Diversity in the Workplace

Preaching to the Choir on Cultivating Diversity in the Workplace By Gary Collins, Michelle Walker and Gabe Hamda ICATT Consulting

Is workplace diversity a nicety or a burden or a symbolic gesture or an imperative? While most diversity literature tends to sing the praises of workplace diversity, we seldom hear from writers who assert the demerits of this practice. We have observed organizations who truly embrace it. We have witnessed those who play lip service to it. We have also seen organizations who dread it. More often than not, though we have seen those who understand the imperative value of embracing and managing the inherent diversity in the workplace.

The subject of this article is not exactly an attempt to convert those who doubt the value of addressing diversity. As unusual as it may sound, our attempt here is to “preach to the choir” by providing some useful tools for implementing workplace diversity for those who understand that diversity in the workplace is just the realization that we work with others that are different from ourselves.

Who cares about workplace diversity? What do a chief executive, a manager and an individual employee have in common? All three are impacted by the success or failure of their organization.

You may be a chief executive, middle manager, or individual contributor. What does diversity in the workplace mean to you?

To the chief executive who may be focused on the relevance of the organization at the market place, diversity may mean attracting, retaining and engaging a work force that mirrors that of the market place. To a manager who may be charged with the delivery an innovative product, diversity may mean having to blend different talents and backgrounds to attain the desired outcome. To an individual employee who wants to simply get along with co-workers who look and act differently, practicing workplace diversity may mean discovering traits that they may have in common to create peace and harmony at work.

ICATT Consulting (www.icatt.net) is dedicated to improving organizational performance. Phone: 904.645.6954. Email: [email protected].

Gary Collins is Principal of Organizational Effectiveness, Michelle Walker is Director of Client Relations, Gabe Hamda is President & CEO of ICATT Consulting.

Cultivating Diversity in the Workplace page 1 Is there a single definition of diversity? Diversity means different things to different people. ICATT has been offering workplace diversity training for over ten years. One of the questions we ask our training participants is what diversity means to them. The themes of responses we continue to receive include:

 better understanding employees  different people working together successfully  people of various cultures, race, and gender working together  working with different values  understanding different points of view  creating a productive and harmonious environment  variety of people working together despite their differences  a workplace that reflects the community, various race, culture, age and abilities

Diversity is the obvious and not so obvious differences we recognize in others and ourselves. In the workplace, it is any dimension that differentiates people from one another. This can include: race, age, culture, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and disabilities. But, it can also include other dimensions like educational level, values, character, our birth order, what side of town we grew up on, the level we hold in the organization (CEO, Manager, Front-line), and at its most simple level, how we see the world.

First we need to understand that “diversity” is so much more than race, ethnicity, gender, age, etc. While all of these are, in fact, things that make us diverse; we must expand our understanding to a broader level.

In today’s workplace, a policy of inclusion exists. The goal is to allow differences and respect differences. What was once seen to be a “melting pot” approach to differences is now more like creating a great salad. In a great salad the lettuce remains lettuce, the tomato remains tomato, and the onion remains onion. The success comes from the mixing of these into a single creation. The same applies to organizations. We must create ways to capture the variety of skills, the multitude of opinions, the various experiences and education that exists in our companies and make use of them.

While most of us agree with this, we have found that it is not an easy task. It requires the commitment of the leadership, the diligence of the management team, and the willingness of all employees to look beyond their own assumptions and stereotypes to see the potential benefits of a “different” idea or approach.

One of the largest blocks to using the diverse talents and ideas in the workplace is stereotypes. Stereotypes cause problems when generalizations are based on incomplete or incorrect information, assumptions are made that may or may not be true, or when snap decisions are made about individuals when specific or complete information isn’t available.

Cultivating Diversity in the Workplace page 2 The following examples are taken from organizations across the country and will give you some suggestions about ways to manage diversity and cultivate a workplace that is free of stereotyping.

