U.S. 12.95 U.S.
$$
THE
value proposition Waste Management’s Maury Myers and his team on their method of making diversity a contributor in delivering measurable results to both company and key stakeholders.
Plus: The DNA of Culture Change What MicroInequities Can Do For Your Organization.
Strength in Numbers Organizations that “connect” through their networks
Studying The Black CEO America’s new crop of fast-track businesses
Diversity in TechnologySpecial Section How workforce diversity keeps top technology companies on the cutting edge. Featuring stories from Texas Instruments, ACS, Xerox, Rainbow Technologies, Dendrite, EMS, IBM and more.
Featuring stories from Georgia Power • Ernst & Young LLP • Ford Motor Company • Cisco Systems, Inc. • Triumph Technologies • and more.
WWW.F O R D .C O M
INGREDIENTS:
BETTER IDEA #29
D i ve r s i t y GLOBAL
The nice thing about our world is that there’s
room for everyone.
There’s something truly special about people who work tirelessly to make the world a kinder place. For this reason, we would like to offer both our thanks and appreciation to those who do so much to promote understanding. We’re proud to support you and your efforts to promote diversity. Marisela Reyes, Arvin Ramachandran, Marsialle Arbuckle, Lewis Thompson and Ellen Enloe are all actively involved in Diversity and Worklife initiatives. Making this a group that understands the importance of understanding.
©2001 Ford Motor Company
www.ford.com
®
Profiles in
Diversity Journal The Forum For Business Diversity
PUBLISHER / MANAGING EDITOR James R. Rector SENIOR EDITOR Katherine Sandlin CREATIVE EDITORIAL Laurel L. Fumic David Potokar
EDITORIAL Lori Kozey
ADVISORY BOARD HONORARY CHAIR Steve Miller, former Chairman, President and CEO Shell Oil Company CHAIR Edie Fraser, President Diversity Best Practices VICE CHAIRS Bill George, Former Chairman & CEO Medtronic, Inc. Carlton Yearwood, VP Business Diversity Waste Management, Inc. John Sequeira, Senior Diversity Advisor Global Diversity—Strategy & Planning Shell Oil Company Dee Wood, Manager Career Network Development General Electric Corporation May Snowden, VP Global Diversity Starbucks Toni L. Riccardi, Chief Diversity Officer PricewaterhouseCoopers OVERSEAS CORRESPONDENTS Dr. Myrtha Casanova, President European Institute for Managing Diversity Barcelona Spain Graham Shaw, Director Centre for Diversity and Business London UK LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Commentaries or questions should be addressed to: Profiles in Diversity Journal, P.O. Box 45605, Cleveland, OH 44145-0605. All correspondence should include author’s full name, address, e-mail and phone number. DISPLAY ADVERTISING
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ISSN 1537-2102 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
pointofview From the editorial staff of Profiles in Diversity Journal
Celebrating Innovations! When we think about technology, we usually think of hardware. We think of the gadgets that have revolutionized the way we communicate, the way we get things done … even the way business is conducted. We seldom think of the process of creating this technology, and about the diversity of thought that must be a part of that process in order for new ideas to be conceived. As we begin this New Year, we thought we’d ask some of the fastest-growing technology companies in the world about the people that make their business a success. How does diversity fuel innovation in technology? What are these organizations doing to meet the needs of their diverse workforce? What products and services are they developing in order to reach a more diverse market? We think the stories you’ll read here will surprise and delight you in their own diversity: from the development of Texas Instruments’ “DiversityWorks” program, to Xerox’s new products for the physically handicapped, to IBM’s involvement with Black Family Technology Awareness Week. These cutting-edge organizations have embraced diversity in their workforce and marketplace and are developing unique products and practices that enrich their environment and ours, as well. Innovation is apparent in our cover story, too. Waste Management, Inc., offers us a fresh perspective on making the business case for Members of the Waste Management executive team diversity by applying the use of the value involved in the Diversity Value Proposition effort include: proposition, a fundamental market-focused (front row, L to R) Carlton Yearwood and Maury Myers, business philosophy and methodology. Authors Chairman, President and CEO, (back row, L to R) Cherie Rice, Everett Bass, Betty Banks, and Barry H. Caldwell. Carlton Yearwood and Sarah Simpson offer us an in-depth look at the process they adopted to define and quantify their diversity activities— clearly and precisely—for their internal and external audience of stakeholders. The remarkable innovations—the ideas, the programs, the unique team efforts—our contributors share within these pages keep our workforce diversity initiatives vital. We hope our presentation of these ideas sparks thought and discussion in your organization, too. For the past five years, that’s been the mission of Profiles in Diversity Journal, and it’s toward that end that we invite you to celebrate your innovations with us in our 2004 International Innovation in Diversity Awards. The first annual Profiles in Diversity Journal International Innovation in Diversity Awards will honor 10 corporations, organizations and institutions from around the world that have developed innovative solutions and offer measurable outcomes in the area of workforce diversity and inclusion. Award nominations are due by April 21st; please visit our Web site for details, or call our offices at 1-800-573-2867. CORRECTION: In our November/December 2003 issue, we incorrectly identified Stephanie K. Wernet and Kathy Geier of Goodyear, and Antoinette McCorvey and Karen Smith-Pilkington of Eastman Kodak. Corrected profiles begin on page 44. Profiles in Diversity Journal
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Ten organizations will be awarded, but we will all be winners in the process. Please join us in this opportunity to celebrate the ideas that will strengthen our diversity, today and tomorrow. James R. Rector Publisher
January/February 2004
Katherine Sandlin Editor page 3
What’ s possible when 70,000 people with diverse cultural, national, and family backgrounds, skills and life experiences work together toward one common vision?
