DiversityDiversity

What is Diversity?What is Diversity?

AgendaAgenda

What is Diversity?What is Diversity?Why Value Diversity?Why Value Diversity?Isn’t Diversity Against American Isn’t Diversity Against American

ValuesValuesDoesn’t Diversity Replace the Doesn’t Diversity Replace the

Mainstream Culture?Mainstream Culture?The Business Case for DiversityThe Business Case for DiversityWhat Next?What Next?

What is Diversity?What is Diversity?Diversity represents all the ways we are different Diversity represents all the ways we are different

but valuing diversity focuses on how we are but valuing diversity focuses on how we are different and how we are similardifferent and how we are similar

Laws provide the first basis for diversity: equal Laws provide the first basis for diversity: equal employment opportunity - race, sex, color, employment opportunity - race, sex, color, religion, national origin, disability, etc.religion, national origin, disability, etc.

Concepts of diversity and valuing diversity is Concepts of diversity and valuing diversity is broader than legal requirementbroader than legal requirement

Encourages tolerance and understanding – Encourages tolerance and understanding – treating people with dignity and respecttreating people with dignity and respect

Forms of DiversityForms of Diversity

Quotations on DiversityQuotations on Diversity

““Tolerance implies a respect for Tolerance implies a respect for another person, not because he is another person, not because he is wrong or even because he is right, wrong or even because he is right,

but because he is human.”but because he is human.”

John Cogley CommonwealJohn Cogley Commonweal

Quotations on DiversityQuotations on Diversity

““Diversity: the art of thinking Diversity: the art of thinking independently together.”independently together.”

Malcolm Stevenson Forbes (1880-1954)Malcolm Stevenson Forbes (1880-1954)

American publisher, businessmanAmerican publisher, businessman

Quotations on DiversityQuotations on Diversity

“Our loyalties must transcend our race,our tribe, our class, and our nation:

and this means we must developa world perspective.”

Dr. Martin Luther King (1929-68)African American reverend, civil rights leader

Quotations on DiversityQuotations on Diversity

““The most important single ingredientThe most important single ingredient

in the formula of success is knowingin the formula of success is knowing

how to get along with people.”how to get along with people.”

Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)

26th U.S. President, Republican26th U.S. President, Republican

Common Responsibilities of Common Responsibilities of OrganizationsOrganizations

Control costsControl costs

Market services in an effective wayMarket services in an effective way

Report business performance to a group of Report business performance to a group of stakeholdersstakeholders

Effectively manage the workforceEffectively manage the workforce

Respond to changes in the business Respond to changes in the business environmentenvironment

Manage organizational effectivenessManage organizational effectiveness

Why Value Diversity?Why Value Diversity?

Future workforce will have huge Future workforce will have huge demographic variationsdemographic variations

Companies report competitive advantage as Companies report competitive advantage as the key driver of diversity effortsthe key driver of diversity efforts

Diverse markets require diverse operatives; Diverse markets require diverse operatives; organizations must know the markets they organizations must know the markets they seek to serveseek to serve

Doesn’t Diversity Replace the Mainstream Doesn’t Diversity Replace the Mainstream Culture?Culture?

DiversityDiversity does not pit one culture against does not pit one culture against another for dominance; it only allows for another for dominance; it only allows for cultural differences to be employed to cultural differences to be employed to solve business challenges. solve business challenges.

DiversityDiversity acknowledges and uses these acknowledges and uses these inherent differences to drive innovation as inherent differences to drive innovation as a way of creating better organizational a way of creating better organizational performance and competitive advantage.performance and competitive advantage.

The Business Case for The Business Case for DiversityDiversity

• Improved Organizational PerformanceImproved Organizational Performance• Reduced Turnover, Improved RetentionReduced Turnover, Improved Retention• Increased InnovationIncreased Innovation• Increased Effectiveness in Minority Increased Effectiveness in Minority

MarketsMarkets• Positive Impact on Group PerformancePositive Impact on Group Performance• Positive Impact - Historical StudiesPositive Impact - Historical Studies

The Business Case for DiversityThe Business Case for Diversity

Improved Organizational PerformanceImproved Organizational Performance

Companies rated on Fortune’s “50 Best Companies rated on Fortune’s “50 Best Companies for Minorities” outperformed Companies for Minorities” outperformed the S&P 500 over three- and five-year the S&P 500 over three- and five-year periodsperiods

Academy of Management Journal: Academy of Management Journal: Organizations with diverse management Organizations with diverse management teams correlate with superior corporate teams correlate with superior corporate performanceperformance

