| As you look around your office, is
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| | Markets, profits increased dramatically
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| everyone just like you? Probably not. The
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| | in less than one year because of the
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| demographics of the American workforce
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| | targeted marketing efforts Your new
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| have changed dramatically over the last
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| | customers may be people with disabilities
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| 50 years. In the 1950s, more than 60% of
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| | or people over the age of 65. How can
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| the American workforce consisted of white
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| | your employees help you reach new
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| males. They were typically the sole
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| | markets?Walk the talk. If senior
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| breadwinners in the household, expected
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| | management advocates a diverse workforce,
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| to retire by age 65 and spend their
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| | make diversity evident at all
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| retirement years in leisure activities.
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| | organizational levels. If you don't, some
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| Today, the American workforce is a better
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| | employees will quickly conclude that
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| reflection of the population with a
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| | there is no future for them in your
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| significant mix of genders, race,
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| | company. Don't be afraid to use words
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| religion, age and other background
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| | like black, white, gay or lesbian. Show
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| factors.The long-term success of any
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| | respect for diversity issues and promote
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| business calls for a diverse body of
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| | clear and positive responses to them. How
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| talent that can bring fresh ideas,
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| | can you demonstrate your company's
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| perspectives and views to their work. The
| |
| | commitment to diversity?Broaden your
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| challenge that diversity poses,
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| | efforts. Does diversity at your company
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| therefore, is enabling your managers to
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| | refer only to race and gender? If so,
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| capitalize on the mixture of genders,
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| | expand your definition and your diversity
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| cultural backgrounds, ages and lifestyles
| |
| | efforts. As baby boomers age and more
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| to respond to business opportunities more
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| | minorities enter the workplace, the shift
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| rapidly and creatively.Here are two
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| | in demographics means that managing a
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| examples of the challenges inherent in
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| | multi-generational and multi-cultural
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| managing a diverse workforce:An American
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| | workforce will become a business norm.
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| health insurance company hired employees
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| | Also, there is a wealth of specialized
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| from a variety of racial and ethnic
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| | equipment available to enable people with
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| backgrounds. The variety of different
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| | disabilities to contribute successfully
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| native languages and cultures, however,
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| | to their work environments. If your
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| did not mix. Instead of making employees
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| | organizational environment does not
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| feel that they had a sub-group within
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| | support diversity broadly you risk losing
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| their larger team, it gave rise to
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| | talent to your competitors. How can your
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| paranoia ("They must be talking about
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| | recruitment efforts reach out to all
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| me.") and assumptions ("They think they
| |
| | qualified candidates?Remove artificial
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| are smarter than everyone else."). When
| |
| | barriers to success. The style of
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| the group needed to learn a new intake
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| | interview - behavioral or functional- may
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| system, rather than pull together, they
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| | be a disadvantage to some job candidates.
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| became even more estranged and
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| | Older employees, for example, are less
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| productivity and morale plummeted.In an
| |
| | familiar with behavioral interviews and
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| American subsidiary of a global bank
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| | may not perform as well unless your
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| based in Japan, a few Japanese female
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| | recruiters directly ask for the kind of
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| workers complained to management that
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| | experiences they are looking for.
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| their older Japanese male bosses were
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| | Employees from countries outside the US
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| being disrespectful to them. The human
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| | and non-Caucasian populations may
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| resources manager questioned all of the
| |
| | downplay their achievements or focus on
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| women in the office. Every Japanese woman
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| | describing, "who they know" rather than
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| reported problems with the Japanese men.
| |
| | "what they know" Train your recruiters
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| In contrast, the American women reported
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| | to understand the cultural components of
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| no problems at all. Confused, the human
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| | interviews. How can your human resources
|
| resources manager questioned the Japanese
| |
| | processes give equal opportunity to all
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| male managers. The answer? The Japanese
| |
| | people?Retain diversity at all levels.
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| men responded that they understood
| |
| | The definition of diversity goes beyond
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| American expectations related to sexual
| |
| | race and gender to encompass lifestyle
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| harassment, so they were careful about
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| | issues. Programs that address work and
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| what they said to the American women.
| |
| | family issues - alternative work
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| They were perplexed by the responses of
| |
| | schedules and child and elder care
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| the Japanese women. "What is the
| |
| | resources and referrals - make good
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| problem?" the Japanese men wanted to
| |
| | business sense. How can you keep valuable
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| know, "They know that we don't mean
| |
| | employees?Provide practical training.
