HOW TO MAKE DIVERSITY WORK IN YOUR ORGANIZATION
By Gene Griessman, Ph.D.

A diverse organization can bring huge benefits to leaders.  Apple Computer got it right in its advertising campaign:  THINK DIFFERENT.  Individuals who think different can help you solve problems, see solutions, discover opportunities, and penetrate markets that otherwise might be ignored or go unrecognized. 

Race, religion, lifestyle, or gender generally come to mind whenever we when we think of diversity,   But diversity can involve more than the usual distinctions.   One is functional diversity, which can be very important in problem-solving. Multi-function teams recruited from engineering, accounting, marketing, sales, and manufacturing have become a commonplace in business, and rightly so. 

Keep reading.  More pages of powerful quotes and useful information are listed at the bottom of this page.

Keep in mind that similar problems and opportunities occur whenever unlike peoples meet.  Many of the problems that occur when individuals from different races come together also occur on multi-functional teams.  Ethnocentrism almost always occurs.  Individuals will want to use their own language, and do their tasks in customary ways.  Diverse members may be distrustful of one another and look down on other members.

Here are five tips tips:

One.  Recognize that making diversity work is not easy.  Having good intentions is not enough.  Diversity can be a source of dissention and bitter conflict.  People will tend to gravitate to individuals who resemble themselves in thought, looks, and deeds.  “Birds of a feather” do flock together.   Misunderstandings and resentments are common.

Two.  You must commit for the long haul.  One or two pep talks on the subject won’t do the job.  You’ll want to have the pep talks, but you also will need to do structural work, and create mechanisms to continually monitor and reinforce desirable actions.

Three.  Maintain vertical lines of communication with various members of the organization, especially with “minority” members.  Their voice may be drowned out by an intolerant majority.  After all, one reason you have them on the team is to get a different point of view.  Other members of the team may not be as committed diversity as you are.  Majority votes may destroy the very information you want.  Ask for minority opinions to be sent in along with the majority report.

Four.  When possible, put more than one minority person on the team in order for them to serve as reality checks for one another.  Many sociological and psychological experiments show that individuals frequently deny the obvious whenever other subjects in the experiment voice a contrary point of view.

Five.  Plan on conflict before it begins.  Create a committee within the larger organization made up of individuals who have strong ties to various constituencies in the larger organization.  The people on this committee must be real leaders.  They can defuse crises, spike rumors, and soothe resentments before they reach dangerous levels. 

Immediately following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., many American cities experienced major rioting.  Atlanta was a conspicuous exception, even though the ingredients for a major conflagration were present, ready for the spark.   One big reason there was no explosion was a multi-racial committee made up of the city’s most powerful politicians, ministers, businessmen, and media leaders who had been meeting regularly for years.  The members of this committee, who knew and trusted one another, sent out the word to their constituencies to “cool it.”  They did. 

Index To More Valuable Information And Powerful Quotes
INDEX TO ALL PAGES
Abraham Lincoln quotes
More About Abraham Lincoln: Resources For Further Study
George Washington quotes and commentary on leadership style
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt quotes and commentary on leadership style
War quotes
Ronald Reagan quotes, exclusive interview
"The Diversity Creed"; Why I Wrote "The Diversity Creed"
Diversity: How To Make Diversity Work In Your Organization
Remarkable Similarities Between President Abraham Lincoln And Benjamin Franklin
Ronald Reagan: His Big Break    Exclusive Interview
The Lincoln-Roosevelt Connection
How To Do Business With Americans:  Forgive Their Blunders
The Americans:  Who Are They And How Did They Get This Way?   (A key to understanding Americans)