The Business Case for DiversityThe Business Case for Diversity

Reduced Turnover, Improved Reduced Turnover, Improved RetentionRetention

Society for Human Resource Management Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) study: diversity initiatives (SHRM) study: diversity initiatives positively affect the bottom linepositively affect the bottom line

Ability to recruitAbility to recruit Ability to retainAbility to retain Improved client relationsImproved client relations Improved productivityImproved productivity Improved corporate cultureImproved corporate culture

The Business Case for DiversityThe Business Case for Diversity

Increased InnovationIncreased Innovation

Diversity provides a richer variety of Diversity provides a richer variety of approaches to work and problem solvingapproaches to work and problem solving

Diversity strengthens an organization's Diversity strengthens an organization's resilience in changing environmental resilience in changing environmental conditions conditions

Diversity allows challenges to long-accepted Diversity allows challenges to long-accepted viewsviews

Diversity creates dynamic work Diversity creates dynamic work environments through variety of environments through variety of perspectivesperspectives

The Business Case for DiversityThe Business Case for Diversity

Increased Effectiveness in Minority Increased Effectiveness in Minority MarketsMarkets

Helps organizations understand how to Helps organizations understand how to effectively interact with all of its client effectively interact with all of its client basebase

Informs organizational practices that create Informs organizational practices that create community support in all populationscommunity support in all populations

Helps manage perceptions of Helps manage perceptions of

historically underserved marketshistorically underserved markets

The Business Case for DiversityThe Business Case for Diversity

Positive Impact on Group PerformancePositive Impact on Group PerformanceSHRM and Fortune survey concluded SHRM and Fortune survey concluded

that diversity:that diversity:

Improves corporate culture – 83%Improves corporate culture – 83%

Improves employee morale – 70%Improves employee morale – 70%

Increases creativity – 59%Increases creativity – 59%

Decreases interpersonal conflict – Decreases interpersonal conflict – 58%58%

Enables movement into emerging Enables movement into emerging

markets – 57%markets – 57%

Improves productivity – 52%Improves productivity – 52%

The Business Case for DiversityThe Business Case for Diversity Positive Impact - Historical StudiesPositive Impact - Historical Studies

Exceptional performance within groups of medical Exceptional performance within groups of medical colleagues representing a wide variety of colleagues representing a wide variety of “values, experiences and disciplines.” (1956)“values, experiences and disciplines.” (1956)

Mixed gender groups consistently outperformed Mixed gender groups consistently outperformed single-gender groups. Different viewpoints single-gender groups. Different viewpoints caused inventive solutions to emerge. (1961)caused inventive solutions to emerge. (1961)

Routine problem solving better handled by Routine problem solving better handled by homogeneous groups, less-defined problems homogeneous groups, less-defined problems better suited to heterogeneous groups. (1984)better suited to heterogeneous groups. (1984)

Diverse ethnic groups produced more effective Diverse ethnic groups produced more effective solutions than homogeneous groups. (1992)solutions than homogeneous groups. (1992)

The Business Case for DiversityThe Business Case for Diversity Some ThoughtsSome Thoughts

Your organizational culture must be open to Your organizational culture must be open to diversity; otherwise diversity efforts will faildiversity; otherwise diversity efforts will fail

Managers and supervisors need training and Managers and supervisors need training and education on valuing and managing diversityeducation on valuing and managing diversity

Improving managing diversity is not easy; no Improving managing diversity is not easy; no worthwhile organizational change effort is worthwhile organizational change effort is easyeasy

Leadership must commit to a long-term vision Leadership must commit to a long-term vision of diversityof diversity

The Business Case for DiversityThe Business Case for Diversity Bottom LineBottom Line

Diversity can create stronger, Diversity can create stronger, more resilient organizationsmore resilient organizations

Innovation is a by-product of Innovation is a by-product of diversitydiversity

Innovation is key to vitality in Innovation is key to vitality in the 21the 21stst century century

What Next?What Next?

Executive support for diversity initiativesExecutive support for diversity initiativesTactics to smooth the transition to a more Tactics to smooth the transition to a more

diverse work culturediverse work cultureProvide education programs from top to Provide education programs from top to

bottombottomCreate and maintain a consistent pro-Create and maintain a consistent pro-

diversity messagediversity messageForm a diversity council that looks at large-Form a diversity council that looks at large-

scale organizational issues scale organizational issues

Golden RuleGolden Rule

““Treat others the way you Treat others the way you want to be treated.”want to be treated.”