Anything. Sharon Larkin, mother of two active boys and Divisional Vice President of Human Resources.
Abbott Laboratories. www.abbott.com
contents
Volume 6, Number 1 • January/February 2004
Special Feature: Diversity & Technology: Where New Ideas are Born
12
Innovating through Diversity
16
A Work in Progress
EMS Technologies relies on a diverse group of employees to keep its innovative technology on the cutting edge.
18
The Ability to Make a Difference
20
When All the Pieces Fit
22
Waste Management, Inc. Diversity Needs to Deliver Waste Management on the value proposition that leads to clear and unqualified understanding of the positive contributions a diverse and inclusive workforce can provide for internal and external stakeholders alike.
Xerox blends diverse ideas and creative solutions to enhance productivity for people with disabilities.
Rainbow Technologies embraces both the challenges and benefits of their international market.
Special Feature:
Studying the Black CEO 48 Shattering the Concrete Ceiling
Maximizing Individual and Collective Accomplishments Embracing cultural differences has helped to strengthen new and existing relations at Affiliated Computer Services, Inc.
24
“All of Us Have a Valuable Role”
29
Graceful Navigation
30
Where People & Technology Triumph
33
The Out-of-the-Box Approach
36 38
Studying America’s new Black CEO with the ING Gazelle Index.
Networking 54 Influencing Growth through Dialogue
Dendrite International, Inc., finds global growth and success in diversity.
Georgia Power hosted a forum that gave Management Council members the opportunity to share with employees personal lessons from their own diversity journeys.
Xerox Chief Engineer Dr. Sophie Vandebroek on inspiring an international engineering team.
60
Managing Relationship Assets
64
Invisible Diversity: The GLBT Workplace Challenge
Retired Army Colonel Gloria Redman and her team of experts at Triumph Technologies have turned service into a science.
Cisco Systems, Inc., reaches a more diverse audience through its innovative internal learning processes.
IBM and Career Communications host events to spotlight technology in the Black community.
71
Key to Our Success Ford’s IT Division finds that sharing perspectives drives successful business practices.
Women of Initiative see page 44
Ernst & Young promotes a two-pronged approach to professional development through networking.
Members of Motorola’s corporate GLBT Business Council address the business case for diversity in an engineering environment.
Crossing the Digital Divide
1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
6
Cover Story
“DiversityWork” dialogue sessions take hold at Texas Instruments.
Rising Stars A new program allows women associates at Holland & Knight an opportunity to soar.
The Business Toolbox 40 The DNA of Culture Change
Profiles in Diversity Journal
Profiles in Diversity Journal and Insight Education Systems team up to present MicroInequities: The Power of Small, across the U.S.
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January/February 2004
page 5
Raising The Bar Waste Management, Inc.
The nation’s largest waste services provider, Waste Management is a Fortune 200 Company with revenues of $12 billion a year. It is a financially driven and people intensive organization—with more than 50,000 people involved in environmental services and protection in the U.S. and Canada. Today’s demand for transparency in business processes— scrutiny from analysts, customers, and shareholders alike— brings with it a growing need and expectation that diversity value across across the the entire entire initiatives deliver acknowledged value, organization and in the eyes of external stakeholders as well. Waste Management’s diversity value proposition addresses those needs.
DIVERSITY
NEEDS TO DELIVER An accountable value proposition is the key By Carlton Yearwood Vice President, Business Ethics and Chief Diversity Officer with Sarah Simpson Director, Corporate Communications Waste Management, Inc. page 6
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1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
W
aste Management is an organization successfully redefining how we do business—in the service we provide our customers and how we relate to them, and in how we go about doing our business within our organization each and every day. Virtually every aspect of the company is working to better itself in some way. Since I joined the company to lead diversity in 2002, we’ve been redefining the parameters of our diversity effort in ways that not only align it with the company’s strategy, but make diversity a contributor in delivering real results that ultimately make a significant difference to both the company and to the key stakeholders. Our success draws from a new paradigm in the WM workplace. It’s one that places a necessity on building from the ground up with visible accountability—to shareholders, to our employees and to managers of the business. With this discipline, it’s important for our diversity initiative to define its activities more clearly and to quantify its contributions more precisely. A value proposition for diversity was clearly called for, and that’s what we are implementing across our organization that encompasses the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.
