In this chapter, we zoom in on a set of diversity practices that prevail in organizations: training, mentoring, and networks. These practices meet scholarly critique for their lack of transformation. They are often seen as targeting ‘the Other’ employees to get them at par with majority employees, leaving the current system intact. However, it can be questioned whether values, practices and routines indeed remain intact in the organizations that engage in diversity training, mentoring, and networks. The aim of this chapter is to come to a better assessment of the transformative potential of these popular diversity practices. The notion of transformative potential means the potential for diversity practices to diminish inequalities by changing organizational work practices, norms, routines and interactions. We use the so-called 3D model that provides a systematic way of assessing diversity practices. We find that training, mentoring and networking can denote so many different things that it is as incorrect to dismiss any single of these interventions, as it is to praise them in general. We conclude that a multi-dimensional power perspective challenging structural discrimination and addressing conflicting interests is key to any diversity practice that strives for transformative change.
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