Skillsoft
0773
Page 2
Skillsoft
0773
M/F: Male/Female Speaker
M: Defining strategic diversity management: If you think about diversity as the differences, similarities, and related tensions that can exist among the elements of a collective mixture, as we’ve indicated here, in this slide, you can define diversity management, or strategic diversity management, as the craft of making quality decisions, in the midst of difference, similarities, and tensions. Now, two or three issues here: One, the word “strategic.” When I mention strategic, I’m basically saying, you have to decide where you will apply this craft. Sometimes, individuals say, “Roosevelt, you’re defining diversity so broadly that you’re abandoning the real issues.” And the real issues for them might be race, might be gender, might be ethnicity, might be whatever. Here, we’re saying, you look at issues that are strategic with respect to your mission, your vision and your strategy.
What is a quality decision? A quality decision is one that pushes or advances your agenda, with respect to your mission, your vision and your strategy. Now, this is a universal craft, this is a universal capability that an individual can achieve, that an organization can achieve. Once it is achieved, you can apply it in a number of situations. For example, you can apply with respect to work; you can apply it with respect to these issues that are listed in this slide. I could point out, for example, that functional diversity issues are where I first learned about diversity. I was working with a—studying, I should say—under two professors, who were concerned about functional integration.
How can you have, in an organization, different functions, different departments, differentiated by necessity, yet also integrated by necessity? The challenge was how do you get the appropriate differentiation and the appropriate integration? We’re beginning also to see now a concern about diversity with respect to acquisitions, and with respect to mergers. But the point we’re making here; there are a number of issues, any number of issues in the workplace that can be addressed with respect to strategic diversity management.
You also can use this at home—I’ll give you just a minute to look at some of the examples. Not long ago, I was making a presentation, and I saw a woman taking copious notes. I walked over and commented, “I’m glad you’re finding something that will be helpful at work for you.” She looked at me as if I was crazy. She said, “I don’t know if this is going to be helpful at work, but I do know it’s going to be helpful for my daughter and myself. I can’t get home—can’t wait to get home to talk with my sixteen-year old daughter.”
Sometimes—later, I was making a similar presentation, and a woman kept smiling, and finally I went over and just asked, “Why are you finding so much to smile about?” She said, “Roosevelt, my husband and I do this every day. We are so different; if we didn’t manage diversity, our marriage would not suffice.” You also can use this in community, as well, and you will recognize some of these dimensions. Columbine—diversity within public schools. Not black/white; not race/gender, but instead nerd/jock kind of diversity. Cultural wars; immigration currently on the table. The point we’re making here—community issues can be approached through strategic diversity management.
Now, strategic diversity management is a craft; it’s not a skill, it’s not a set of skills, it’s not a tactic; it’s a craft with concepts, with principles, with requirements for mastery, with related skills, related tactics. Also, with requirements for practice; if you don’t use, you will lose it. But the point here—we’re talking about strategic diversity management, a universal craft.
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