What Is a Value Proposition? WM is fortunate in that diversity’s biggest proponent is the person at the top of our organization. “It’s extraordinarily important for Waste Management’s diversity work to build on the notion of value,” says WM’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Maury Myers, “and, in particular, form a strong value proposition. It’s a disciplined way to keep diversity activities focused on improving our business, with customers and with employees. “A value proposition is a clear statement of both the purely functional and the highly emotional benefits delivered by a product or service. Diversity should be 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
“We must ask ourselves, ‘What value will an individual provide to our customers, shareholders and employees?’ An effective value proposition leads to clear and unqualified understandings about the positive contributions a diverse and inclusive workforce can provide.” Maury Myers Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
viewed in this light,” says Myers. “We must ask ourselves, ‘What value will an individual provide to our customers, shareholders and employees?’ An effective value proposition leads to clear and unqualified understandings about the positive contributions a diverse and inclusive workforce can provide.” Although a value proposition can fall into a category of vague business jargon, at its simplest it is something that mirrors what we do in our own daily decisions about how we spend the time, money and other resources our company entrusts to diversity: is the end result worth all the effort we put into it? We communicate the value proposition in two compatible ways. One is a shorthand visualization which, in its simplest form, looks like this:
Benefit Value =
Cost
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Another is a descriptive statement of the value proposition, something that captures in words all that you want to accomplish through what you do in diversity. I’ll develop more on this important component later.
A Business Context for the Diversity Value Proposition It’s essential, of course, that the diversity value proposition be grounded in business reality. For WM, our business reality is providing collection, disposal and recycling services each and every day to nearly 20 million residential and two million commercial customers. It means providing a basic service to a diverse base of customers in an environmentally responsible manner. William Trubeck, WM’s Executive VP, puts diversity under the scrutiny of an overall business plan. “We can’t lose sight that diversity is an integral part of our business in everything we do. We provide services to diverse groups of people—large and small, public and private, residential
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Raising The Bar Waste Management, Inc.
“As “As part part of of building building value value for for our our communities, communities, we we must have a diverse must have a diverse supply supply chain. chain. It’s It’s an an investment investment we we make make in our own growth, in our own growth, as as well well as as in in the the growth growth of of the the areas areas we we serve.” serve.” Betty Betty Banks Banks Director Director Supplier Supplier Diversity Diversity and industrial, urban and rural. To be a contributor to the success of our company, diversity needs to effectively address its initiatives to these groups that are critically relevant to us.” Our diversity value proposition grows from a description of the WM business environment that has four core stakeholder elements: • Customers. Waste Management has nearly 20 million residential and two million commercial customers in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. Our business strategy clearly states that providing our customers with excellent service is what sets us apart from our competitors. We recognize that our business plan must address the specific needs of our diverse customer base. • Employees. We have a commitment to our more than 50,000 employees that they will be treated as professionals, with dignity and respect. Our corporate culture is based on integrity, inclusion and professionalism. We expect our people to contribute at the top of their ability, and find fulfillment and pride in the work they do for WM. When Myers joined WM in November page 8
1999, his first order of business was to go out and talk to the employees who were on the front lines every day. “I always say that if you want to know what’s wrong with a company, just ask the employees,” said Myers. “They know what’s broken, and they’ll oftentimes tell you how to fix it.” “Maury was exactly what this company needed,” said Cherie Rice, WM’s VP of Investor Relations and a long-time WM employee. “We needed someone who could come in and rally our employees and restore their faith and pride in the company. He knows how to motivate people and make them feel like they matter—like they’re part of a team. Our people just wanted to know that their hard work was appreciated—that’s what employees really want, and that embodies the principles of our Diversity Inclusion initiative.”
interests,” says Barry Caldwell, WM’s Senior Vice President, Government Affairs and Corporate Communications. “We try to identify where the community’s interest and the company’s interest come together, and we refer to that as the ‘intersection of common interest.’ “We recognize that community relations has a side benefit, and that is employee pride,” says Caldwell. “After volunteering at an event sponsored by WM, our employees often say ‘I am so proud to work for WM.’ That’s exactly what we want—we want them to take pride in their company and their community.” These four items are the central focus of what we do at WM. They define our business landscape.
