Cash In On Diversity
How Getting Along With Others Pays Off
by
M. Susan Klopfer
SMASHWORDS EDITION
* * * * *
PUBLISHED BY:
Susan Klopfer on Smashwords
Cash In On Diversity
How Getting Along With Others Pays Off
Copyright © 2011 by M. Susan Klopfer
Editor, Jay Mattsson
sklopfer@gmail.com
www.susanklopfer.com
www.cashinondiversity.com
Smashwords Edition License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.
* * * * *
The information in this book does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as legal advice. If you have a legal problem, consult an attorney in your area concerning your particular situation and facts.
Reasonable care has been taken to ensure that the information presented in this book is accurate. However, the reader should understand that the information provided does not constitute legal, medical or professional advice of any kind.
Neither the author, the publisher nor the distributor of this material shall be liable for any losses or damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, consequential loss or damage) directly or indirectly arising from the use of this product.
Dedicated to my father, John Orr
CONTENTS
Author’s Note
Part I
CHAPTER 1 Lori’s Story
CHAPTER 2 Sara’s Story
CHAPTER 3 Hank’s Story
CHAPTER 4 Greg’s Story
CHAPTER 5 Wednesday Spaghetti
Part II
CHAPTER 6 Changing Culture Roots
CHAPTER 7 Looking at the “Now”
CHAPTER 8 Changing to Diversity, Part I
CHAPTER 9 Changing to Diversity, Part II
CHAPTER 10 Culture Audit Results
CHAPTER 11 Small Celebrations
Epilogue and Final Thoughts
Bonus Chapter
Five Diversity Mistakes Companies Make
Appendix
Communicating With Non-Native Speakers
Diversity Questionnaire
Diversity and Psychology FAQ
Are You Diversified? 11-Point Pre-assessment Analysis
Diversity Terms
Suggested Readings
Acknowledgements
Author’s Note
This book is intended for a general audience and most authorities have therefore not been quoted in the text. To do so would have broken the flow of words and is a practice suitable only for a more technical publication. But a number of original articles and books have been referred to in this manuscript and it would be wrong to present it without acknowledging their valuable assistance. At the end of the book, I have included a Suggested Readings appendix giving detailed references.
* * * * *
First, a true story. A recent California Supreme Court decision involved an experienced engineer who went to work for a giant corporation (the kind of company that one would think comprehends and practices diversity).
This engineer knew that going into a high-tech job would mean working in a youthful company, with fewer older workers. But he didn’t expect mistreatment he received by younger workers, including his boss, who immediately started called him names like “fuddy-duddy” and “old man,” he alleged.
The engineer, who had worked successfully for years in major corporations, was suddenly being taunted with words, including "slow," "fuzzy," "sluggish" and "lethargic." Employees allegedly called him an "old guy" and stated that his ideas were "obsolete" and "too old to matter" and that his knowledge was “ancient.”
They allegedly joked that his office placard should be in the shape of an "LP" (i.e. a vinyl record) rather than the customary (then current music format) "CD." For several years this inappropriate behavior progressed, the engineer alleged, and after a time, when his job was taken away, he left this company, but then sued for age discrimination.
While the case had not been settled at the time I read about it, the court issued a unanimous decision that could make it more difficult for California employers to win summary judgment in certain discrimination cases involving potentially discriminatory comments.
In fact, California courts must now evaluate such “stray” remarks together with all other admissible evidence to determine whether there is sufficient evidence of discrimination for a case to proceed to a jury trial.
This decision reaffirms that employers must do more than simply maintain policies preventing discrimination and harassment. They must take steps, including training of supervisors and non-supervisors alike, to ensure all employees are aware of such policies and the risk of liability posed by potentially discriminatory comments, in any context. In other words, they must learn to manage their company’s diversity.
This story left me wondering who raised these young employees to show such meanness and hostility toward an older, experienced co-worker? Did any professors ever discuss diversity at their schools? Or multiculturalism? Good manners? And what kind of managers and CEO led this company? Had they ever experienced any leadership education?
The failure to raise someone who tolerates people who are different, or who values the very skills and experiences others may have to offer, no matter how “different” they appear to be, has to land somewhere.
Someone failed these employees quite miserably, either their parents, teachers or employers. Perhaps all of the above tried and failed. I hope this book will help fill in gaps that are apparently missing for those who behave in this way and for others who tolerate or encourage this misbehavior, as well.
We are a diverse nation filled with people of many sizes, shapes, ages, religions and sexual preferences — people with missing limbs, stutters, mental challenges and so many other differences.
But too many of us still do not always recognize that all people are deserving of equal treatment. Or that even with “differences,” nearly all of us still have something to contribute, if allowed to participate. As the battles heat up at school and at work, and as the civil rights lawsuits keep piling up, isn’t it about time to change?
This book is an attempt to explain how our world is changing in the organizations where we work and spend much of our time each day — and will endeavor to describe where intolerance and hate come from, and why these attitudes and behaviors do not serve us well in the workplace. This book also shows many of the benefits we can achieve as individuals, and as organizations, when getting along with others, as we celebrate and appreciate our differences — as we embrace diversity.
People who care about getting along need to take a stand when intolerance is displayed. Leaders must help the people they manage with proper tools and guidance. This is the basic message presented, along with important explanations of themes, including cultural diversity, multiculturalism, cross-cultural communication and showing how all of us can become better human beings with this knowledge.
If you are new to these ideas, I hope that you enjoy this information and put it to use, because we are living in a world that demands we change.
If you already understand the message, hopefully you will learn some new skills and you will help others achieve success.
Susan Klopfer, M.B.A.
Part I
Chapter 1
Lori’s Story
“I wonder if anyone at work even cares whether or not I get my kids dressed and fed breakfast this morning?”
