Can't We All Just Get Along?
From my reading and study “workplace diversity” seems to have been around for a while. Even though the phrase "workplace diversity" has been used for almost 20 years, there are still many misunderstandings about what the phrase means. I believe the diversity professionals are to blame for much of this confusion. For one thing, early in the field's evolution, there did not appear to be enough effort put forth to distinguish diversity from Affirmative Action. Somewhere along the line, the impression was created that legal efforts to hire diverse applicants (Affirmative Action) were directly linked to voluntary programs to provide an environment in which all employees can function successfully ("workplace diversity"). Now, the more successful Affirmative Action is, the more diversity there will be and, therefore, a greater need for diversity efforts. What needs to be made clear, though, is that diversity work must happen even if Affirmative Action programs are eliminated. It also needs to be clarified that it is possible to philosophically disagree with Affirmative Action and be downright evangelical about diversity. It is the link to Affirmative Action that prevents some leaders
that would have meant millions in badly Bias is one of those problems that can be obvious and fixable or subtle and undiagnosable. Try this on for bias: a manufacturing company recently discovers some of its employees are members of the Ku Klux Klan. Then a CEO suspects bias is keeping her gay employees from moving up in the company, but she can't quite identify where the problem lies. Who is in bigger trouble? Clearly it's the CEO, whose problem is more difficult to spot. 2An organization was bidding on a contract The most damaging misunderstanding about diversity is the misguided belief that diversity efforts require lowering standards for hiring and promotions. This myth was probably born out of those few highly publicized incidents in which organizations made the fatal mistake of hiring unqualified people just because of their demographic categories. It did not take the Society for Human Resources' study showing that the biggest single way to damage diversity programs is to lower hiring and promotion standards for most organizations to correct this practice. from fully supporting diversity programs. By clarifying that the two strategies are complementary rather than identical, support can be encouraged.
Some topics in this essay:
Guerilla Bias,
Roebuck Co,
Affirmative Action,
Jersey City,
Human Resources',
Allied Signal,
Hidden Bias,
Business Diversity,
,
Klan CEO,
affirmative action,
guerilla bias,
business diversity,
political correctness,
hidden bias,
diversity programs,
white males,
diversity staff,
women minorities,
varies organization organization,
sales team,
organization organization concept,
organization concept understood,
diversity varies organization,
business diversity varies,
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Approximate Word count = 1875
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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