• Shareholders. The WM promise to shareholders is based on increasing stock value and enhancing the WM brand in a “In order for our very competitive marketplace. • Communities. In the thousands of communities we serve, WM views itself as a national company that operates at a local level and therefore interacts as a partner with communities. “By the nature of what we do, we are a business member of the community. Our employees live and work in the communities we serve. It is important to our success as a company that our employee base reflect those communities,” says Everett Bass, Vice President, Public Sector Services. “We work hard to be a partner with our communities—whether that ‘community’ is based on geography, or a ‘greater community,’ meaning a local interest group, environmental group or the PTA.” “In order for our employees to feel fully engaged with WM and their local community, we need to work as a partner with the community to identify common
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January/February 2004
employees to feel fully engaged, we need to work as a partner with the community ...” Barry H. Caldwell Senior Vice President Government Affairs and Corporate Communications
What Makes a Good Value Proposition? The diversity value proposition has to acknowledge the realities of your company’s business environment, but there’s more. Again, Myers has a telling view: “From a perspective at the top of our organization, I’m looking for diversity and all its activities to supercharge the rest of the organization. Our diversity and inclusion initiatives have been created to move our organization 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
“Our employees live and work in the communities we serve. It is important to our success as a company that our employee base reflect those communities.” Everett Bass Vice President Public Sector Services forward in all that we do, and to motivate people beyond what’s expected.” In order to look beyond programs and numbers, the diversity value statement should be constructed with other important notions in mind. It needs to be: • Aspirational. “One of the greatest challenges for our diversity initiative is to see beyond numbers and statistics,” says Myers. “What our diversity and inclusion activities have to actually deliver is the ability for the entire organization to achieve more as a result. What we do in diversity needs to result in the motivation for others to do better, wherever they may be in the organization.” The value proposition needs to incorporate elements that motivate, and result in people being proud, fulfilled and optimal contributors to business success. “At the end of the day, I want all of our employees to be able to say, ‘I’m proud to work for Waste Management,’” says Myers. • Strategic. David Steiner, WM’s Executive VP and Chief Financial Officer, challenges diversity to be a part of the necessary disciplines that are the framework of our business. “When we talk about the company’s business strategy, we’re talking about how the company grows revenues and increases profit margins. We need 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
every part of our business to bring a contribution to the table. Diversity needs to be an active player in this strategy—not just say it is. WM is composed of doers, and we want to see how anything and everything we do in diversity advances WM’s strategy.”
“... Positive numbers ...
• Leader-developed and leader-owned. “... Positive numbers ... that’s the the mark mark of of aa place place Perceived ownership of diversity that’s where people want to invest. activities has to exist among the where people want to invest. And that’s the kind of collective leaders of the business, not And that’s the kind of support support just the diversity group or wherever it that that the the WM WM diversity diversity value value proposition delivers, both resides. That’s pretty much common proposition delivers, both in in knowledge by now. So, too, the promise and in substance.” promise and in substance.” diversity value proposition needs the full interaction and ownership of the Cherie Cherie Rice Rice Vice President and Vice President and Treasurer Treasurer top management team. At WM, our board meeting agendas consciously usually from good intentions. Keep include diversity and ethics as a regular distractions to a minimum. Remember that topic, and the value proposition has you have to keep the larger picture in mind. benefited from full participation by the Don’t drill down to the elements of what executive leadership team. should instead be on a scorecard: activity based reports, tactical or operational items, What a Value Proposition Is Not progress that is entirely program specific, Developing a value proposition is numbers and statistics. fraught with opportunities to go astray,
The Waste Management Diversity Value Proposition Our Waste Management diversity initiatives are guided by a value proposition that extends the basic equation, elaborating on value, costs and benefits in an interrelated fashion: • Reduced Turnover
• Enhanced Brand • Shareholder Value Value • Best Place to Work • Employees Proud & Fulfilled
Benefit =
Cost
• Improved Team Effectiveness • Managed Litigation • Better Employee Relations • Inclusive Representation
• Governance • Compliance • Controls
The important counterpart, the descriptive value proposition, is this: WM believes the value of diversity, of an inclusive workplace instilled with integrity in every action, makes us a better place to work, increases our value in the marketplace, and makes us the preferred brand with customers. The benefits that directly and indirectly flow to our people, shareholders and customers from how we manage diversity at WM provide an outstanding return on our investment of resources. Profiles in Diversity Journal
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Raising The Bar Waste Management, Inc.
The Cost Component “The actual costs associated with diversity are significant; there’s no turning away from that fact,” adds Steiner. “But the potential costs to the company are staggering. When WM leadership came together around our diversity value proposition, it became alarmingly apparent to me as head of financial operations that we needed to proactively manage diversity. The company benefits immensely from a
thoughtfully integrated diversity program that embeds itself in the way we operate and the way we administer our business.” We grouped our cost concerns in three major areas: • Governance. Every organization wants appropriate freedom in its corporate governance decisions. To have this, people issues need to be addressed proactively and positively.
Visible Benefits at
“I took this job temporarily, just until I found something else. And now I’ve been here for 39 years. I like the human relationship that’s involved with the work, meeting different people. What we project out there as drivers makes a big difference. You’ve got to communicate, talk to people, say ‘Good Morning!’” Bobby Robertson, WM Driver
“Being able to stand tall and represent a company that demands strong ethics makes going to work easy, knowing that doing what is right is of value.” Lily Lee Community Relations Manager Bradley Landfill & Recycling Center, Los Angeles Market Area
“My goal every day is to make sure I provide the best service that I can. When the customers call, they want service. I love my job, I take pride in my work, and I try to provide customers with the quickest service I can.” Robert Martinez, WM Driver page 10
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• Compliance. Our need to be aligned in the right ways with important regulatory programs is paramount. The consequences of not doing so are considerable. • Controls. No business wants more oversight or restriction. The associated direct and indirect costs can be burdensome. “Every time we sit down as a WM leadership team to talk about our business plan and about how human resources are going to be allocated, I believe you must take into account the value proposition,” continues Steiner. “The reality of any business is not only the costs you incur, but the costs you avoid through intelligent management. That’s precisely one of the positive attributes in what we have here.”
