More than 5,000 Cisco managers have attended a workshop with a unique approach to diversity education to learn how to help increase morale and productivity.

"MicroInequities: The Power of Small" is a course developed by Insight Education Systems that focuses on the most hidden barriers to success: subtle and usually subconscious messages, called micromessages, that devalue, discourage, and ultimately impair performance in the workplace. MicroInequities can occur when a manager or colleague communicates different messages to people, based on differences in race, gender, age, sexual orientation, or level within the company.

This training, sponsored within the company by a Cisco vice president, raises managers' awareness of their actions, tone of voice, facial expressions, and other forms of nonverbal communication, which can send up to 3,000 micromessages per day to their teams. By learning to incorporate positive micromessages into routine management practices, managers can measurably raise morale and productivity.

In FY2007, the workshop will reach a wider audience across Cisco.