What matters for diversity.A SURVEY of 5,500 American American, river, 30 mi (48 km) long, rising in N central Calif. in the Sierra Nevada and flowing SW into the Sacramento River at Sacramento. The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill (see Sutter, John Augustus) along the river in 1848 led to the California gold rush of workers by the National Urban League found that the U.S. work force is quite willing to accept more diversity on the job and faults top management for paying only lip service lip service n. Verbal expression of agreement or allegiance, unsupported by real conviction or action; hypocritical respect: to the issue. Less than a third felt top management had an effective diversity program or initiative. No major surprise there. Everybody wants to blame the brass. But when asked to list the specific practices that mattered most, respondents In the context of marketing research, a representative sample drawn from a larger population of people from whom information is collected and used to develop or confirm marketing strategy. chose "marketing" ahead of 12 other practices. (See table.) "It may be surprising that employees and workers place a great premium on marketing, but that's the company's most visible manifestation man·i·fes·ta·tion n. An indication of the existence, reality, or presence of something, especially an illness. manifestation (man´ifestā´sh externally," explains Mare H. Morial, the league's president and chief executive officer. In Morial's view, employees want to see that their company is marketing and advertising in different languages and through different niche publications. Softer marketing activities, such as supporting nonprofits and trade associations, also send big messages to workers. Internally, Morial says, the most important thing CEOs need to do is to personally embrace the diversity message, even if a chief diversity officer manages the issue on a day-to-day basis. "Many workers realize that when the CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. says diversity is important, it goes a lot farther than if just front-line managers, the human resources The fancy word for "people." The human resources department within an organization, years ago known as the "personnel department," manages the administrative aspects of the employees. department or chief diversity officer says it," he adds. More companies do seem to be creating diversity officers because they are recognizing that human resources departments do not have the clout to influence philanthropy philanthropy, the spirit of active goodwill toward others as demonstrated in efforts to promote their welfare. The term is often used interchangeably with charity. , procurement The fancy word for "purchasing." The procurement department within an organization manages all the major purchases. or other functions that are essential to fostering more racial, sexual and religious diversity. "It's not enough to give them a fancy title and office with no power," cautions Morial. "The entire organization has to understand that the chief diversity officer has the full support of the CEO." Downloadable copies of "Diversity Practices That Work: The American Worker Speaks" are available at www.nul.org. Workers who said these diversity practices were very important Marketing to diverse customers 63% Retaining diverse talent 59% Recruiting diverse talent 57% Leadership commitment/involvement 57% Inclusive culture and values 57% Diversity education and training 56% Community involvement 55% Advancing diverse talent 55% Career development for diverse talent 54% Diversity employee communications 52% Employee involvement 52% Supplier diversity 49% Performance accountability and measurement 47% Source: National Urban League Note: Table made from bar graph. |
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