The Benefit Component In his position as WM’s Executive VP, Operations Support and Chief Administration Officer, Lawrence O’Donnell views the value proposition equation from an intensely important perspective—the human perspective. “In my role for operations and administration, I am impacted heavily by people issues. How employees relate to the company, among themselves and to each other weighs directly on how well the organization functions. The firm advances if people feel included and their contributions honestly evaluated. We move ahead as people commit their future to us, and share WM’s sense of purpose and mission. The value proposition we have for diversity is not only strategically relevant, but operationally significant. What diversity does makes a difference in how WM performs in a very competitive business environment.” We include five specific items in the benefits part of our diversity value proposition: • Reduced Turnover. Keeping quality people longer drives positive financial results. 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
• Improved Team Effectiveness. The effectiveness of the organization in reaching the right decisions in a timely way is a competitive edge. • Managed Litigation. While every company may face litigation expense, managing to reduce litigation expense through enlightened diversity inclusion policies, practices and decisions is an attainable goal. • Better Employee Relations. A harmonious culture, with employees who work collaboratively and productively, is a key to success. • Inclusive Representation. When employees perceive that they are heard, listened to and a part of the decision making process, they perform better. “Each of these areas,” adds O’Donnell, “is critically essential to the successful running of a business. When you can positively impact them all—as we believe we do with our coordinated diversity activities—the result is a tremendous asset for the company.”
The Value Result Myers pulls no punches in talking about the bottom line for our diversity programs. “What I’m looking for, what our board of directors considers a ‘must-have,’ are results from our diversity initiatives that clearly propel WM toward a greater return for our shareholders, toward a reputation for us as the premier brand in our field. These are not easy challenges, but they are what we need our diversity practices to help us accomplish. It’s what we expect from every leader here. We can do this. I believe diversity can be one of the key items we leverage for competitive advantage.” With this specific charge from the top of our organization, our diversity value proposition focuses on building value in three specific ways: 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
• Enhanced Brand. In the marketplace today, the brand is everything. Building the brand results in competitive advantage through more loyalty, more name recognition and more opportunity “... WM’s value proposition with customers.
can help us tremendously as we move from market area to market area across the U.S. in a grassroots education effort to enlist each and every WM employee in what we do.”
• Shareholder Value. This is the ultimate measure in the eyes of many. And it is a reward only attainable through rigorous, consistent and focused business decisions. In the end, it’s not something management does, but something that Carlton Yearwood shareholders grant you for Vice President Business Ethics and disciplined effort.
Chief Diversity Officer
• Best Place To Work. Competition for talent is intense, and an organization that values diversity and inclusion is at the top of the list for most of today’s job seekers. Cherie Rice comments on the value proposition from her specific perspective. “In all honesty, analysts and investors are interested mostly in numbers. That’s no secret. But those numbers have to document a good story, one that shows a company constantly trending in the positive, with no liabilities of consequence, and with a stellar reputation. That’s the mark of a place where people want to invest. And that’s the kind of support that the WM diversity value proposition delivers, both in promise and in substance.”
Where We Go from Here Waste Management’s value proposition for diversity is creating positive opportunities for the company. It has already mobilized the leadership team around a diversity agenda and helped the organization visualize the impact our initiatives have beyond the usual program numbers and statistics. And now the proposition can help us tremendously as we move from market area to market area Profiles in Diversity Journal
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across the U.S. in a grassroots education effort to enlist each and every WM employee in what we do. Myers gives a particularly important charge to our effort: “The companies who will win in the very near future, those who will be standing tall with investors and employees after the next five years, will be those who successfully address the complexities of people. As our society grows richer in its unique resource of different backgrounds and talents, companies with a strong future will have a precise notion of how to deliver value from all this diversity. They will understand that diversity is more than a measurement. Even now they know it is something that can motivate and drive an entire organization, something that provides an impetus to everything else working better and in a more focused, harmonious way.” For more information about Waste Management’s Value Proposition for Diversity, contact Carlton Yearwood, Vice President, Business Ethics and Chief Diversity Officer at 713.287.2453 or by e-mail at cyearwood@wm.com; or Sarah Simpson, Director, Corporate Communications at 713.394.2154 or by e-mail at ssimpson@wm.com. For more information about Waste Management, Inc., PDJ visit their website at www.wm.com.
