Winning with Diversity: Lessons from the Field
Managing Diversity has emerged as a key strategic issue for the ’90s. Unfortunately, for some, it has also emerged as the latest new management fad. As such, there has been a lot of talk recently about the value of Diversity Training. After all, several companies took a pioneering approach to Diversity and were among the […]
What is “It,” Anyway?
Before I start, let me acknowledge that I will probably offend a lot of people with this article. That’s because a lot of people have used diversity as a means to promote or further their personal or group agenda. I don’t mean to distract from those agendas. Others have deliberately excluded themselves from the conversation […]
Why Diversity is a Business Issue You Need to Understand
Often, diversity is simply defined as a social issue. When most people hear the word “diversity” they immediately think of affirmative action, the Equal Opportunities Commission or gender equality. We hear others talk about diversity and we think to ourselves, “These are important issues. Someone ought to look after them. Companies should be more diverse.” While […]
How to Leverage Diversity in the Workplace Like New Technology
Most people think of diversity management as a fancy term for analyzing and managing the demographic makeup of a company. This is an outdated approach to thinking about diversity. Instead, we need to think about diversity management as a new technology that can help us grow our business. Consider for a minute the introduction of the […]
How Do You Measure Success?
I encourage people to use, as a measure of success in all diversity work, the same measures that are used for business in general. A quality product, delivered on time, is always the measure in manufacturing. These are the same measures we look at when we talk about how diversity as a catalytic tool has an […]
Without This, Your Diversity Strategy Doesn’t Matter
Intent is the key to results. In business, intent means knowing your business model. It means knowing what the key ingredients of your business are and knowing exactly how you make money. Intentional managers look beyond the short-term quarterly goals. Instead, they take the long view, focusing on their people and what they can do […]
Using the Recruiting Process to Create a Diverse Workforce
Under the rubric of diversity, people lean toward recruitment as a seemingly easy way to bring diversity into the workplace. But these people are using the wrong criteria to meet the wrong needs. When a company is only looking to diversify their profile, they don’t go to the marketplace looking for the people who best […]
Completing the Puzzle: Measuring Diversity by Results
The first four R’s – recruitment, retention, representation, and reputation – are the traditional aspects of diversity management. Just about every organization is working on these, either singularly or collectively. On their own, none of these R’s get you the outcome that you’re finally looking for. That’s why Deliberate Diversity™ promotes what I call the […]
Scott Page’s Timeless Formulas For Diversity’s Success
At this point, The Difference is seven years old, but it is still as relevant as ever. That’s because Scott Page’s message is timeless: the importance of a rational, logical, value-driven approach to diversity (and diversity management). According to Page, diversity can be a powerful force in problem solving. In fact, diversity trumps sheer ability: diverse […]
Radical Selection: Who Should be Involved and How to Recruit Them
I just served as a resource person for a client I’m working with. I did so because I know nothing about manufacturing, and that’s the best criteria for a resource person: Someone who knows nothing about what you do. They bring in a fresh perspective. Good people to bring in are educators. Bring in some psychologists. […]