Lori Suva is a middle-aged woman living in a small Midwestern town. She is a native of Kadavu Island, Fiji's fourth largest island in the Southwest Pacific, and is usually in a good mood before getting her family up and ready each morning..
American tourism brochures typically describe Fiji’s 330 islands as "the land of broad smiles, flashing white teeth, gentle relaxation and absolutely no stress."
But this morning Suva is not smiling and she is stressed, after being up all night preparing for a special company-wide multicultural dinner. Her company's annual affair is expected to help co-workers appreciate Suva's culture. Everyone will love her special sweet potato and pineapple bake; they always do. They will enjoy looking at slides of Suva's last trip home. They probably don't realize the extra hours it takes Suva to prepare for this annual event, especially since her children are very young and she must first tuck them into bed before she starts cooking.
Suva sometimes thinks about what it would like to stay below the radar and just do her work. Maybe next year everyone will be happy if she hands out her Fiji recipes and skips the cooking. "Well, it is a thought," she muses, while packing up her car with food and the slide projector — and her children who she will drop off at the babysitter’s.
Managing diversity is still a very new idea for many companies. Granted, experiencing food from another culture is an important experience for Suva's co-workers who, mostly, have never traveled outside of their state.
Will this dinner meet expectations of the company’s CEO, a man who travels to many countries and who frequently shares his multicultural experiences with his employees? Will this dinner help employees learn to work together in groups and to consider the unique contributions from individuals? Will all employees experience empowerment once they have eaten Suva’s food? Will the company grow and prosper in today's competitive, global environment, once Suva’s food is consumed?
Easing Into Diversity From Affirmative Action
Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr., considered the country's foremost diversity thought leader, would likely see some gain from Suva's meal, probably describing the event as a move from affirmative action into valuing differences, a necessary pathway for easing the transition into managing diversity.
Companies like Suva’s employer and other organizations are often sensitive to diversity, and see the need for some type of action to help people “understand differences,” and plan activities such as special minority dinners. Or they might invite noted diversity speakers for workshops or introduce "culture" clubs meant to establish awareness of and respect for differences in the workplace.
College campuses typically have special programs such as "foreign students clubs" that plan special dinners for their members and guests (with members cooking their cultural dishes) or do other things, like appear in local parades or go on special trips.
"Differences" programs at work and school are targeted to non-majority group individuals and interpersonal levels, trying to improve relationships among employees and/or students and to minimize blatant behaviors like racism, sexism or gay bashing.
Usually the goal is to help individuals become aware of differences and accept or tolerate each other. Participants are often led to explore how their differences might be "tapped into" as assets in the organization.
Valuing Differences Not Enough
Organizations having difficulty with employees or student relations often find valuing differences can help — at least to improve relationships and minimize some of the worst behaviors.
But claiming to value differences is not enough to create an empowered workforce or student body, and this is where a true commitment to managing diversity comes into play. For all students, employees and other organizational members to reach their full potentials naturally, managing diversity is the critical key and is the focus of this book.
Lori Suva’s employer recently started transitioning from valuing differences into managing diversity with the hiring of a diversity officer, a middle-aged white woman who has years of experience in human relations and diversity. And who knows?
The new diversity officer said that by next year, the annual "Suva dinner" might be replaced by a dinner where all employees bring a favorite dish and family photos representing their ethnic roots.
"That is,
if they know their own family history," she added.
Chapter 2
Sara’s Story
“I guess I might miss a few people around here.”
Sara B. took one last look around her office, a comfortable nook where she had spent the past five years as administrative assistant to a successful vice president in a company.
Sara spent several months to make this decision, and she knew there were some parts of her job that she would really miss. In fact, she could have kept this job for many years; her evaluations were always very positive.
While she hadn’t yet gone job-hunting, Sara still turned in her notice to the HR department. What would make a good employee leave a company without knowing what their future would bring? This information would never be collected, since no one in HR has ever asked any employee for an exit interview.
For Sara, a gay woman, the reason was her daily experience of depression, anxiety and anger over the way she was treated by several of her co-workers, she would later admit. She wasn't alone — the young, black woman who Sara replaced had left the company one year earlier for similar reasons, Sara later found out.
Perhaps both women wouldn't have made such hasty decisions, had someone in this company been concerned with managing diversity. But no managers or company stakeholders had ever bothered to look at their company's absenteeism and turnover data; if they had, they might have discovered that it wasn't just Sara leaving the company without any plans. A number of good employees were missing too much work, something else that could have shed light on the company’s employee problems.
Diversity Management Impacts Bottom Line
Companies that manage diversity see their results on the bottom line. Organizational behavior research has consistently shown that experiences of "out-group" members tend to be less positive than those of majority group members when managing and valuing diversity or MVD is ignored.
In Sara's case, she was never allowed to fit in after her cohorts learned she was in a lesbian relationship. While some were kind, there were several other women who gossiped and spread rumors about Sara. Several employees were even openly hostile with behavior that would be seen as bullying by any diversity-competent human resource manager or supervisor.
Sara had never felt comfortable doing some of the things her co-workers did quite naturally, like putting up a picture on her desk of the woman she had married or the children they had adopted, as others had done with “traditional” family photos. She knew this would have left her open for even more hostility by those who were bullies.
An organization's entire economic well-being is affected by all types of discrimination, including the sexual discrimination suffered by employees like Sara.
Workplace bullying expert Dr. Gary Namie, President of the Workplace Bullying Institute defines bullying as “repeated mistreatment: sabotage by others that prevent work from getting done, verbal abuse, threatening conduct, intimidation and humiliation.” It is any behavior by employers or co-workers that subject targets to repeated, abusive conduct resulting in health-harming physical and psychological effects.
