Dr. Abel B. SalazarFounder, Chief Education Officer| Continuous REV, LLCGrovetown, Ga, United States
Leaders have both a fiscal and moral obligation to exemplify characteristics that value the importance of diversity within the organization. It must be an integral part of our vernacular and lie deep within the organization’s culture. Most would consider the components of race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, and sexual orientation as obvious proponents of a diverse workforce. However, the strength of diversity lies in the development of shared experiences and awareness of how the “others” in the organization bring unique perspectives to build an organizational culture that is rich and inclusive. Vanalstine et al. (2015) proposed this level of interaction encourages an exchange of ideas from differing world views that can have a positive effect on organizational goals and business outcomes. As the global marketplace continues to expand and technology brings people closer together, organizational diversity becomes a business imperative.
I welcome responses from colleagues around the world to see how diversity and inclusion is being realized throughout the PM landscape.
Reference
Vanalstine, J., Cox, S. R., & Roden, D. M. (2015). Cultural diversity in the United States and its impact on human development. Journal of the Indiana academy of the social sciences, 18, 125-143. http://www.iass1.org/ Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
While I fully agree with @Keith comments above I think this topic is a matter of the culture inside the society itself, not a matter of a company or organization.
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1 reply by Vivian Calender
Sep 07, 2022 9:16 PM
Vivian Calender
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Organizations have their own culture and they are a result of the management systems and processes their leadership have chosen to follow. Getting some leaders to move out of their comfort zone, their group think, remains a challenge especially regarding matters of race and hiring/promoting people of color to C-suite level.
Saving Changes...
Manuel PerezProject Management Coordinator| Las Vegas Valley Water DistrictNorth Las Vegas, Nv, United States
Aug 29, 2022 11:08 AM
Replying to Keith Novak
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I think this is a very important distinction that is often overlooked or ignored.
Some business cultures make a big show of diversity in the components you described, but do not encourage diversity of opinion on business related topics. They value the appearance of diversity only. That entirely misses the point of why diversity is important in business, bringing in new perspectives, approaches, and innovative ideas, as well as a culture that promotes employee engagement.
I find this is prevalent in command and control cultures. When management is very much a political hierarchy, those with higher positions often do not appreciate disagreement from people in lower ones.
Diversity should not be equated to a quota. Having the most qualified team to accomplish a goal should be the most important criteria. Diversity goals should be focused on attracting "Qualified" employees to apply and fill such positions. The worst you can do for an employee is to place them in a position that they are not qualified to perform, and just setting them up for failure.
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1 reply by Peter Rapin
Sep 07, 2022 5:52 PM
Peter Rapin
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This is all fine in theory however, if it wasn't for quotas western society, including Canada, would still be lead by white men and only white men - the other participants in our society would not have the opportunity to develop let alone show their abilities.
The other point is that "qualified" is a subjective term and people look at themselves when defining qualifications.
Actually, one should consider less than fully qualified persons for a specific position as this will provide opportunity for growth both personal and corporate.
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Peter RapinSubject Matter Expect; Project Delivery| Independent ConsultantOntario, Canada
Sep 07, 2022 4:23 PM
Replying to Manuel Perez
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Diversity should not be equated to a quota. Having the most qualified team to accomplish a goal should be the most important criteria. Diversity goals should be focused on attracting "Qualified" employees to apply and fill such positions. The worst you can do for an employee is to place them in a position that they are not qualified to perform, and just setting them up for failure.
This is all fine in theory however, if it wasn't for quotas western society, including Canada, would still be lead by white men and only white men - the other participants in our society would not have the opportunity to develop let alone show their abilities.
The other point is that "qualified" is a subjective term and people look at themselves when defining qualifications.
Actually, one should consider less than fully qualified persons for a specific position as this will provide opportunity for growth both personal and corporate. Saving Changes...
Vivian CalenderProject ProfessionalChicago, Il, United States
Sep 06, 2022 8:00 AM
Replying to Sergio Luis Conte
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While I fully agree with @Keith comments above I think this topic is a matter of the culture inside the society itself, not a matter of a company or organization.
Organizations have their own culture and they are a result of the management systems and processes their leadership have chosen to follow. Getting some leaders to move out of their comfort zone, their group think, remains a challenge especially regarding matters of race and hiring/promoting people of color to C-suite level. Saving Changes...
Dr. Abel B. SalazarFounder, Chief Education Officer| Continuous REV, LLCGrovetown, Ga, United States
Sep 05, 2022 11:53 PM
Replying to Anish Abraham
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I think we should strive to understand the individual differences of those around us, especially our colleagues. As we engage in daily activities and interactions, challenge ourself to learn from others. Give others the respect and tolerance that they desire.
Anish,
Thank you for your insightful words.
Abel Saving Changes...
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
Good discussion. Think diversity has several aspects.
First, it is a way to build teams with a diverse set of perspectives and background, building a broader range of capabilities and hence becoming more effective, e.g. in problem solving. Sometimes we cannot know which individuals bring which beneficial capabilities. This is at the core more a intellectual or mental diversity than - say - a physical. We can easily minimize the impact of surrounding cultures.
Second, in building communities trying to establish an ethic that includes the values of respect and fairness. This often focuses on physical diversity and is dependent on surrounding cultures as it is more visible. Some companies say they pursue this and hope to increase their mental diversity with it. Not sure this works though.
