Joe J. Johnson, corporate development transformation officer , Mercedes-Benz USA

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Is Diversity Still a Goal?

Gaurdie Banister , Shell EP Americas

When Diversity Works

Darrell Middleton, Johnson Controls, Inc.

If diversity is good for business and good for people, how do you design a successful diversity program? What's more, how do you keep it on course once it is launched?

MITRE's Bill Albright has been at the forefront of the diversity movement in America for nearly three decades. He emphasizes that diversity initiatives are institutionalized within the MITRE organization and encompass the goals of recruitment, retention, and outreach. He told USBE&IT:

"The goal is to help our managers develop a diversity mindset and take it into consideration in all aspects of managing employees.

"One of the company's most fundamental values is 'People in Partnership,' which calls for valuing our people as our most important asset and emphasizing shared responsibility for growth."

MITRE has been listed as one of Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work for in 2002 and 2003.

Gaurdie Banister of Shell EP Americas is the group's vice president for drilling and development for exploration and production. He also brings a global outlook to diversity issues. He told us that Shell has sponsored employee affinity groups since the mid-1990s and that this initiative "has stood the test of time. They have helped change the fabric of the company."

Shell also started a focused mentoring program that has turned into a company-wide model.

Sun Microsystems' Candi Castleberry-Singleton stresses the importance of getting employees to sign onto and actively support diversity initiatives.

"We started working on ways to get employees to want to think about inclusion," she says. "We've done that by recruiting executives to champion and integrate inclusive practices. As a result, we've formalized an executive diversity council, a program integration team, and an employee resource network, which is a consortium of geographic site councils, employee interest groups, and affinity groups. We've also defined eight key initiatives as catalysts for Sun's long-term success. Each initiative is sponsored by a VP and supported by its own team, which defines processes, milestones, and metrics."

Shannon Brown points out that Federal Express "was founded on a principle of 'People-Service-Profit.' The P-S-P philosophy maintains that when a company establishes a respectful and rewarding culture for employees, those employees will deliver exceptional customer service."

Darrell Middleton cites the success of Johnson Controls in recruiting female and minority engineers. Middleton, who engineered a whole new approach to recruitment and retention of minority interns and co-ops, noted that, "You have to hire first before you can promote from within. Each year, we aggressively seek out engineers for careers in sales and sales management."

He believes diversity should be moved from "program" to part of the corporate culture: "There should be no start and no end. Diversity should be an ongoing process."

At Johnson Controls, he says, supplier and work force diversity is championed by the CEO and other managers.

"Our customers are diverse, and they want to do business with people who look like them and understand them," Middleton says.
This approach seems to work for Johnson Controls, which recently received the National Supplier of the Year Award from the National Minority Supplier Development Council.

Kay Hoogland says that at Motorola, "We view diversity as something that is embedded in our culture and systems, not as an independent program. In fact, we try to avoid using the term 'program,' to drive home the notion that diversity is a way of doing business...."

Philip Harlow, Xerox Corporation

Monica Emerson, DaimlerChrysler Corporation

"Diversity must be a true business imperative. The company must embrace diversity as a core value." -- Philip Harlow, Xerox Corporation

When Good Intentions Fail

Why do so many well-intentioned diversity programs fail? On this, there is general agreement by the experts. Programs are most likely to fail if there is no "buy-in" from management and employees.

Candi Castleberry-Singleton believes employees should be convinced that a commitment to diversity exists at all levels of the organization: "Programs...fail because practitioners don't align the company's diversity initiative with its business strategy.... It's imperative that employees know that their company's diversity initiative is an integral part of the business."

Another reason programs fail is an overly narrow focus on "awareness and representation," she says. "Practitioners should develop programs and change processes with a depth of understanding that exceeds simple targeted percentages and cultural awareness issues. If they don't, they'll continue to struggle."

Shannon Brown lists a number of reasons diversity programs fail, including "lack of top-management support, failure to establish meaningful goals, failure to define goals in terms of measurable results, and failure to appropriately fund programs." He also cited "failure to reward success or establish consequences for failure, nonparticipation or noncompliance with diversity efforts...and failure to enforce diversity as part of the corporate culture."