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Diversity & Technology
EMS Technologies
INNOVATING g{ÜÉâz{ DIVERSITY
North America’s dominant supplier of base station antennas to the cellular/PCS industry relies on a diverse group of employees to keep its innovative technology on the cutting edge.
n a recent Wednesday afternoon, EMS Technologies President and CEO Alfred G. Hansen toured the production facility at EMS Wireless, one of three of the company’s manufacturing plants in Norcross, located northeast of Atlanta. EMS, a leading provider of technology solutions to both wireless and satellite markets, is known for its wellengineered products. EMS (NASDAQ: ELMG) employs 1,700 people worldwide, and has major manufacturing facilities in Atlanta, Ottawa and Montreal. Hansen is not an unfamiliar sight among the 125 factory workers, who hail from 23 countries and fill positions such as assemblers, testers, inspectors and shippers. Often dubbed the United Nations of EMS, these employees produce an impressive array of RF products for EMS Wireless, the leader in RF solutions, accounting for 20 percent of EMS’s results. In seven years, the division has emerged as North America’s dominant manufacturer of base station antennas, supplying service
O
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providers such as T-Mobile, Cingular, Sprint and PacBell with high-performance, compact antennas that provide coverage to thousands of cell phone users. Thanks to employee-driven process improvements, EMS has shortened product lead times from three to five days, compared to the normal turnaround of eight weeks by other antenna suppliers. In a single 12-hour shift in November, the production crew built, tested and shipped 629 antennas, breaking EMS’s record for productivity.
pursuit of corporate objectives. “It is not a pre-packaged set of solutions. It is not a program to address wrongs—it is about
EMS Core Values “EMS’s core values of integrity, individual respect, professionalism, commitment, accountability, and passion for improvement breed diversity,” says Hansen. “Building an environment with these values attracts quality people. Before long, you have a culture that respects individuals for their contribution to the organization.” Hansen adds that his view of diversity is a holistic one that allows all kinds of people to reach their full potential in
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doing things right,” he says, adding that the one thing that a diverse workforce provides is a constant source of new ideas. “People with diverse backgrounds bring new ways of thinking that allow us to develop and implement innovative solutions. Ultimately, diversity in the EMS workforce is a strategic business advantage for us and for our customers,” he says. 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
Diversity Helps Drive Process Improvements Bobby Potts, Director of Operations for EMS Wireless, agrees, noting: “I view diversity as strength in the workforce and in my management team. Many of the employees who work here are highly educated in their own countries, but their mastery of English is keeping them from working in their former profession. We are able to take advantage of their former skills and provide support for them to learn new skills. We also help them overcome the language barrier they face in the workplace by using other employees to communicate with them who speak their language and have mastered English.”
Training Opportunities One way EMS provides support to its diverse workforce is through continuing education, including offering employees English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. The company also offers continuing education reimbursement, recently increasing the level of support to up to $4,500 per year. Many employees have taken advantage of on-the-job training opportunities to improve their skills and advance in their careers. One such example is Mila Veledar of Bosnia, a degreed mechanical engineer who built aircraft for her country before fleeing Bosnia with her daughters and
EMS Technologies’ Space & Technology/Atlanta division operates manufacturing facilities devoted to high-precision electronic components customized to customer specifications.
1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
The EMS Business Process Improvement initiative (BPI) drives EMS employees at the grassroots level to constantly improve the company’s business processes. In 2001, employee suggestions helped save approximately 7,000 feet of floor space— enough area to house an entire assembly line for a new product. Other initiatives have streamlined the division’s supply chain.
husband and arriving in the U.S. in 1994. She settled in Atlanta, and was hired in 1996 by EMS Wireless as an assembler. Today, she is quality manager for the division and has been instrumental in EMS Wireless achieving ISO 9000 certification. “When I first came to the United States, I could not speak English. I spent the first two years working in a beauty salon and learning the language,” recalls Veledar. “When I came to EMS Wireless, I started first working as an assembler, and because we did not have a quality process in place I was offered a position as supervisor of quality. In less than two years we had our quality system implemented and got our ISO certification. EMS gave me a chance—I had huge support from management and I did it.” Since then, Veledar has expanded the quality effort to other product lines at EMS Wireless, and in April 2003 the repeater production/process line received ISO 9000 certification. Veledar says that there are plenty of growth opportunities in her career at EMS. “I plan to stay in Quality,” she says. “There are still more quality process improvements we can implant into our products. There is still a lot of place for improvement.” EMS Wireless is one of the only antenna manufacturers to continue its production operations in the United States; most competitors have moved their operations to Asia or Mexico. Potts says that his workers, because of their productivity and work ethic, are more than competitive with the cheap labor pool in other parts of the Profiles in Diversity Journal
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world. The division does operate a factory in Brazil, but it is focused exclusively on serving the South and Latin American wireless market. The vast majority of antennas are produced out of Norcross. This made-in-the-U.S. product commitment is a point of pride and differentiation for EMS.
BPI Drives Quality A major enabler of EMS’s winning culture is its Business Process Improvement initiative (BPI). BPI drives EMS employees at the grassroots level to constantly improve the company’s business processes. According to Bill Mountain, Manufacturing Engineering Manager, employee suggestions helped save approximately 7,000 feet of floor space—enough area to house the assembly line for the new repeater product business that EMS transferred into EMS Wireless’ production facility in the summer of 2001. Other initiatives have streamlined the division’s supply chain. Michael Robertson, Director of Human Resources for EMS, says employees appreciate the chance to have an impact on their job’s effectiveness and on the company’s performance, explaining that it is a selling point to attracting potential employees to EMS. “Our diversity efforts are integrated into all of our initiatives to attract and retain these excellent people,” he says.
