REPRINT 2003 Functional Diversity Primer
1.4 Multicultural CompetenciesVincent M. Cramer of Cramer’s Cube, a development and training company specializing in diversity asset management, talks about multicultural competencies:
Diversity programs must change and grow: For maximum effectiveness, diversity leaders need to recognize and understand where they are in their program development. Cramer says that “Achieving the proper degree of diversity, referred to as Diversity Attainment, has no finish line because the dynamic changes in the world’s diversity, mobility, and communications will never end.”
Diversity, the business bottom line, community, and philanthropy can go hand-in-hand. Cramer says, “Being socially fair and fiscally astute are not diametrically opposed. They are symbiotic. Historically, corporations have taken on many tasks that are peripheral to their core mission … make money…. If a corporation’s philanthropy and generosity can coexist with the primary mission, it usually results in receiving the unofficial title of Good Corporate Citizen.
“Corporations with a high level of civic-mindedness are usually held in high esteem by all, but it could all come crashing down if the company fails in its capitalist mission. It is a tremendous challenge to create and sustain a company in robust economic times. It is nearly impossible today. Corporations have a large enough challenge trying to sustain growth, profits, and market share while increasing productivity and innovation. How can corporate leaders be expected to be Good Corporate Citizens? Once they realize that their social and fiscal strategies can be joined they will be able to operate and invest with a focus on only one objective…fiscal success…. The value to the individuals and the groups will be significant, but corporations can reach the same result if they simply focused on diversity’s fiscal value to the corporation.”
Human capital is an asset: Cramer adds, “Human capital has taken on a profoundly new meaning. The bricks and mortar infrastructure of the manufacturing age was considered to be a major asset of the corporation as well as a competitive advantage and differentiator. Many economists have moved these assets to the liability side of the ledger. Since the end of the Cold War, it seems that everything has changed. Warfare is now based on adaptability, mobility, and intelligence, having replaced the model based on size and strength. The paradigm shift for the military followed the lessons learned from what its leaders had seen taking place in the industrial sector. Instead of utilizing humans to optimize the function of machines, the two were reversed. Human capital is what will drive armies, agencies, and economies in the millennial age.”
Diversity as a competitive advantage: Cramer says, “A corporation should accumulate assets that it feels have the greatest possibility of providing competitive advantage. It should then maximize the contribution of the assets and measure the results. This statement is so simple that it should be viewed as insulting to everyone’s intelligence. But, it is relevant when the definition of an asset is not apparent…. A corporation’s greatest asset is not in the R&D lab or on the manufacturing floor. The asset is walking the halls, working in cubicles, and collaborating in conference rooms.
“The asset valuation that can be applied is dependent on the talent, inspiration, and diversity of the team. Since it is impossible to foresee the business challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, it is prudent for corporations to develop a team that possesses the best potential. In the criteria that we have established, diversity is of equal importance with talent and inspiration. As with the other two, diversity must be acquired, cultivated, and applied. To ensure that it receives the focus and support it needs, commensurate with its potential for impact, it should be proclaimed as the greatest corporate asset. Treat it as such.”
Cramer continues, “Rather than documenting an already well-documented topic, it is practical to derive the pertinent lessons that are common to ‘quality’ and diversity.’ What began as a corporate capability, or incapability, evolved into a Quality Program, then a differentiator, evolving to a bottom-line contributor, and finally becoming a critical corporate asset. Within one generation, we no longer need to look for quality in the goods we purchase. We expect all products to have quality. The definition of quality is simply conformance to specification. It is not synonymous with reliability. That’s another topic…. Corporations which have been committed to diversity and have developed comprehensive Diversity Programs are now at the juncture of strategic advantage.”
The United States, the Melting Pot, is not only the land of opportunity, it is the land of diversity. Cramer says, “The time is now for corporations to take the next step in the evolution and maturity of their Diversity Programs. Heed the words of George Santayana, ‘Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’ Redefine your diversity effort. It has gone well past the point where it should be described as a ‘program.’ It is an asset, a critical asset. As with quality, it is a tactical and strategic asset.”
The chart below is an illustration provided by Cramer’s Cube of a complete diversity management system:
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