Diversity Is . . . An Old, Old Wooden Ship

I was having a bit of difficulty one night in pulling this particular blog together. I guess you can say I was experiencing writer's block. As I was mumbling about diversity, my son made some off-hand comment about diversity being “ . . . an old, old wooden ship." I stared at him with nothing more than a blank expression on my face and blinked. He then explained that the line was a quote from “Anchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgundy.” Well, I wasn't familiar with this particular piece of cinematic history so it was necessary that I experience that particular clip on YouTube. Yes, Ron Burgundy was definitely one clueless individual.

In a more realistic vein, let's take a step towards the non-fictional aspects of diversity. In 1965 an executive order signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC paved the way for minority classes and women to seek employment opportunities in the workplace. In response to the civil rights movement and the belief that education, sensitivity and awareness were key to reducing discrimination, organizations began providing diversity training to employees.

But, diversity isn't just a black and white issue anymore. Diversity encompasses race, gender, ethnic group, age, personality, cognitive style, tenure, organizational function, education and background. Diversity defines the way we are different. With diversity, we understand that each individual is unique and we recognize those individual differences. The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance and respect.

Is diversity training necessary? Yes. Beyond any legal requirements and necessity, diversity is a business reality. All employees bring their differences to the workplace. But oftentimes there is an “us versus them” mentality that must be eliminated. As an employer, you must ensure that all efforts are taken to reduce racism and sexism in the organization. The primary factors in hiring and promotion should be an employee's capabilities and abilities, as well as the embodiment of the characteristics you seek to represent your organization. A diverse workforce recognizes and values talent. It eliminates barriers and ensures that all employees are treated fairly and have the chance to reach their maximum potential.

A successful organization will understand that true diversity within the organization brings a wealth of benefits:

• Brings a greater variety of viewpoints into an organization, thereby providing a larger pool of ideas and experiences and encouraging the exchange of ideas.
• Broaden the scope of problem solving as well as improving the possibility of reaching a resolution to the problem.
• Creates an organization that is enriched with people from different cultures who bring different experiences and perspectives into the organization.
• May increase retention / reduce turnover both of which have a positive impact on the bottom line.
• May reduce the potential for litigation for EEOC violations.
  

You may think that prejudice doesn't exist in your workforce, but prejudices may be unconscious. According to Malcolm Gladwell in his 2005 book, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, the author discusses “thin-slicing” and rapid cognition. Thin-slicing is our ability to gauge what is really important from a narrow piece of experience or information, a snap judgment. However, thin-slicing is an unconscious behavior. In his book, Gladwell examines how the ability to thin-slice may be corrupted by our likes and dislikes, prejudices and stereotypes. He refers to this as “unconscious prejudice, the kind of prejudice that you have that you aren't aware of, that affects the kinds of impressions and conclusions that you make automatically,without thinking.”

Remember, diversity involves how people perceive themselves and how they perceive others. These perceptions affect their interactions. Nobody ever said that diversity was easy. Creating, sustaining and valuing a diverse workforce is hard work. There will be barriers to overcome and these barriers can create a hostile environment. Creating diversity will take diligence and knowledge and patience.