1. Communicate examples that foster diversity.

Making a point to intentionally publicize people and situations that challenge stereotypic thinking is the way one home improvement chain helps break down assumptions. Knowing that women and younger employees might be assumed to be less knowledgeable about the construction trades and hardware, they post the pictures of department managers and assistant managers with their experience and qualifications listed beneath. Seeing that a particular employee is a master carpenter, experienced electrician or tile setter with ten years in the trade can break down assumptions that might exist about ability and competence based on age, gender, size, or ethnicity.

2. Humanize encounters and contact.

Creating opportunities for individuals to have access to people from different groups can lessen preconceived notions. One organization sends selected executives on recruiting trips to minority professional association conferences so that senior managers can see for themselves the range of talented people available in various groups. Not only does this break down their own assumptions about these groups, but it provides them real life examples to share.

3. Have a diverse set of eyes on decision-making.

Diverse hiring panels are used in many organizations to reduce stereotyping and the resulting bias in the interview and selection processes. In one hospital, a panel member challenged the group that was ready to reject an applicant who came to the interview dressed in a skintight leopard print jumpsuit and stiletto heels. Seeing that the interviewee had the skills and experience needed, she convinced them to hire her, and then counseled the new hire on appropriate work attire.

Having a diverse array of individuals review materials, videos, and publications is also helpful in catching unconscious assumptions and unintended stereotypic depictions.

4. Mix people across boundaries.

Human beings tend to gravitate toward those with whom they have something in common. Who we eat lunch with, sit next to at meetings, or select for a project is often influenced by that comfort. Whether language,

Cultivating Diversity in the Workplace page 3 level, profession, or department is the basis for common ground, the separation often leads people to see each other as labels. Creating ways to get people to move out of their natural comfort zones and develop common ground with those different from them breaks down the barriers created by stereotypes, as "those people" become real human beings, not labels.

Intentionally assigning mixed groups to work on projects can build bridges and remove barriers. Cross training and recreation/social activities are also vehicles for getting people to develop relationships across lines of difference.

5. Provide training that builds competence in stereotype busting.

While you may have addressed stereotypes and prejudice in diversity training, undoubtedly more work is needed. Not only do employees and managers need to increase their awareness of bias and assumptions, they need help in dealing with situations that occur in the workplace. Training needs to develop competence in detecting the signs of stereotyping encountered at work and in addressing assumptions and biases in productive ways. Role-plays around situations where stereotyping plays a part and problem solving to such situations are useful in developing competence in stereotype busting. As one seminar participant said, "We are all recovering racists and sexists," and it is the recovery model that is key. Addressing stereotypes and "isms" of all kinds is a process of continual dialogue, growth, and improvement, and one that never ends.

Finally, to really cultivate the diverse talents, skills, ideas and approaches that are lying dormant in many of our organizations, we each need to break out of our “comfort zone” of being with only “people that are like me” and take a look at what people have to offer. The creation of a respectful and more vibrant workplace begins with each of us. Some ways to begin this expansion of our understanding might be to: • Challenge stereotypic comments and assumptions when we hear them. • Suggest changes in systems and processes to make them more equitable and accessible. • Spend time (e.g., meals, breaks) with people who are different from you in a variety of ways. • Let people know that ethnic, gender, racial, religious, etc., jokes are off limits. • Suggest methods to hold all staff accountable for fair treatment and respectful behavior. • Speak up and educate when you hear a derogatory comment, slur, or joke. • Suggest resolution strategies when staff has diversity related conflicts. • Challenge your own assumptions and stereotypic thoughts.

Cultivating Diversity in the Workplace page 4 • Give suggestions about ways to make the department more inclusive. • Check out the facts before you pass on information.

The world that used to be far away is now at our door steps. Information that was once reserved for the few is available with a click of a computer mouse. The stable workforce and long-term working relationships are a thing of the past. We must now engage with people with different accents, different values, different views, and different ideas. We are increasingly relying on services and products that are offered to us by people whose names, cultures and languages we can barely spell or pronounce.

We are seeing that skills in managing diversity are no longer just nice to have. To prosper, to survive, in today’s marketplace our understanding and ability to manage the diversity that is part of our daily existence must be upgraded from elective to required.

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