As American work environments become more diverse, tension and conflict are more likely to occur, making the need for research and theory about diversity education important, a panel of diversity training experts said at a conference in Arlington, Va., on Friday.

Research and theory have shown potential drawbacks and outcomes of diversity education and also illustrate how educators can conduct diversity initiatives to be more consistent and efficient, scholars said in a panel during the George Mason University-sponsored conference, “Teaching and Training Workplace Diversity: Bridging the Research-Practice Gap,” held from July 10-12.

“A lot of emotions are involved in diversity, people attach a lot of values to it and it’s a very personal thing,” said Dr. Derek R. Avery, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Houston.

If done incorrectly, diversity training can do more harm than good, leading to more conflict, polarization and tension, Avery said. Done properly, it can improve communication, cohesion and productivity between individuals in professional settings.

Research and theory can guide diversity education and training by offering new tools and ideas for educators, said Avery, who specializes in diversity in the workplace and cultural psychology. However, it does not offer a “five-step,” prescriptive approach to addressing the oftentimes tense and complex process of diversity education.

“It doesn’t give us all the answers that we need,” Avery said. “It gives us an idea of what things we should study in the future so we have a better idea of how we should go about designing and implementing diversity training.”

Dr. Lynn Bowes-Sperry, an associate professor in the Department of Management at Western New England College’s School of Business, said “observer intervention” and other research findings in the area of ethical decision-making and behavior can inform diversity training practices.