Workplace Bullying Widespread, Preventable
Namie explains that information and communications technologies such as E-mail, Instant Messaging and social networks can be part of this toxic mix of mistreatment. While much research has been devoted to the study of cyber bullying in middle- and high school, there is little credible research, to date, on the role of cyber bullying in the workplace. But to experts like Namie, workplace bullying “in general looks to be fairly widespread.”
In the Institute’s 2010 U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey, findings from two surveys showed that
*35% of workers have experienced bullying firsthand
*62% of bullies are men; 58% of targets are women
*Women bullies target women in 80% of cases
*Bullying at work is four times more prevalent than illegal harassment (2007), and
*Same-gender harassment accounts for more than two thirds (68%) of bullying
In addition to the 35% of the U.S. workforce (an estimated 53.5 million Americans) who report being bullied at work, another 15% say they have witnessed it happen to someone else. Half of all workers report neither experiencing nor witnessing bullying.
The 2010 survey is a follow-up to the WBI's first national study, conducted by Zogby in 2007. A comparison of results from the two surveys showed that little had changed. Results from 2007 also found that
*72% of bullies were bosses, and
*45% of targets experienced health-related problems
In a more productive economy, 34% of bullied targets report voluntarily quitting their jobs to avoid further mistreatment according to an on-line poll conducted by the Workplace Bullying Institute.
Meanwhile, a worldwide lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) study has been launched to examine the scale of workplace discrimination and reveal if diversity and inclusion (D & I) programs are working.
The Community Values 2010 research study, with findings due in a January 2011 report, will look at the lives of LGBT people from all walks of life — across six continents — and is being conducted by Out Now, a consultancy specializing in gay-marketing.
Ian Johnson, founder and CEO of Out Now, said: “Preliminary results show the importance that the LGBT community places upon workplace equality. But the value of existing D&I policies is being called into question and the picture that is emerging is by no means a comfortable one.”
Companies Demonstrate LGBT Support
Johnson said, “Companies that demonstrate support for their LGBT employees can influence positively the spending habits of the LBGT community. This research will allow organizations to map their diversity journeys in a more engaging and effective way, using the voices of employees themselves to identity what is not working and where they need to implement change."
For Sara and other members of the LGBT community, sexual orientation discrimination encompasses the unfair treatment or persecution of someone based on their sexual preference. Gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transsexuals are often victims of this type of prejudice.
While women and minorities have seen significant strides made toward equality in the past few decades, the progress hasn't been as good for LGBT employees. No matter what aspect of life is under the microscope, gays and lesbians still are affected by discrimination: in their employment, military, marriage, and membership in various organizations. Although progress has been slower in this area, some states and municipalities have enacted laws against sexual discrimination.
Organizations with a true commitment to manage diversity, unlike the company Sara is leaving, have begun to recognize the importance of looking at how all employees are treated by their co-workers and bosses. Diversity management was needed sooner for Sara, and she hopes her next work experience will be better.
Chapter 3
Hank’s Story
“Hank – we have a job for you. Don’t worry. Shouldn’t take too much of your time!”
XYZ Company’s newest supervisor has just been called into his boss’s office and told that excellence through diversity is one the company’s newest goals. Hank is to make this happen ASAP so that his boss can report back that “the diversity thing” is under control. Unfortunately, Hank’s boss provides no further explanation and Hank is left alone and confused.
Have there been racial problems at work? Is the company getting sued because African American employees are not promoted? Is this what his boss is talking about? Hank really has no idea about why he has been given this job and where to begin.
Hank is not alone. Over half of U.S. companies have little or no diversity plans in place, even though diversity is considered an important topic in today’s global economy. To achieve diversity excellence, what should Hank’s boss focus on and why?
For many supervisors and even executives, the term diversity still raises controversy, confusion, and tension when first introduced. What does diversity actually mean? Is it the same as affirmative action? Or equal employment opportunity?
Diversity Education Often Broad
Without proper diversity management education, people often think of diversity, first of all, as “dealing with” ethnicity and race, and then, secondly, pertaining to gender. But diversity is much broader than these three terms. Dimensions of diversity include, but are not limited to:
age, ethnicity, ancestry, gender, physical abilities/qualities, race, sexual orientation, educational background, geographic location, income, marital status, military experience, religious beliefs, parental status, and work experience.
How these aspects affect performance, motivation, success, and interactions with others becomes part of measuring an organization’s success in becoming excellent through diversity. Moving in this direction means that institutional structures and practices that have presented barriers to some aspects or dimensions of diversity should be examined, challenged, and removed in the process.
Susan, the manager of another company branch, suggests to Hank and his boss they must both first understand that managing and valuing diversity (MVD) is clearly different from equal employment opportunity (EEO) and affirmative action (AA). It may help to keep in mind a popular Sesame Street saying — “How is one thing not like the other things” — to explain differences between MVD, EEO and AA, she suggests. “Hey, I am not kidding. It works. It’s something I learned when I attended a conference not too long ago,” she says.
It is critical that these distinctions be understood, because not understanding the differences is just one more barrier to change. Quite simply, MVD allows for voluntary change while AA and EEO require obligatory change. This is because AA and EEO are legal processes that have the force of the law behind them.
AA and EEO involve individuals who belong to legally protected groups and who are further affected by others such as human resources or the judiciary. The focus of policies affecting AA and EEO ranges from employment and education to public contracting and health programs.
MVD involves not only those groups, but is even more inclusive and involves members of many social and cultural groups, even those members of the dominant group (usually white males). Here’s another difference:
MVD appeals to the broadening and more representative market and workforce while AA and EEO appeal specifically to related legislation and goals. Also, MVD focuses on economic performance of the organization or business. A successfully diversified workforce broadens the company’s appeal to the global market and, if managed well, can add to workforce flexibility in such areas as problem solving, marketing and communication. In a perfect MVD universe, people are empowered and naturally move through the organization based on their abilities. The environment aids all employees in doing their best work.
