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Abstract of "Tapping the Power of a Diverse Work Force"

Author(s): Patricia A. Galagan

This article discusses affirmative action versus assimilation (minimizing differences), given the changing demographics of the work force at present.

In 1991, less than half of the work force consisted of white, native-born males. According to "Workforce 2000," a 1987 study by the Hudson Institute, these numbers will decline in the next ten years so that one out of every four employees will come from a minority group. Companies will have to shift from the traditional white male attitude and work styles to styles that incorporating the new diverse population.

This Is Not about Assimilation: Robert Roosevelt Thomas, president of the American Institute for Managing Diversity, wrote in March 1990 that affirmative action policies had served to increase work force diversity. John Aldrich, president of Aldrich Associates, believes affirmative action may have outlived its usefulness. A new outlook is necessary. Assimilation is no longer the desired outlook; in its place is a celebration of diversity.
Of Pride and Prejudice: Along with the changing demographics comes a change in attitudes towards assimilation. People no longer strive to be like the white American male. Instead, they prefer to work together while maintaining their identity. This is shown by the number of organizations and networks that exist within several corporations to support the various groups of employees.
Beyond Bias: The term "diversity" refers to a broad range of differences: skin color, gender, religion, age, race, economic class, military experience, sexual orientation. Today a few companies have started programs to root out biases and prejudices about people's differences. Unfortunately, these programs focus on individual bias instead of corporate culture. Several corporations, such as Digital Equipment Corporation, Ford Motor and 3M, however, have begun programs for changing attitudes towards diversity. Many of the workshops focus on what skills are necessary to put together a team of people that are inherently very different from one another and still obtain a positive outcome.
Teaching "People Skills" to Managers: Managers are taught how to deal with people from diverse backgrounds and to deal with discrimination issues. One important aspect is distinguishing between true discrimination and poor communication. One pilot program found four major areas with particular potential for discussion:

Building rapport
Supporting development
Acknowledging value
Recognizing individuality

Many managers, such as Anna Wong at Pacific Bell, believe that new programs and attitudes should encompass both affirmative action and diversity. However, very few corporate action plans include adapting to new diversity. In spite of the low priority currently demonstrated towards diversity, Galagan writes that, "by all indications, companies that do not embrace diversity will have it thrust upon them by demographics and by their own increasingly diverse and inassimilable employees." In other words, competitiveness will become a key factor in the attractiveness of diversity.

Pioneers Needed: Adjusting to diversity involves developing a new corporate culture that will work naturally for all. This culture has not yet been fully developed, although companies such as Honeywell, Aldrich Associates, and Pacific Bell are making the effort. According to Robert Roosevelt Thomas, pioneers will be needed to forge and solidify this new area of management and business. He envisions that diversity will be fully achieved and effectively managed only "in such a way as to get from a heterogeneous work force the same productivity, commitment, quality, and profit that we got from the old homogeneous work force."

abstract by Juliet Midgley and Rae Lewis

Patricia A. Galagan Training and Development Journal (March 1991): 38-44