Diversity Is Not a Numbers Game
Great article by our very own Enrique Washington, Partner and CEO, featured in Diversity Executive. The following is only a tasty preview, click HERE for the whole article.
Demographers suggest that by the year 2050, people of color may represent more than half the U.S. population, most of the workforce will be comprised of non-Caucasian members, and the workforce group ages 45 to 64 will substantively increase.
As organizations prepare for the cultural shift occurring in an increasingly dynamic workforce, they will need to be thoughtful about development, implementation and measurement of diversity and inclusion initiatives. Further, part of the planning process requires knowing what diversity is, what it is not and when diversity is not the right approach.
Diversity is not about filling seats to reach quotas or hiring minorities who are not qualified just to achieve a visually different workforce. This strategy may create a perception of discrimination via preferential treatment and does not benefit the employees or their organizations. Further, when companies look to fill positions to reach quotas, it can create legal concerns because organizations must be able to prove their selection practices are fair and objective.
Likewise, if the same organization wanted to reach its diversity leadership goals through succession management, but used a selection process that chose African-American employees over Caucasian employees performing at a much higher rate — as evidenced by performance reviews and expressions of leadership preparedness — the effort might move the organization closer to its diversity goals, but at what cost to the business?
Diversity also is not the right approach if efforts therein compromise an organization’s core values or the guiding principles that drive behavior and influence culture. For instance, integrity is a common value in organization mission and vision statements. It implies the employee should behave honestly and act in the organization’s best interests using ethical principles. If a person is hired solely based on his or her ethnic background and not on qualifications, the action would be counter to the value system set up to promote doing the right thing when making business decisions.
READ MORE for Enrique’s recommendations.
