Components of Leadership for Diversity

1
Leadership for Diversity Cox Ch 3

• Components of Leadership for Diversity
• Articulates a vision
• Changes behaviors
• Changes organizational structure/design
• Strategic integration of diversity management
  with other business objectives
• Communications strategy
• Management philosophy

2
Nature of Diversity Leadership

• Top down leadership
• Ensure succession planning involves diversity mgt
• Multiple leaders needed
• Leaders at various levels of organization, and
  for different units must be involved
• Leadership cannot be delegated
• Diversity steering committee should not have more
  than 2 HR representatives
• Chair of committee should not be HR officer
• External diversity consultant should communicate
  with important operational leaders

3
Components of Vision

• Including employees of different cultural and
  social backgrounds at ALL levels
• Use pluralism to acculturate new employees
• Informal networks mentoring should involve
  employees of ALL cultures social backgrounds
• Eliminate bias based on cultural or social
  identities
• Minimize conflict based on group identities

4
Behavioral Change on Leaders Part

• Leader models new diversity-competent behaviors
• Leader has credibility in diversity
• Include diversity competent behaviors in
  performance appraisals of leaders
• Use tools to identify diversity-supportive and
  anti-diversity behaviors
• Additional diversity-competent behaviors on Table
  3.1

5
Change in Organizational Structure

• Full time corporate officer for diversity
• Reports directly to CEO
• Has support staff of 2-3
• Corporate-level diversity steering committee
• Local diversity task forces (can be permanent)
• Ensure corporate officer/steering committee lasts
  for 2-3 years
• Mainstream corporate officer steering committee
  functions within this time

6
Change in Organizational Structure

• Diversity Steering Committee
• Should have highly influential decision makers
• Members have personal interest in change effort
• Members are knowledgeable or be willing to learn
  about diversity
• Members are willing and able to devote a time
• Should reflect diversity of workforce
• Less than 10
• Should not exclude majority group members
• Should not have more than 2 HR representatives
• Should not have people with no credibility on
  diversity

7
Change in Organizational Structure

• Alternate Structures
• Integrate diversity management functions into
  various business units rather than appoint
  corporate officer
• Job description of Head of HR involves a
  significant amount diversity-related duties
• Ensure adequate resources available to those who
  have additional diversity-related
  responsibilities

8
Strategic Integration

• Integrate diversity strategy with mission of
  organization
• Employees understand why/how managing diversity
  affects organizational goals
• Long Timeframe
• Communication to members that diversity related
  change takes 7-10 years

9
Strategic Integration

• Include managing people as part of business
  strategy
• Specify managing diversity as part of people
  management strategy
• E.g., training in team building should include
  role of diversity in teams
• Changes in recruiting criteria can incorporate
  diversity

10
Strategic Integration

• Specify how to communicate and coordinate
• Members involved with different aspects of the
  people management strategy communicate with each
  other, or to corporate diversity steering
  committee
• Corporate diversity officer should communicate
  and coordinate with those involved in the people
  management strategy