Purpose of MVD Clearly Different
Affirmative action’s purpose has always been to ensure past discrimination is remedied and to prohibit future discrimination of legally targeted, protected groups. The purpose of EEO is to set and meet AA goals.
While both AA and EEO are clearly critical to an organization’s legal operations, the purpose of MVD is quite different, that is to maximize economic goals that have no legal basis, but are set by businesses and organizations for their benefit.
Today’s organizations and businesses, no matter their size or customer base, must learn to manage and value diversity if they want to survive. For Hank’s company, one first requirement is learning the difference between AA, EEO and MVD and then taking proactive steps to create and sustain an organizational climate where any practices or behaviors that harm an employee’s performance are minimized. Hank cannot do this alone, though. It requires leadership by top management.
When diversity is properly managed, every employee’s potential to do his or her best work must be maximized. Bullies are not allowed to harass employees, for example, and supervisors are trained to understand and use principles of diversity management. These are just two important elements of managing diversity. MVD is all about boosting organizational performance by using every member’s abilities and recognizing the important of diversity management as a resource.
Of course, Hank’s company must view affirmative action as the first and most important step to workforce diversity. For strong companies, AA is a corporate value, a management priority, and a formal business objective. EEO helps ensure that minorities, women and other legal classes of employees have equal opportunity for upward mobility.
Once recruitment and representation goals are set and meeting federal guidelines (if applicable), then Hank’s company can extend the guidelines by setting diversity goals and holding managers accountable for reaching them.
Will Hank and his boss succeed in attaining diversity excellence? The answer could be “yes,” if both are provided the proper MVD education and resources, starting with a clear commitment from the top of the organization, and with an understanding of “...how one thing is not like the other things.”
Chapter 4
Greg’s Story
“Why did these people hire me in the first place?”
When he returned home from Iraq, Greg decided to retrain, moving from education into business. But now, two years after graduating from a business management program, he wonders if XYZ Company was the best choice for his first job. So far, this company has not lived up to promises made by the human resources director when he was hired.
When Greg first took the job, he thought he was going to work for a progressive company, one that knew how to manage diversity − not a traditional company "stuck back in the 90s."
Greg and his fellow business students had quickly adopted the ideas of R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr., one of America's leading authorities on managing diversity, and president of The American Institute for Managing Diversity, which Thomas founded in 1983 at Morehouse College.
The enthusiastic students were attracted to Thomas's description of how an awakening is taking place in management philosophy as the country’s population moves to increased diversity, and how managing diversity is an idea whose time has come as organizations and businesses are increasingly recognizing that a diverse workforce is not more trouble for managers, but represents their greatest potential strength − when properly managed.
U.S. Labor Force Rapidly Changing
"This awakening must have happened while I was over in Iraq," Greg mused while going over his old class notes: "The manager who best understands it takes a diverse workforce at all levels of the company, including senior management, best serves the organization," his professor had lectured that day.
Greg and his classmates discovered how the U.S. labor force now and for the foreseeable future will be largely composed of women, minorities, and immigrants. A landmark study by the Hudson Institute demonstrated this group will constitute nearly 85 percent of people newly entering the workforce.
Even their professor's course syllabus held important information: "Companies now realize they must attract, retain, and promote this full spectrum of people just to keep the business running. So great is their need that advice on the management of diversity has suddenly become a growth industry," (Greg’s professor borrowed this quote from Dr. Thomas's classic book, Beyond Race and Gender.)
Leaders at the well-known business school that Greg attended apparently appreciated this diversity message, since students represented a dramatic, new mix, moving away from mostly traditional, young, white males to students like the mid-sixties woman sitting next to Greg; she appeared even younger than the Laotian man sitting at the front of the classroom who was perfecting his English.
Greg, a disabled veteran, his professor and all of the class members were inspired and challenged with new ideas coming from within this uniquely multicultural and diverse group. But today Greg was faced with the XYZ Company’s attempt to force today's reality into yesterday's management patterns, knowing this was seriously jeopardizing the viability of the entire enterprise.
Greg wanted to make a difference for the company. Earlier this morning, he thought he could help beef up marketing plans for an important new product by sharing unique ideas based on his personal knowledge of the Hispanic community. “This product would appeal to the Latino market. Maybe we should bring in an outside marketing firm that understands Hispanic culture," he’d suggested to his boss.
Managing Diversity Differs From Traditional Perspective
Since graduating from Spanish-language classes through the U.S. Army while in the Reserves, and studying about cultural diversity, multiculturalism and the growing Latino population in the U.S., Greg envisioned how working-class Latinos would latch on to this new product. Before he could complete his last sentence, Greg’s boss interrupted him, saying it was a waste of time trying to solve other people's problems. He let Greg know he was hired to be an accountant, not a marketing expert. “I am tired of telling you this,” he’d warned Greg.
Managing diversity, as a way of thinking, is new and very different from a traditional business perspective. While the traditional focus has been on individual and interpersonal aspects alone, what is new is seeing diversity as an issue for the entire organization, even involving the very way organizations are structured.
The way organizations are managed and the way managers do their jobs is critical to diversity management. It is grounded "in a very special definition of 'managing'; making it possible for all people to reach their full potential, with empowerment as the goal. At best, it means getting from employees not only everything you have a right to expect, but everything they have to offer," diversity guru Thomas writes.
