Being Diverse vs. Practicing Diversity

Managing Diversity – Information for People Managing a Diverse Workforce
August 2005
By Vincent M. Cramer

Being Diverse vs. Practicing Diversity
Is your diversity program focused on the forest and the trees?

Recently I was invited to give a talk on diversity to an organization located in the desert southwest. The conference coordinator requested that I choose a topic for the event that is relevant, interesting and insightful. What could I possibly tell the conference attendees about diversity? The southwest has more diversity than probably any other region of the United States. Reflecting on the subject of diversity, I tried to think of the specific value that I could provide. Then I realized that there is a vast difference between Being Diverse and Practicing Diversity.

How many times have you used the phrase “can’t see the forest for the trees”? If you applied that quotation to the subject of diversity it might need to be reversed. In the new millennium, diversity programs are thriving and expanding, much like a forest. Affinity Groups have filled the forest and they are having a significant impact. Is it reasonable to make a judgment on the health of the trees based on the condition of the forest? As diversity programs mature, we may be losing our ability to “see the trees for the forest.”

The Teacher Is Also a Student

Whenever I give a talk, conduct a workshop, or provide client consultation, I take some time to reflect on the event during the return flight home. It is then that I have the time to list the lessons that I learned and the insights that I gained. That is what happened when I boarded the Southwest plane to leave the southwest after this conference.

During this time of reflection I realized that:

• The measurement of diversity programs must consider the trees as well as the forest.
• Employee frustration may be greater in a diverse organization if individuals are unfulfilled in their job.
• Poor leadership is poor leadership, independent of the leader’s personal characteristics.
• Individuals want to be heard and they want the opportunity to make an impact.
• Under diverse leadership, in a diverse group, people may feel that they are not entitled to be unhappy.

At the conference, some of the attendees told me of their frustrations. After attending the session, Being Diverse and Practicing Diversity, they had newfound insight to their frustrations. A woman told me that she worked in a very diverse group at a prestigious corporation. The manager of the department could be considered a diversity success story. The man achieved a position of stature and leadership that could not have been realized a generation ago. With broad support from company executives, he was promoted to his current position managing an organization of almost one hundred people. By almost any measure, this is a diversity success story. If you spoke with the members of his group you may come to an entirely different conclusion. When you measure the health and vitality of the trees you begin to have reason for concern.

An autocrat is an autocrat, irrespective of gender. An ineffective leader is an ineffective leader, independent of ethnicity. A poor communicator is a poor communicator, no matter what the leader’s age, culture or sexual orientation may be. And most importantly, a frustrated employee is an unhappy employee.

Diversity + Decision making = Destiny

I am sure that you have heard of “The ME Generation.” By its name you can deduce that it is not a complimentary label. It is intended to define a person as self-centered, self-serving and self-absorbed. I would like to apply the phrase differently. There is much insight to be gained when the thoughts and feelings of all the MEs and all the trees are considered in assessing the health and vitality of a diversity program. At the level of the individual employee, the metrics used to assess diversity programs are vastly different than the so-called 50,000-foot level.

Employees have job satisfaction if they have a voice in the organization; have the opportunity to make a contribution to the team and an impact on its success. Individuals want the opportunity to have ownership in the output instead of simply providing input. In some organizations, people are not even afforded the consideration to provide input. Employees achieve a level of pride and satisfaction if their unique talents and insights are utilized in assignments that are important to the group and the corporation. This contributes to organizational success by creating a higher level of employee satisfaction that directly affects the corporation’s business metrics. It also advances corporate culture and identity.

To date, diversity programs have primarily focused on increasing diversity and improving leadership ability. Corporate executives must realize that the non-leaders would also like to be a priority. Corporations have the ability to move their diversity initiatives, the forest and the trees, from Inclusion-to-Impact. This is accomplished by providing everyone with the capability to contribute in collaborative decision-making assignments. This empowers everyone and it enables the leaders to benefit from the unique talents and insights of the entire organization. This enables corporations to Be Diverse, and to Practice Diversity.

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Vincent M. Cramer is the author of Cramer’s Cube. He is also the founder of Winchester Consulting Group, an Organizational Development and Training Company specializing in the principles of Cramer's Cube and its application to Leadership, Innovation and Diversity Asset Management™. www.cramerscube.com