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“Diversity brings new ways of thinking that allow us to develop and implement innovative solutions. Ultimately, diversity in the EMS workforce is a strategic business advantage for us and for our customers.”
Robertson adds that EMS annually endows a technical chair at Georgia Institute of Technology to constantly seek diversity in the company’s recruiting efforts. EMS also has an active co-op program (EMS on average hires 60 percent of its co-op students), and provides university scholarships to the children of EMS employees on a merit basis. “We look to provide promotional and exposure opportunities to our diverse employees,” Robertson says. “We have also supported Women in Engineering and other groups that actively promote diverse professional candidates. In addition, we participate in Georgia 100, a mentoring program for our female high-potential employees, both as mentors and mentees.” This one-year, cross-company mentoring program for mid-level female executives combines mentoring by a senior executive with leadership education and peer networking.
Technology/Atlanta division, and Theresa Stanfield, director of Engineering for the LXE Alfred G. G. Hansen Hansen company’s Alfred President and and CEO CEO subsidiary, a leading President manufacturer of wireless computers that improve the performance of supply-chain execution applications to companies such as Wal-Mart, Caterpillar, Procter & Gamble and Home Depot. “I think it is an advantage to be female in a technical environment—you are automatically in the spotlight,” says Stanfield, an EMS employee for 16 years and manager for a staff of 51 engineers. She says that the best part about working for LXE and EMS is that “every day is a new challenge. Our biggest challenge in engineering is how to keep the price low without sacrificing the ruggedness properties of our products. People don’t want to pay for that ruggedness, but they expect it.” Cook began her EMS career almost 20 years ago when she became EMS’s first female quality engineer. Other firsts followed in both program and engineering management. “I always felt that as long as I did
Female Engineering Role Models Two EMS participants in the Georgia 100 program are Linda Cook, EMS’s first female vice president, who currently leads engineering in the Space &
For more information about EMS Technologies, contact Anne Wainscott, EMS Public Relations, at 770-263-9200 ext. 4326, or via e-mail: pr@ems-t.com. For questions regarding Human Resources contact Michael Robertson at robertson.mr@ems-t.com.
(Left to Right) Theresa Stanfield, Linda Cook and Mila Veledar showcase products from their divisions: LXE, Space & Technology/Atlanta and EMS Wireless, respectively. All three serve as strong female role models within EMS Technologies’ growing engineering community. page 14
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a good job, I would continue to receive opportunities to do more challenging work,” says Cook, who oversees the hiring of technical staff into EMS’s Space & Technology/Atlanta division, which specializes in microwave/millimeter wave requirements for defense electronics, space electronics and component applications. Much of the work of the division serves U.S. warfighters overseas, who rely on the precision of EMS electronics to support mission-critical applications, such as radar communications, to complete missions without casualties. A common problem her group faces is determining why RF performance for a particular system is not “on spec.” “You often need to pull together several disciplines to solve problems. It is important to hire people with different backgrounds and different experiences to broaden the knowledge base for the whole group and provide a different perspective on problem-solving,” says Cook. In conclusion, EMS Technologies’ commitment to diversity is seen in not only its workforce, but also in the quality of its products, the company’s track record for innovation and its voluntary employee retention rate, which continues to be in the 98th percentile. A top 10 employer in Gwinnett County, EMS also was named one of the fastest-growing tech companies in 2003 by Business 2.0 magazine. “EMS’s success is definitely a reflection of the talents and motivation of our employees,” says Hansen. “They are the biggest factor in our ability to compete, and to serve our customers with innovative products and solutions.” PDJ
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Diversity & Technology
Texas Instruments hen it comes to addressing diversity in the workplace, a long list of Texas Instruments’ leaders and many employees have at least one thing in common: they have successfully facilitated “DiversityWork” sessions in their organizations.
W
What is “DiversityWork?”
A WORK IN PROGRESS “DIVERSITYWORK” SESSIONS TAKE HOLD AT TEXAS INSTRUMENTS
By Terry Howard Diversity Director page 16
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Simply put, “DiversityWork” is a space where employees come together to talk frankly about diversity. The sessions, which are typically two-and-a-half to three hours long, are being rolled out across TI. A “DiversityWork” session encourages participants to join in an honest and business-focused discussion about diversity. They typically center on what diversity means to TI, to a particular business, and to employees—TIers—personally. The sessions use a blend of presentations, case studies, experimental activities and small group breakout—all tailored to get at organization-specific careabouts. The sessions are fast-paced and, at times, much like the issue of diversity itself—quite provocative and controversial. The agenda is flexible and rarely closely followed. “DiversityWork” was born to the IT Services group during the summer of 2001 at the urging of Brian Bonner, TI Chief Information Officer. Since this time, it has been fanned out— with a few tweaks—through more than five internal businesses. Each business has its own name for the program. For instance, “Bridging The Gap” is DLP Products’ version of “DiversityWork.” In Assembly & Test, they call it “Diversity Forum.” The Wireless Terminal Business Unit’s (WTBU) design includes a global feature that was recently delivered in France and California. As a follow-up to the action planning phase of one WTBU session, the “DiversityWork” design team was asked by Shahin Golshan, a WTBU U.S. design manager, to develop a focused session to help American engineers better understand and work with their engineering counterparts in India. He also requested a separate session for the fast-growing population of Indian engineers in Bangalore, India, to help them better understand and work with their U.S. counterparts.
