for the
National Consortium for Academics and Sports and former Sport in Society
Associate Director, Lin Dawson, TLI provides diversity training to organizations
across the United States, focusing mostly on college and university
administrations and athletic departments. Click
here to meet the rest of the TLI team.
The mission of TLI is to help senior administrators and athletic department
staff, through the provision of diversity training services, to apply
the principles of teamwork to all areas of athletic departments.
Challenges that stem from cultural prejudice, intolerance and poor communication
can be proactively addressed in intelligent, safe and structured ways.
Athletic administrators can anticipate, recognize and address the problems
inherent to diverse teams and staff. Diversity training is a principle
means of assessing and responding to needs within a department and on
a campus. Training demonstrates that diverse people have a great deal
in common. Rather than being divisive issues, racial, ethnic and gender
differences can serve as building blocks that strengthen the department.
Workshops
incorporate sports-related material.
The training program, which incorporates a significant amount of sports-related
material, includes a variety of exercises and discussion points. Facilitators
lead skill-building exercises that focus on self-identity and how we
develop stereotypes and prejudice, especially in regards to race and
gender. Participants brainstorm ways to challenge stereotypes that interfere
with effective teamwork and look at ways athletic departments and student-athletes
can provide better understanding on campus. Sports-related videos are
shown to stimulate discussion, and there are interactive exercises that
prompt workshop participants to voice their opinions on topics. Actual
case studies are used from colleges and universities, providing real-life
scenarios. The schools, of course, are never named.
Adapting
to each organization's needs.
Each workshop is slightly different, depending on the needs of the organization.
Some of the needs are discovered through interviews with the department
head, and some through a confidential TLI survey, which is distributed
prior to the actual workshop. The surveys are analyzed by TLI staff
and that information is incorporated into the training curriculum.
The final step of the diversity workshop can be the most important.
Workshop participants create an "action plan" to implement
programs that enhance racial diversity and reduce gender bias on campus
and in their departments.
While TLI has worked mostly with athletic departments at the collegiate
level, work has also been done at the professional sport ranks and with
private organizations, and the curriculum can be modified for corporations
and high schools. The basic ideas do not change, because Lapchick believes
the sports metaphor translates well to any organization. Each training
workshop is adapted to the specific needs of the group.
A special version of TLI training has been designed to meet the needs
of NBA front office personnel and coaches. At the start of the 1996-97
season, 80% of the league's players were African-American. Furthermore,
the NBA employs a more diverse management and support staff than any
other professional sport. This combination of a majority African-American
players' group and a substantially diverse workforce make the league
a leader in diversity issues in sport.
More than 125 college athletic departments have used TLI services.
Email Keith L. Lee for more information or call (407) 823-4770.
TLI in action:
Abilene Christian University
California State University, Northridge Central Michigan University Dartmouth College
Dominican University
Eastern Michigan University
Georgia Tech University
James Madison University
La Salle University
Longwood University
Oakland University
Rutgers University Saginaw Valley State St. Joseph’s University
So. Illinois University at Carbondale
SUNY - New Paltz
Temple University
Texas Tech University
University of California, Los Angeles
University of Minnesota University of New Hampshire
University of Tennessee
University of Texas, Austin
University of Texas, Pan American
University of Texas, San Antonio Villanova University
Wellesley College
Western Carolina University
TLI
Links:
TLI Home
TLI Staff
TLI Testimonials