Enter Diversity. Perhaps a good place to start is that there is no government entity out there telling businesses they must create “diversity initiatives.” But many organizations are implementing diversity initiatives at considerable expense on their own. Why?
Companies believe that it makes good business sense. They believe that by supporting diversity concepts, over the long term it will have a beneficial impact on both product quality and employee productivity and better customer service. How? One answer to this exists within the definition of “Diversity” itself. Diversity is a process that begins with learning to respect every employee by purging ourselves of the stereotypes about people that are different from ourselves. Advancing human relationships by showing respect through learned communications skills is next. And, finally, insuring that all employees are on a level playing field and are equally supported by the system is the final key step in the diversity process. Only then, will employees begin to trust their management and their fellow workers. They no longer spend time defending themselves from an unfair system or verbally attacking their teammates, their managers or their jobs. As a result, they become more productive. There are other reasons for diversity initiatives, but productivity is critical.
With so much emphasis on employee teams and teamwork in the last few years, it is a safe assumption that the American worker, to be fully effective, must interact with others on an on-going basis. And who are these “others?” Without going into a “changing demographics” dialogue, you can be certain your fellow workers are white, black, male, female, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, etc. Further, they are slim, fat, old, young, gay or physically impaired. They are from the northeast, south, southeast, northwest, midwest, and countries outside of the
U. S. And finally, there are “those people” in accounting, sales, manufacturing or management. In a word, our workplace is “diverse” both visibly and invisibly.
Consciously or subconsciously, most of us have preconceived and often uncomfortable opinions concerning one or more of these groups. These opinions affect the way in which we recruit, hire, interact with, evaluate and promote people. Purging ourselves of these sometimes negative and unfair stereotypes is a major part of diversity training. Because, if we consciously or subconsciously recruit, hire, interact, evaluate and promote on preconceived and inaccurate stereotypes, then we are sowing seeds of employee dissatisfaction and we are dooming the organization to mediocrity.
Because our fellow employees are unique individuals, coming from varied backgrounds, we cannot be effective if we communicate with everyone the same way. Learning to recognize and react to individual differences in positive ways is a skill that can be acquired. Managers who are unskilled in verbal and nonverbal communications are not getting the maximum effort from their employees even if they carry no preconceived ideas about them. The same holds true in communication exchanges among and between teammates. Effective communication both in training as well as the communication about diversity throughout the organization, then, is a crucial component of any serious diversity initiative.
If an organization is to remain productive, it must be above all, fair and trustworthy with its employees, regardless of their visible or invisible differences. When employees see that the organization is really trying to honor and respect every member of the workforce, their attitude about their jobs, management and fellow workers will improve. When employees have good attitudes, their productivity improves. Instead of being “victims,” of the system, employees take responsibility for their own job performance and career growth. They will find job satisfaction in an environment which encourages and rewards individual as well as team excellence. Eliminating stereotypes about people who are different; advancing human relations through learning how to communicate more effectively; and ensuring that all existing processes, programs and systems are equally supportive of a diverse workforce are the key elements of a diversity initiative and the means through which an organization can greatly improve employee attitudes. Once employee attitudes improve, product quality improves and productivity goes up. This is the major benefit of a diversity initiative.
How Do We Get Started?
Like any initiative, diversity requires a plan. At a minimum, the plan must include goals (where the organization wishes to be, and by when) an education strategy, support programs, a communications plan, measurements, funding and a schedule. If you see this as a complicated process, many diversity consultants can help get you started. Depending on the organization and the current environment, the management education component will be as much on basic management skills (leadership, communications, delegation and coaching) as on diversity subjects (personal values, stereotyping, etc.). Employees, who must understand and respect fellow workers as well as their management, normally receive diversity, teamwork and communications training.
Program Considerations
Program or system modifications which reinforce the company’s commitment to supporting diversity, range from organizing a diversity council, establishing a mentoring program, or including diversity in the corporate performance and awards program. Every company system and/or program should be reviewed through a “diversity screen” to ensure that it is fair and equally supportive of a diverse workforce. These systems and programs should demonstrate a sincere, visible and on going commitment to diversity. Communication is essential to be effective, the systems review requires the active participation of senior management. The communication plan is vital. It is the link between the program and the workforce. Management notices, e-mails, memorandums, articles in the company newsletters, bulletins announcing events and/or progress etc., all serve to enhance communication and slowly but surely weave the diversity initiative into the behavior and reinforces that it is here to stay.
Measurement of Programs Success
How can an organization measure progress in employee attitudes and productivity? How can it be certain that progress in these areas is a result of its commitment to diversity? These are difficult questions and there are no perfect answers. There are, however, some good indicators: employee complaints, employee attendance records, employee attrition and executive and management promotions are all useful indicators. The best way to measure manager and employee attitudes is to ask them in some organized way and periodically tally and report progress. This may be done through written employee opinion surveys, individual interviews and focus groups. Finally, isoutput per hour, however measured, on the rise? Productivity gains occur for a variety of reasons; however, when periodically evaluating these gains, support for diversity should be considered. In fact, employees having good communication skills and positive attitudes are absolute requirements for process improvements. Can you envision any TQM effort being effective when major elements within your workforce can’t or won’t communicate? And what is the productivity impact and cost of an employee lawsuit against management?
In addition to productivity gains, diversity programs are often implemented for other reasons. If an organization’s racial, ethnic and gender make up roughly equates to the community at large or with that of their customers, chances are probably better for the business to grow with the community. If it does not, perhaps the organization ought to look at its culture and its future. Simply ensuring an organization is behaving responsibly toward its employees and the community at large is often reason enough for many companies to invest in diversity.
So if there is a “diversity imperative,” its genesis lies in an organization’s desire to be a good corporate citizen, while at the same time improving it’s competitiveness by improving product quality and increasing employee productivity.
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