Through his unique knowledge gained from world travel and special cultural training, Greg, a white male representing the traditional dominant culture, obviously had much to offer the XYZ Company, and wanted to give his best. But after this final incident, Greg knew he would never fulfill his true potential by staying with a company that had no time for new ideas.
"Their loss, my gain..." Greg sighs as he finishes packing his personal belongings.
Chapter 5
Wednesday Spaghetti
“So what’s your favorite food? Am I hearing this right? The interviewer just asked me what I like to eat?”
If the idea of managing diversity has piqued your company's interest, here are several critical questions to consider: What basic assumptions drive your organization − what makes life tick at your place of business? What fundamental understandings do people quickly learn that help them fit in and work in acceptable ways, and how are these assumptions passed on to employees?
The underlying assumptions that drive corporations are different from values and traditions, which are usually made clear in some way. Once when I was a college student looking for an internship, I applied to work for a large, well-known company that sponsored a number of good internships each semester. At the top of the interview, the human resources person let me know, very clearly, was that this company faithfully celebrated "Spaghetti Wednesdays" in the corporate lunchroom. She was so enthusiastic with her description of the company spaghetti tradition, I still believe to this day if a person would have revealed they didn't like spaghetti during the interview, they would not have been hired! (As it turned out, I made it quite clear that I loved spaghetti, but I still didn’t get the internship.)
Core Assumptions Different From Behavior and Attitude
Besides differing from traditions, deep assumptions are different from behaviors (like rolling up your shirt sleeves in the morning to show you are working hard), work styles (working 15 minutes late every day to indicate loyalty) or even traditions, like Wednesday Spaghetti. All are outward signs of the more deep-seated understandings about how an organization functions.
Roosevelt Thomas, Jr., considered the father of change management philosophy, suggests that to understand culture, think of an organization as a tree. The roots are the actual culture and are invisible or below the surface. "But they give rise to the trunk, branches, and leaves − the visible parts of the tree. Nothing can take place in the branches and be sustained naturally unless it is congruent with the roots," he writes.
Jim, a young college graduate was fired from a multinational pharmaceutical corporation. He explained that he didn't understand why this happened until someone at the company finally took him aside and explained he wore loafers with tassels. That was it! Tassles on his shoes! I could tell that his feelings were still hurt when he shared why he had left his last job. Of course, there was a deep-seated arrogance in the company where he had worked, based on social class, and the shoes simply indicated he didn't fit the ongoing culture test.
Unlike my being told up front about "Spaghetti Wednesday," Jim was expected to "catch on" to what successful employees somehow already knew. And for Jim, apparently that critical piece of information he has somehow missed was to wear the “right” shoes to work.
At another company where I once provided some computer training, anyone “important” was wearing a Seiko watch and using multiple ways to let it be known (some line managers almost flashed it in my face as I walked down the hall). They were “signaling” the cultural standards using unspoken or nonverbal communication, so I decided after spending the first day in this workplace, I had better purchase a Seiko watch if I wanted to survive.
Storms of Resistance Accompany Change
Why is it that one organization successfully builds and sustains a diversified workplace while another company gets lost in storms of resistance? One deep assumption for some resisting companies is that "all of this diversity stuff" will simply disappear as politics change. For these companies, the reality is that diversity will remain a "fair-weather" item until managers realize how and why managing diversity is critical to the company's sustained growth and viability, despite who is in political power at any moment.
This needed change of assumptions can happen when there is recognition that diversity nurtures unique opportunities for the organization — that people who are "different" from the status quo may actually have something new to offer that will help the company reach new markets. Or that unique people have something of value to bring to the organization, perhaps a different way of identifying problems that could add to problem-solving success — even questioning the status quo.
Until then, a manager in a traditionally managed organization might go to a conference or read something about diversity management that sounds good, get excited and try to change the current business culture to accept and value diversity. But no matter how hard she or he tries, it will probably be impossible to motivate others to see a diversity project all of the way through without proper change-management skills that address resistance. As Thomas writes, studying the tree of culture has much to teach us... (It’s all in the roots!)
Part II
Chapter 6
Changing Culture Roots
Kay is talking to her boss, Bill, about the diversity management change project she has been tasked to oversee as change agent for the XYZ Regional Bank. Both internal managers recently met with the bank’s change committee to make sure they were all in agreement over certain terms used within their organization (like diversity and affirmative action), what specific change was desired and other details.
With everyone agreeing there were problems with the company’s high turnover rate of minorities and women, Kay is now thinking about the next meeting and what else the group needs to understand before any goals are set and action steps are taken.
The group has come together with strong ideas about the defined “problem,” but now it is time to put these notions under the microscope. Problems cannot be solved unless they are identified and this requires taking a deeper look at the heart of the corporation’s culture and systems to decide if it can support managing diversity. “This first part is bound to be complex and time consuming, but it is a critical step,” Kay states.
As the designated change agent, Kay must first do everything that she can to encourage a long-term perspective. Her children are competitive swimmers and at the next change group meeting she uses a swim team analogy to make this point. “We can think of this whole process as competing in a swim team medley — each swimmer competes either in the butterfly, back, breast or freestyle stroke. It always takes more time to get through this competition — it is not the same as one swimmer completing a couple of freestyle laps.”
When Kay was a graduate student taking a class in diversity management, she learned that identifying fundamental elements of a corporate culture — especially the elements that influence the company’s way of dealing with such matters as diversity — must take place before trying to change how people act. Her instructor said that behavior was what you could see — like the branch of a tree — while culture, the part that makes the “branch” what it is — the underlying assumptions — can be thought of as the root.
Managers who try to make behavioral change without considering the root of the behavior usually don’t meet with success, Kay knew.
Finding the root requires research or what is called a culture audit, often conducted by an outside investigator who is objective.
