Managing diversity

Managing diversity means more than just setting quotas to foster recruiting of a given category of individuals. Nor does it merely involve hiring people from various communities to show customers a face that resembles them. The stakes are far greater. People of different styles, cultures and sensitivities must learn to work together. When this is the case, diversity becomes a strategic strength, as it enhances the quality of team decisions and creativity. In addition, companies who practice diversity observe that it increases employee satisfaction.

The documents that we have analyzed draw lessons from the experience of companies ahead of the curve on diversity, many of which are located in the U.S. The proposed solutions go well beyond the "politically correct" policies that often bring a smile to European lips. We have drawn three basic lessons from these analyses:

– Expand the company’s conception of diversity. More than just assimilating minorities, diversity means taking advantage of a wide range of viewpoints.

– Eliminate taboos. People from different backgrounds must be free to discuss differences in order to work better together.

– Adapt your management practices. Very often, legacy systems contribute to discrimination just as surely as prejudice.