by Tony Flood,
Director of Human Resources
at
Exel Direct
When you hear the term "diverse
workforce," what do you think of? Chances are that words like
regulation, compliance, and quotas spring to your mind. You
may think of cost minimization to maximize profits. When I ask
people what they feel when they think of diversity, they
respond with answers like frustration and confusion -
interestingly, leaders and workers experience these same types
of feelings about the term diversity.
The real challenge with diversity is that Corporate America
has a narrow, "pass/fail" view of diversity. They define
diversity in a strict legal sense and aim to just meet the
legal standards around it. They talk about managing it, rather
than creating a culture of diversity and harnessing its power.
They launch diversity programs to avoid problems rather than
to reap its rewards.
Yet the truth is that diversity is the key to astounding
creativity, leaps in technology, the vision to capture
tomorrow's dreams in today's products and services, and the
magnetism to attract and retain the strongest, most efficient,
most innovative workforce imaginable.
So, let's start with the basics (empty your mind of all the
legalese). What is diversity? Look it up in the dictionary.
Diversity is the condition of being different. Diversity
encompasses far more than our physical forms. Organizations
which are committed to a culture of diversity appreciate and
ensure diversity of form as well as the diversity of thought,
expression, experience, ability and style.
You may know of organizations which launched huge
initiatives to recruit diverse workers, only to have these
employees leave the organizations within months. Chances are
these organizations did not redefine their cultures to embrace
diversity of thought, expression, experience, ability, and
style.
Let me give you a personal example. In the community where
I was raised, we never touched a tennis racket or a golf club.
Football, basketball, and baseball were the sports of choice.
Imagine my surprise when I entered the workforce and realized
that my ignorance of Nicklaus and Watson was getting in the
way of my success. While others discussed the latest
tournament, I remained quiet-I had nothing to contribute. (A
relationship-building opportunity lost.) Soon, others were
discussing moving the meeting to the golf course, and I wasn't
invited - I knew nothing of the game. It didn't take long to
recognize that big things happened out there on the green. I
missed out on these things because of our diverse life
experiences. I like to think the organization missed out as
well because I wasn't there to contribute to the decisions
made on the green. (By the way, I wasn't the only one left
behind; many female colleagues hadn't been exposed to golf
either-and I know the organization missed out by not hearing
their contributions.)
|