The change group had already theorized diversity issues were “probably” at the root of the company’s high turnover rate of new hires; these were people who were brought into the bank to bring needed cultural change, but who then quickly left for new jobs.
One change group member told how two of the company’s newest employees, both Hispanic, recently quit after being harassed by a manager for speaking Spanish to each other while at lunch. “She told them they were disloyal to their co-workers, even after they tried to explain they were only speaking Spanish to each other at lunch, because it was relaxing.”
A second group member said a safety manager wanted to know — after hiring a dozen Hispanic workers on a small construction project — whether or not the company “had to put up safety signs in Spanish.” The safety manager who asked this question “…already knew that most of these new employees hired for the job spoke English as a second language!”
Find Underlying Assumptions That Affect Diversity
Kay is encouraged with the discussion and willingness to share information. The culture audit, she explains, will involve in-depth interviews, written surveys, reviews of relevant company documents, focus groups and direct observations.
Kay said, “The consultants will gather data coming from our company’s many underlying assumptions, such as the behaviors and attitudes of managers and employees regarding diversity.
“Once we see the underlying assumptions that may be affecting our ability to retain a diverse workforce, we will be able to identify where change is needed — where we might need to remove, change or add something to change this assumption or ‘root.’ This is where ongoing customized education will have a strong role in helping employees understand what change is needed and why.”
Kay had studied about some of the common underlying assumptions that can get in the way of diversity management. Some managers who are unfair to any employees with accents might believe, for instance, “they should learn to speak English right away like everyone else who moved to this country after WW II.” That root, of course, was not a surprise and, in fact, is still common.
Another root revolved around managers who believe that “homosexuals are mentally ill and make poor managers who can’t be trusted.” In both cases, after discovery of the assumption, diversity education made a difference for these managers and their companies.
Other assumptions might include believing a company is “like a family.” The trouble with this assumption, Kay’s professor explained, was that it leads to a paternalistic environment where employees are seen as and treated like children. “Only the successful employees who act like the manager move ahead and diversity never has a strong role when all managers are clones of the boss.”
Or there might be an underlying assumption that a company is “a group that works together like a good football team.” While the idea of a team supports diversity better than the family model, it many still not be the best model for diversity if, for instance, it encourages the type of competition experienced between competing athletic teams.
“Once we discover and analyze the core cultural assumptions or roots that determine our company’s behavior, with respect to new employees and related diversity issues, we will have achieved quite an accomplishment and we will be able to understand what roots need to be changed, and in which direction,” Kay continues.
“We’ll know how to move from our current state to the desired state. And we will be ready to develop a full-scale plan for bringing about the changes we need using straight forward action steps.”
“This is not going to be as easy as it sounds. There may be employees — from any and all levels — who resist strongly when they are asked to give even the smallest piece of information to the diversity consultants. We must be prepared for opposition and be able to counter any shock waves that travel through the company,” she adds.
“We can help prepare employees for some disruption by explaining in advance that we are simply gathering some information that will help our company grow stronger and be ready for the future, and their help is needed in gathering this information. I am sure they will better trust outsiders coming in, than if we were to try to gather this information ourselves,” a change team member suggests.
The change management team tells Kay they are satisfied with the direction they are taking and with her leadership.
“Sure hope no one gets too upset,” one member adds. “We must keep our eyes and ears open and be ready to address any issues as they come. And I read somewhere that it helps to tell employees about things that will NOT change, once you start telling them about the changes that are definitely coming.”
Kay smiles at his comments. “We are going to succeed, I do believe,” she later tells her boss.
Chapter 7
Looking at the “Now”
Managers who are preparing a company for long-term change need to thoroughly recognize their personal vision and commitment before engaging others in the task.
Kay’s regional bank, where she has worked her way up to a line manager, is moving into a managing diversity approach. As the designated change agent, one of her major duties is to help and encourage all employees to understand and accept the changes going on around them.
“You know, I learned a lot of things in college about how to manage diversity, but now that we have such a big project, I am concerned about how we really make this work,” she tells her boss one afternoon.
Her boss agrees. “We must start educating. People are going to be confused and some will become angry, especially if they don’t know what is going on and why.”
“But we need to educate ourselves, first,” Kay adds, “and this starts with clarifying our goals.”
Know the Current Culture Before Looking Into The Future
“So what is your vision of what we want to achieve through diversity,” Kay asks her boss.
“I know I would be very happy if people could learn to get along,” he responds. “But I also know that Tim Brown, in public relations, wants to see us better serve the diverse market. When I was meeting with him and our CFO, Hal Smith, the other day, Hal asked about upward mobility for our rising stars.”
Kay recalls an important instruction from her college business management professor — the importance of exploring the current vision of diversity before thinking about the future.
From talking with a variety of people throughout the bank, Kay knows of several popular diversity visions floating around. One human relations manager told Kay she was concerned about women and minorities who appeared stuck on a relatively low plateau. Few were filtering up as they “became assimilated” into the corporate culture, she’d said.
Kay, herself, wished for more of a heightened sensitivity to the needs and requests of minorities and people with disabilities. She would like to see an awareness of advantages to the company for helping all people to naturally fulfill their potentials.
One thing was certain. Most of the regional bank’s managers, nearly all white males, seemed to agree that it was best for the corporation to recognize minorities and women as equals.
Yet, their attitudes were mostly of a bargaining and negotiation nature. Someone would have to win and someone would have to lose, in their eyes. This represented the current way of doing things at the bank and again, it was not surprising that the bank’s turnover rate was so high, because of the current culture.
“Maybe taking a look at our turnover rate is not a bad place to begin,” Kay suggested.
“I wonder if those who’ve been ‘winning’ are going to resist until we can do enough education to get them over this gap,” she asked her boss.
