A Tale of O Diversity Training Video and Its Use in Male-Dominated Work Environments

I recently read this at the Institute for Women in Trades, Technology and Science blog. The blogger, Donna Milgram, is founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Women in Trades, Technology & Science (IWITTS), a California-based national nonprofit organization dedicated to providing research-based training, e-strategies, publications and technical assistance to the education system and employers nationwide to integrate women into technology and law enforcement careers. 

A Tale of O, the most popular video about diversity worldwide, is unique both in style and content. It shows the striking consequences of being “different” from the others around you – being an O among Xs. The videotape illustrates dramatically how this alone powerfully affects both the Xs treatment of an O and the O’s view of itself, regardless of the nature of the difference. Whether the O differs from the Xs by gender, race, age, language, age or other factors, the effects are similar.

This differential treatment of Os, especially when the difference is highly visible or socially important, is often taken as a sign of bias or deliberate discrimination. A Tale of “O” shows to the contrary that much of this different treatment is largely a consequence of the situation. It is not necessary to blame anyone, unlike many other approaches, which may punish and blame people quite unfairly. A Tale of “O” helps everyone identify with Os since everyone has been an O at one time or another. Moreover, the video suggests whole new avenues to systemic solutions. A Tale of “O” is narrated by its originator, Dr. Rosabeth Moss Kanter of Harvard Business School.


I used this video to do training for supervisors on how to integrate women into male-dominated occupations such as law enforcement and cable installation. I prefaced showing it by mentioning that the narrator has a high sing-song voice, which can be distracting. I’d recommend others do that as well if they are showing it in a predominantly male setting.

A Tale of "O" video is a classic and has found wide-spread use in sensitizing folks in a non-threatening way. It's available from Trainer's Toolchest. And, the full video can be previewed online. Take a look and see if you find the same success that Donna has in using it with her organization.