Philip Harlow says top diversity programs receive support from the top, and that they fail without it.

"Support and passion from senior management has been key to driving diversity efforts at Xerox," he says. "Without senior leadership and cultural change, our diversity goals could not be realized.

"Programs fail primarily due to a lack of sincerity and lack of top-management support. Diversity must be a true business imperative. The company must embrace diversity as a core value."

Monica Emerson agrees: "Diversity initiatives have the greatest opportunity to succeed when they are tied to the business objectives of the company and supported by the top leadership."

Motorola's Kay Hoogland believes that, "Many diversity efforts have modest goals that focus only on representation numbers and then stall beyond that issue.... Focusing on numbers without creating the infrastructure to leverage diversity ultimately limits diversity's impact."

New Era, New Challenges

"Race is one of the biggest issues in diversity today, and most people are uncomfortable with discussing it. Until we can talk about our views and concerns openly and honestly, I expect that race will continue to be disproportionately challenging." -- Candi Castleberry-Singleton, Sun MicroSystems, Inc.

Global pressures and societal changes will greatly influence the issues diversity managers must face in the years ahead. What are the biggest issues in diversity today and into the near future?

Candi Castleberry-Singleton believes that, "In the next five to 10 years, more and more companies will have operations around the world, and managers will need to be effective at managing multicultural employees. Also, employees will need to understand how to communicate and partner globally."

"The competitive advantage will go to companies that anticipate the needs of multicultural customers and employees. The diversity practitioner should anticipate these trends and influence" them, she says.

Shannon Brown believes that, "Diversity challenges are changing constantly" due to such things as "changing demographics, government regulations, and issues involving the emergence of other affinity groups, such as sexual orientation issues."

Philip Harlow emphasizes, "It is not just a number game. Companies need to create a culture than embraces differences and addresses inclusion. Those companies that focus only on numbers won't realize the true value of diversity."

Kay Hoogland of Motorola told USBE&IT, "Today, the five biggest issues are (1) distinguishing affirmative action from diversity, (2) ensuring that diversity initiatives do not alienate portions of the work force, (3) engaging middle management, (4) ensuring the development of talent, especially in senior ranks and in 'P&L' operational roles, and (5) making the linkage between a diverse work force and success in diverse marketplaces."

Looking ahead to the next decade or so, she believes that the primary issues will involve ensuring that diversity is global, that it continues to be energized and emphasized, that it includes issues dealing with an aging work force; that it integrates "work-life demands," and, finally, "harmonizing the sweeping changes that will take place in our work force, such as the growth of outsourcing operations in lower-cost locations outside the U.S. and other comparable changes."

Tips from the Experts

"Our Customers want to be assured that we not only value their business but that we value their culture too." -- Shannon A. Brown FedEx Corporation

What advice do these experts have for others who are trying to start a diversity program?

The Endgame

"Don't think of diversity as a program. Think of it as both a company value and a business proposition." -- Kay A. Hoogland, Motorola, Inc

The specifics may have changed, but in many ways achieving true workplace diversity remains as much a challenge today as it was 20 years ago. For reasons both economic and social, however, it also remains a vital objective.

Motorola's Kay Hoogland believes that, "We have not yet 'leveled the playing field' within a variety of societal institutions.... The work toward equality, inclusion, and appreciation of diversity has [not] been completed."

"Diversity ultimately is about every individual coming to work every day and contributing their entire being," says Shell's Gaurdie Banister. They cannot feel that their workplace will treat them unfairly because of their background, beliefs, or otherwise."

The MITRE Corporation's Bill Albright agrees. He says diversity in the new millennium is about more than ending discrimination and preparing minority groups and women for the workplace. In his words, "It is not only about these two issues but also about effectively engaging all employees toward meeting business objectives, allowing them to utilize their skills and talents to the utmost, and integrating diversity within all human resource systems."

DaimlerChrysler's Monica Emerson also makes a business case for diversity: "The companies that will win in the marketplace are those companies that recognize that the strategic advantage of diversity comes not just with the mix of people from different backgrounds but with the ability to achieve environments that inspire and motivate everyone to perform at optimal levels."