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| anything. Any Japanese person would
| |
| | Using relevant examples to teach small
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| understand." Communication, which has
| |
| | groups of people how to resolve conflicts
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| never been straightforward and easy in
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| | and value diverse opinions helps
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| the first place, is becoming even more
| |
| | companies far more than large, abstract
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| complicated as organizations take on
| |
| | diversity lectures. Training needs to
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| global partners.Diversity is no longer
| |
| | emphasize the importance of diverse ideas
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| just a black/white, male/female, old
| |
| | as well. Workers care more about whether
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| young issue. It is much more complicated
| |
| | or not their boss seems to value their
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| and interesting than that. In The Future
| |
| | ideas rather than if they are part of a
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| of Diversity and the Work Ahead of Us,
| |
| | group of all white males or an ethnically
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| Harris Sussman says, "Diversity is about
| |
| | diverse workforce. In addition, train
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| our relatedness, our connectedness, our
| |
| | leaders to move beyond their own cultural
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| interactions, where the lines cross.
| |
| | frame of reference to recognize and take
|
| Diversity is many things - a bridge
| |
| | full advantage of the productivity
|
| between organizational life and the
| |
| | potential inherent in a diverse
|
| reality of people's lives, building
| |
| | population. How can you provide diversity
|
| corporate capability, the framework for
| |
| | training at your company?Mentor with
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| interrelationships between people, a
| |
| | others at your company who you do not
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| learning exchange, a strategic lens on
| |
| | know well. Involve your managers in a
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| the world."A benefit of a diverse
| |
| | mentoring program to coach and provide
|
| workforce is the ability to tap into the
| |
| | feedback to employees who are different
|
| many talents which employees from
| |
| | from them. Some of your most influential
|
| different backgrounds, perspectives,
| |
| | mentors can be people with whom you have
|
| abilities and disabilities bring to the
| |
| | little in common. Find someone who
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| workplace. An impressive example of this
| |
| | doesn't look just like you. Find someone
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| is found on the business cards of
| |
| | from a different background, a different
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| employees at one Fortune 100 technology
| |
| | race or a different gender. Find someone
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| company. Employees at this company have
| |
| | who thinks differently than you do. How
|
| business cards that appear normal at
| |
| | can you find a mentor who is different
|
| first glance. On closer inspection, the
| |
| | from you?Measure your results. Conduct
|
| raised Braille characters of employee
| |
| | regular organizational assessments on
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| information are evident.Many companies,
| |
| | issues like pay, benefits, work
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| however, still face challenges around
| |
| | environment, management and promotional
|
| building a diverse environment. Part of
| |
| | opportunities to assess your progress
|
| the reason is the tendency to pigeonhole
| |
| | over the long term. Keep doing what is
|
| employees, placing them in a different
| |
| | working and stop doing what is not
|
| silo based on their diversity profile. If
| |
| | working. How do you measure the impact of
|
| an employee is male, over 50, English,
| |
| | diversity initiatives at your
|
| and an atheist, under what diversity
| |
| | organization?In the book, Beyond Race and
|
| category does this employee fall? Gender,
| |
| | Gender, R. Roosevelt Thomas defines
|
| generational, global or religious? In
| |
| | managing diversity as "a comprehensive
|
| the real world, diversity cannot be
| |
| | managerial process for developing an
|
| easily categorized and those
| |
| | environment that works for all
|
| organizations that respond to human
| |
| | employees." Successful strategic
|
| complexity by leveraging the talents of a
| |
| | diversity programs also lead to increased
|
| broad workforce will be the most
| |
| | profits and lowered expenses.The
|
| effective in growing their businesses and
| |
| | long-term success of any business calls
|
| their customer base.So, how do you
| |
| | for a diverse body of talent that can
|
| develop a diversity strategy that gets
| |
| | bring fresh ideas, perspectives and views
|
| results? The companies with the most
| |
| | and a corporate mindset that values those
|
| effective diversity programs take a
| |
| | views. It's also no secret that the lack
|
| holistic approach to diversity by
| |
| | of diversity can affect your ability to
|
| following these guidelines:Link diversity
| |
| | communicate effectively with diverse
|
| to the bottom line. When exploring ways
| |
| | clients. Link your diversity strategies
|
| to increase corporate profits, look to
| |
| | to specific goals like morale, retention,
|
| new markets or to partnering with your
| |
| | performance and the bottom line. Build
|
| clients more strategically. Consider how
| |
| | your business with everything you've got,
|
| a diverse workforce will enable your
| |
| | with the complex multi-dimensional
|
| company to meet those goals. Think
| |
| | talents and personalities of your
|
| outside the box. At a Fortune 500
| |
| | workforce, and make diversity work for
|
| manufacturing company, Hispanics
| |
| | you.Copyright © 2003. All rights
|
| purchased many of the products. When the
| |
| | reserved.
|
| company hired a Director of Hispanic
| |
| |
|