Knowing the answer to her own question before she could finish asking it, Kay believed she was up to the expected challenge. She had already accepted the realities of being a change agent. Her own boss was, at first, concerned about her taking on the role, worried that she would bring problems for herself if the change did not go smoothly or as planned. When first asked by the bank president to give Kay this job, he had wondered if the president was prepared, himself, for the magnitude of change that managing diversity requires.
The challenges will be enormous, he later told Kay. They both talked about the upcoming meeting with the newly appointed task force, both deciding they would need to clarify motivation and concepts.
“We need to know the business reason for change, and the concepts to explore. We will need to make sure we are talking the same language, by the end of this meeting,” Kay said.
Kay and her boss agree to prepare for the first group session by putting together a list of terms to be presented for clarification, beginning with affirmative action, managing diversity, valuing differences and equal employment opportunity.
“I’d say we are off to a good start,” Kay’s boss said.
Chapter 8
Changing to Diversity, Part I
It sounded so good back in graduate school when Kay was studying diversity management. The professor kept everyone awake while lecturing on theories of this new business practice.
Now Kay’s boss of two years is suggesting Kay may be asked to oversee the entire transition of moving the bank to a focus on managing diversity. Of course, managing diversity will not replace affirmative action and equal employment opportunity, but will be added to ensure the success of diversity management.
Her boss says that their bank board members, the CEO and several key executives are seriously concerned about this project, after two key new-hires recently left their positions. It was expensive to recruit them and there had been high hopes they would easily move through the bank's executive training program.
"So, do you know why Miss Jones and Mr. Diego left?" Kay asks.
"I heard they were speaking Spanish together at lunch and someone came up and complained, saying they obviously didn't care about their co-workers if they didn't speak English at work," her boss says.
"Oh, brother," Kay says, shaking her head. "Why didn't that person ask for Spanish lessons − and take advantage of their ability to speak multiple languages? You know Miss Jones also speaks French and Mr. Diego, besides speaking Portuguese, also speaks Chinese. What a loss! We could have used their services in helping all of our employers understand and communicate better with non-native English speakers.”
Change Agent Role Critical To Diversity Changeover Process
Kay's boss continues, "I understand they both got new jobs over at our competitor’s bank. So the change committee wants to meet next week. Tim Brown said we need to show diversity at our bank, that we want our customers to see how we culturally reflect the communities we serve. How can we do this if we cannot keep our new employees comfortable or safe?"
The complexities of managing diversity can be surprising and challenging to any business. Kay, with her specialized training, knows how hard this can be in any organization; she has already helped move employees away from using traditional bank accounting methods into new, high-tech directions and understands why she is a good choice for this project.
Like most professionals tasked with such a large assignment, Kay does not have much practical experience, but knows that she is not alone, since managing change and moving to diversity management is so new to most organizations.
Taking her bank through such a transition requires ongoing education over time since managing and valuing diversity involves a "way of life" change − a real change of the corporation's roots.
"It's going to be like changing a person's personality," she tells her boss. "And that never comes easy."
"Do we need a psychologist or someone to, uh, hold therapy sessions?"
Kay laughs, and says she will probably need to bring in several consultants, including a psychologist and perhaps her old business professor, an organizational sociologist.
"Our first issue is that most of our managers have limited knowledge of culture roots, let alone experience with changing them. We are going to need to find out if our board members are realists − are they going to fully understand the time, effort, commitment, and risk involved?" Kay continues.
Change Requires a ‘Buy-In’ From the Top
From what he knows, Kay’s boss says the board members and executives pressing for diversity management change appear to recognize the competitive and strategic urgency driving its need. They may not, however, recognize the time factor or complexity.
"I know they have the skills to encourage buy-in from the rest of the board once they understand what is involved," he tells Kay. "But we really are going to have to lay out these important facts, right from the start, about time and complexity."
"Well, then. It looks like we will be having a very interesting meeting with this group next week. And I am up to the challenge. In fact, this is going to be quite an exciting project," Kay responds.
That night, even before dinner, Kay gets out her college books, class notes and tells her husband some serious change is about to take place at work and she'll be staying up late at night, at least for a while.
"Sounds like you are going to be busy. Will I have to do more cooking? Cleaning? Ironing" he laughs.
"Oh, I think we can go out to eat more than usual. Get some extra help with the house, too. How's that sound?
"Sounds good to me, Kay! Can we start eating out tonight? I skipped lunch, and I’m really hungry!"
Chapter 9
Changing to Diversity, Part II
“What you’ve shown me is interesting. It looks like you are really taking a look at your company and where you want it to go in the future.”
The diversity consultant hired by XYZ Regional Bank has been listening to Kay, Bill and members of the change management board talk over their concerns about diversity management and their company’s current state.
“Now, to get where you want to be, we’ll need to figure out how your present culture works,” he tells them.
Dr. S., a clinical psychologist with a background in anthropology and sociology, is meeting with the XYZ group for the first time, spending an hour learning about its current problems with turnover, particularly of minorities and women.
He explains how his research will be completed mostly through in-depth interviews and “a lot of listening and observing” before he can let the group know if he concurs with their findings and make corrective suggestions. “I will be particularly interested in your line managers and how they see themselves and their roles at XYZ. I know this is a regional bank, but I also know you started as a small, community bank years ago, headed by a paternalistic man who viewed his employees as part of his family. Am I right?”
“Dr. S. has done his homework,” Kay is thinking. As head change agent, designated by the board to oversee a change to diversity management, Kay first met the consultant while attending a recent statewide meeting. Dr. S. spoke during a breakout group and she had found him interesting and knowledgeable about business culture.
