A Diversified Workforce Fosters a Climate of Innovation
by Alicia M. Rodriguez, M.A. Diversity is a hot topic these days.
Organizations and companies are all talking the language of diversity and inclusion. Too often, however, diversity is limited to gender, race and perhaps ethnicity. Indeed, diversity includes alternative lifestyles, age, religion, socio-economic status, and ability. In order to benefit from a diverse working population, organizations will want to address all of these concerns.
In an environment that is growing more and more globally oriented, upper management would do well to
harness the diverse perspectives of the working population. Today more than ever, innovation is key to thriving, if not surviving.
Innovation can only originate in environments where multiple perspectives are valued and considered. Understanding the differences in cultures, and the beliefs associated with these, will be integral to harnessing the creative potential found by having access to multiple perspectives. It serves to move us out of our "box" and see things in ways not based on the silent assumptions we all carry. Another person with different experiences may well have us suspend our assumptions so that we may see an alternative course of action, whether this is a marketing plan, a human resource program or support to product development.
Development and progress cannot occur in a vacuum.
It needs the rich soil of multiple experiences in order to flourish. But this is difficult for many who hold on tightly to their concepts about what a worker (or client or consumer) should be like, what values they should exhibit, what they should feel is important. Too often the Generation X worker is criticized for being lazy or not committed. But if this stereotype is set aside one will find a creative, dedicated and flexible worker, capable of working independently and with a high level of comfort in changing environments. The astute manager will have this GenXer work to his or her talents and values, not against them, to achieve a high level of individual as well as organizational success. Combining an intuitive personality with an analytical personality or marketing abilities with technical abilities can provide better results in terms of solutions, just as combining multiple cultural perspectives can provide innovation and new perspectives.
In the next 50 years, Hispanics will comprise 24 percent of the population, African-Americans 15 percent, and Asians and Pacific Islanders 9 percent. Spanish is the most common language after English. The workforce of the future will be made up of a multi-colored, multi-generational and at least one half female population. Women are comprising 2/3 of new entrants into the workforce compared to 15% of new white male entrants.
However, the statistics show that follow
through up the executive ladder is lacking.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, forty years after the civil rights movement, African Americans still only hold 8.2 percent of executive slots and Hispanics hold just five percent of top positions. Women comprise just 12.5 percent of corporate officers and represent just 4.1 percent of all top earners. And for minority women, the situation is worse: the percentage of women of color in senior jobs was only 1.3 percent as reported by Catalyst Research. Women still face the challenge of the "wage gap", earning 76 cents for every dollar a white man earns. African American women earned 65 cents and Latinas, 55 cents.
If companies are indeed committed to an environment of inclusion, then there must be leadership development programs available to everyone so that the value of diversity is extended from the top levels of management throughout the organization.
Ideas need not only be shared but valued and explored. Assumptions about who we are based on stereotypes must be set aside in order to create listening opportunities. A common language based on mutual respect must be created to promote understanding and better communication.
How companies enter and thrive in the future may well be influenced not only by their policies of inclusion but truly, by an internal shift to accepting diversity in all it's aspects as a competitive
advantage, and contributor to and source of innovation, ideas and potential.
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© Alicia M. Rodriguez, 2002. All rights reserved.
Please feel free to forward this on.
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Reproduction for publication is approved, provided the copyright information is included along with the following attribution: by Alicia M. Rodriguez, M.A., Personal Coach, Soul Centered
Life Management™, 410-544-5262 , E-Mail: aliciamr@sclmcoach.com and website: www.sclmcoach.com
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