Diversity Program

"At most companies, diversity programs include the following elements in the stage one phase:

1. Active support from top management, frequently the CEO
2. A full-time director of diversity
3. A diversity council (either company or division wide or both)
4. Set of diversity principles
5. Monthly or quarterly publications
6. Affinity groups
7. Diversity training seminars
8. Hiring goals (EEOC)
9. Pre-recruiting (job fairs; recruiting at historically black universities and colleges, etc.)
10. Recruiting
11. Development (including mentoring) (Klimley, 1997).

• A diversity program should include the establishment of linkages between diversity goals and performance evaluations, inclusion of diversity in promotion decisions, inclusion of diversity in determining managers' compensation, inclusion of diversity in the organization's mission statement, linking diversity performance to other corporate objectives, and rewarding employee behavior that reduces diversity (Wentling & Palma-Rivas, 1999).
• Successful minority faculty recruitment and retention programs must be founded on college-wide goals and commitment (Owens, Reis & Hall, 1994).
• "US companies are implementing workplace diversity programs and training to increase their competitive stance in the marketplace and as a way to conduct business" (McCune, 1996).
• Companies are integrating diversity management into how they conduct business rather than having stand-alone programs (McCune, 1996).
• "Good diversity programs recognize and value the characteristics and contributions of all people - including white males" (Overmyer Day, 1995).

The results of good diversity practices include the following:

1. Enhanced personal effectiveness and interpersonal communication among employees;
2. Responsiveness to social and demographic changes;
3. Reduction to litigation and quicker resolution of disputes;
4. A climate of fairness and equity;
5. Greater productivity on complex tasks;
6. Increased sales, revenue, and profits (Overmyer Day, 1995).

• A successful program is one that keeps open lines of discussion, makes the criteria of success clear to all employees, and addresses barriers to progress (Flynn, 1998).
• Today's diversity programs attempt to make each line manager not only responsible for producing real diversity results, but also able to discuss and confront the issues that made it necessary to have diversity programs in the first place (Klimley, 1997).
• Unless achieving diversity is recognized as the shared responsibility of every individual in the organization, any effort will have limited success (Coleman, 1994).
• Diversity programs have the potential to level the playing field for groups traditionally under-represented at mid- and upper-echelons in organizations by transferring resources to members of marginalized groups, by helping them play the game better and be more successful, by enabling their access to decision making processes, and by identifying biases and prejudices on the part of individual managers (Aaltio & Mills, 2002).
• Successfully implemented diversity programs result in a balance of organizational power, inclusion in decision-making, and equal opportunity across all participants, which, in turn, may lead to a competitive advantage for the organization (Cox & Blake, 1991).
• The goals of a diversity program should be to make certain that all candidates and employees receive equitable treatment from their supervisors and co-workers; that they get a fair chance to compete for promotions; and that they are able to participate in the range of business and social events that determines opportunity. The following principles can be used by

Any organization to support these goals:

1. "Communicate a commitment to fair treatment. Managers and employees should be given a basic understanding of the employer's commitment to fair employment practices and the company's intention to recruit and welcome the full spectrum of the available work force. With a social atmosphere throughout the United States characterized by a high level of racial, sexual and cultural tension, a focus on fair and respectful treatment for everyone communicates the strongest message regarding an institution's commitment to diversity.
2. Focus on what people have in common. It is not in the employers interest to encourage the perception that co-workers or subordinates of another race or gender are "different," and certainly not that some groups are victimized. At work, people share common business interests each day as members of a company, division or team. Success in work endeavors is the whole point of everyone's job. Companies need to emphasize that they have their own cultures to which every employee can belong and where everyone abides by the same rules. This is a message that needs to be delivered not just by human resources, but by line managers and by employees to one another.
3. Identify unacceptable conduct and prohibit it. Liability for discrimination arises as a result of illegal conduct, not because of "beliefs" or "attitudes" (Paskoff, 1996).

• While organizations recognize a need to make the workplace more accepting of differences, they place too much emphasis on changing the attitudes of people in a company--instead of changing the company culture itself. They do this by focusing solely on all-inclusive diversity training (Caudron & Hayes, 1997).
• Regardless of how diversity training is structured, almost all consultants agree that training on its own does nothing to change the overall corporate culture . . . An American Management Association study confirms that training, on its own, has little impact. The effectiveness of diversity training programs, the report found, was much lower in companies that offered training without sponsoring any other cultural-change initiative . . . In addition to training, employers should be focusing on developing, supporting and changing the environment around them to be more inclusive. (Caudron & Hayes, 1997).
• Combine workplace diversity efforts with work/family programs (telecommuting, flextime, seminars on balancing work and family). The diversity efforts include minority recruitment, employee career advancement, training on managing and being part of a diverse workforce, as well as multicultural awareness events that celebrate diversity (McCune, 1996).
• Cultural diversity may be included in faculty development workshops, in curriculum offerings, in admission policies and procedures, in retention programs, and in social activities provided to students and faculty. According to Thomas (1990), cultural diversity should permeate all college and university campus activities (Plata, 1995).

Efforts should be made to study and replicate successful practices and procedures and to assure that they are used throughout the organization. These should include approaches such as:

1. Training in and encouraging the use of clear, direct, authentic communication
2. Training in recognizing and engaging in conflict as a creative, problem-solving process to ensure diverse perspectives are represented in management; and assuring that processes are in place to ensure diverse perspectives
3. Challenging and supporting each individual, partnership, team and group to continuously learn, grow, develop new skills and behave inclusively
4. Finding new ways to maximize each person's ability to contribute and add value
5. Expanding the boundaries of the organization's efforts to include stockholders, communities, customers and suppliers.
6. Constantly searching for new ways to reward courage and participation (Miller, 1998).

"A typical functions chart for diversity and work/life includes the following:

1. Training
2. Mentorship
3. Succession planning
4. Staffing
5. Work/life solutions
6. Flextime and telecommuting
7. Day care and elder care
8. College relations
9. Talent development
10. Recruitment
11. Career pathing
12. Network development" (Fraser, 2003, p. 13).

Characteristics of colleges and universities that have achieved relatively high percentages of African American and Latino American faculty:

1. More people participate in diversity efforts
2. Administrators more often have the time, mandate, and power to be effective
3. Employ a wider variety of affirmative action practices, which often tend to be Proactive,
   Involve persons of color, Include curriculum and co-curriculum intervention
4. Address root causes of the problem
5. Employees and activists possess greater commitment to, and knowledge about diversity
6. The campus climate offers greater support for racial diversity (Davis, 2002).

Colleges and universities that have achieved relatively high percentages of African American and Latino American faculty are:

1. More disposed to monitor the hiring process
2. Use incentives and/or disincentives to motivate faculty to engage in affirmative action
3. Require interviews of candidates of color
4. Consider race during the hiring process
5. Provide teaching fellowships for all-but-dissertation graduate students of color (Davis, 2002).