All Employees are Not Family Members
Kay’s boss, Bill, listens as the consultant continues. Bill came to work for XYZ just as it became a regional bank — and now he, too, is concerned over lack of diversity and turnover of new hires; anyone who is different from the status quo doesn’t last very long.
Bill said, “Our founder, Mr. Z., treated everyone as a member of the family — or at least, that is how he wanted everyone to believe they were being treated. Of course, he had his favorites and they rose to the top. Others, unlike him, really had no chance of climbing the corporate ladder. Women, minorities, disabled, people from the LGBT community, people with different religions, even people suffering from occasional depression were always left behind. His idea of ‘family’ was quite conservative, when you thought about it. He believed this would make the bank successful, if everyone shared his philosophy and looked like him, and it did for a long time.”
Important to Understand Why Employees Leave
“Yet, there were many who left here with hurt feelings — or they were angry and sued us,” Bill continues. “Some went on to work for our competitors, who do better at managing diversity. These are just two examples of how losing good people has cost us money over the years. And you can see why we still have diversity problems, long after Mr. Z’s retirement. His philosophy remains and there are people here — young and old—who are always on guard to see that little change takes place, to maintain this cultural root.”
While the change team does not want to anger XYZ’s top managers (mostly members of the majority group), who make significant contributions to the bottom line, several of these managers seem to be causing most of the problems they are trying to solve — often showing no leadership when new employees who represent diversity run into problems.
“We need to ensure our company’s culture is inviting to all shapes, sizes and ‘kinds’ of people, since this describes our customers, too,” Bill tells the consultant. “We must create an environment with no advantages or disadvantages for any group, one that moves away from this ‘Father Knows Best’ way of doing things.”
The consultant wants to know more and asks, “What do you believe new people coming to XYZ are thinking, once they get some feel for this company — what do they tell you during their exit interviews?”
Kay responds. “Several have told me the obligation is on them to change or conform to the company, that we make no effort to welcome them as they are. One woman told how she heard some of her co-workers laughing at her clothing. A disabled person told me he had a hard time getting into parts of our buildings, and when he asked for help he was ignored. And a gay woman said she was embarrassed to put up photos of her spouse and their children, after she heard someone telling gay jokes while looking directly at her.”
Bill remembers the incident with Greg, a returning veteran, who had so much to offer with his knowledge of the Latino culture. “He left us only after one year.”
“Then we have other employees from diverse backgrounds who just quietly do their work without complaint, like Mrs. Suva. But I know that we could be helping them reach their full potentials, if we did things differently here.”
Bill tells the consultant that he recently asked several XYZ executive managers why they thought the turnover problem existed. “One manager, after about 15 minutes of conversation, finally confided he thought the Hispanic people were ‘secretive’ and even ‘against’ him.
“Then I spoke with Mrs. Garcia, a Hispanic woman who left after a year on her job. I could tell she was doing a good job after reviewing her goal sheets and reports. Yet she told me her job was like playing a ‘zero-sum’ game working here, that she would always fail with her boss, no matter how hard she tried or how many extra hours she put in.
“I went back and spoke with her former boss and he finally admitted that he thought new people ‘never liked him, and never will.’ I asked him specifically about Mrs. Garcia who’d told me she worked long hours, trying to please him. The boss responded that she had a big family and too many responsibilities to do a good job. Even after I showed him her positive reports and time sheets, he said that ‘most women’ could not keep up with him and that ‘it was probably a good thing’ that she left.”
Bill adds he was surprised to hear such denial and stereotyping coming from a young manager. “I thought he would have gotten some training in graduate school. If he did, it sure didn’t stick.”
The consultant continues listening as Karen and Bill share their stories. “What specific underlying assumptions would you like to see adopted at XYZ,” he finally asks.
Kay answers, “…we are a welcoming company that helps all people do their best work.”
Bill wants to see “…all employees embrace the belief ‘I am welcome here and my contributions can be valued and used.’ ”
“Okay, I am going to need two weeks to do some selected interviews and look at personnel records. Plan on a lengthy meeting to talk over results,” the diversity management consultant tells Kay and Bill.
“Do you think he will find more problems?” Kay asks Bill.
“Sure hope so,” Bill responds.
Chapter 10
Culture Audit Results
"Well, you were on target about your culture and I believe I have pinpointed what I see as three of your biggest problems," Dr. S, a corporate diversity consultant, tells the XYZ Regional Bank's chief change agent.
For two weeks, the psychologist visited the company, looking over personnel records, including evaluations, examples of professional work, and exit interviews with recent employees. He’d also spoken with selected managers and line staff that he handpicked, after digging through records, newsletters, memos and other materials he was allowed to view. The consultant also did a physical walk-through of the company, looking for any visible signs of sexual harassment, civil rights violations, bullying or anything else that could represent legal violations or other symptoms of a faulty culture.
It was interesting to find problems didn't only come from mangers that had been with XYZ since its earlier years, when the business was supposedly "run like a family." One young manager with an M.B.A. had quickly read the existing culture and easily climbed the corporate ladder. Once there, she did an "excellent" job of keeping the glass ceiling intact — fighting off any competition from others who could have made their own unique contributions, as well.
Dr. S. said, "You have a couple of old line managers who mistreat new hires who don't fit their perceived company mold. But you also have a new, younger manager who has become a guard — maintaining the status quo for her personal benefit.”
Personnel Policies Require Change First
Dr. S. suggests specific changes to be made, including rewriting of important company personnel and human resource policies, such as policies on sexual harassment and bullying. This must be done first, before any attempt at change.
The three problem employees noted by Dr. S. will need specific instructions to conform to new policies because of their observed behaviors. All employees will need to understand the new policies and be given an appropriate amount of time to change. All will require ongoing diversity education and some employees, particularly the three specific managers mentioned by the consultant, will need additional coaching.