Why has “DiversityWork” taken hold? First, it is facilitated by a business leader, which brings credibility and strength to the program and encourages participation at all levels. Next, there’s the title itself. The choice to call the program “DiversityWork” was clearly a conscious one that reflects the importance of adequately describing the reality of the experience. Emphasis is on the word “work,” as in “work in progress.” And diversity is, indeed, a work in progress with no definite end in sight. This is the session’s philosophical underpinning. So, is this diversity training as we’ve come to know it? Well, not quite.
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Diversity & Technology
Texas Instruments
Diversity thought leaders will tell you that diversity is not necessarily something one can be trained in—it’s just “Employees need to be able to bring 100 % too fluid, too unpredictable, too evolutionary and it of their talents and skills into the workplace. Ensuring that happens requires an environment knows no boundaries. What’s more, the expansive nature where people feel free to be themselves of diversity means that the information learned and skills regardless of what they look like, their cultural fine-tuned through traditional diversity training become background, religious beliefs, sexual orientation as outdated as, say, some of the earlier generations of or any other personal characteristic. camcorders. What “DiversityWork” is designed to do is set the stage for follow-up—and more comprehensive— “No company will ever live up to its full potential if it doesn’t fully utilize the talents of dialogues back in the organization. It is not a quick fix, nor every member of the workforce. Ultimately, is it the singular “answer” to diversity; it complements what we’re talking about at TI is the other activities designed to improve an organization’s establishment of a true meritocracy where diversity mix and climate. talent, skills and experience are the If you doubt me, just ask someone who had diversity only criteria for advancement.” training a few years ago. Ask them what they recalled most Tom Engibous about that training and what they retained. A “hummm,” Chairman, President and CEO accompanied by some head scratching, will probably be the response. That’s why “DiversityWork” is not designed to fix anyone, nor is it designed to prepare participants for known outcomes. At best, it encourages open dialogue on contemporary workplace issues related to our diversities. “In HVAL [High Volume Analog & Logic], our business A side benefit of “DiversityWork” is that it brings together people and functions from different parts of the organization. In leaders volunteered to facilitate each of our 34 sessions,” said Robin Leogrande, HVAL line manager and chief designer of HVAL’s version short, it’s good for teambuilding, healing and personal connections. of “DiversityWork.” “During these sessions, the leaders shared business and personal experiences related to diversity. The feedback Okay, what about the content? “DiversityWork” sessions have certain core elements and are from HVAL participants was overwhelmingly positive, both on typically preceded by an organizational assessment designed to course content and our facilitators.” Leogrande emphasizes the need to put a business focus on uncover real diversity issues and barriers in the organization. Those issues are addressed as much as possible during the sessions. diversity and, at the same time, keep overhead expenses down. “We TI business leaders usually direct the content of assembled a small team to customize the material, then had “DiversityWork” sessions. Typically, sessions are facilitated by business leaders serve as facilitators. This was well worth the very business people—not by Human Resources, not by someone from small cost needed to deliver the message.” And, before leaping to the conclusion that “DiversityWork” is Training and not by an outside an expensive endeavor, especially during these challenging consultant—but economic times, stop and consider that most of the material is by TI business already in place. There’s no significant development cost, per se, and there’s no need to bring in external expertise for delivery and leaders. facilitation. This is proof that, even during an economic downturn, businesses can keep diversity alive and in front of employees as a key business issue. PDJ
“The choice to call the program ‘DiversityWork’ was clearly a conscious one that reflects the importance of adequately describing the reality of the experience. Emphasis is on the word ‘work,’ as in ‘work in progress.’ And diversity is, indeed, a work in progress with no definite end in sight. This is the session’s philosophical underpinning.”
For information about diversity at Texas Instruments, contact Lara B. Wallentine, Program Manager, ESH & Diversity Communications, at lara-wallentine@ti.com.
Terry Howard, Diversity Director 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
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Diversity & Technology
Xerox
The Ability to Make a Difference EROX BLENDS DIVERSE IDEAS, CREATIVE SOLUTIONS TO ENHANCE PRODUCTIVITY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES “Helping people do great work” has been Xerox Corporation’s mission since it launched the world’s first plain-paper copier in 1959. But following a rigorous review of its office systems portfolio in 2001, the company realized it needed to do a better job of addressing the needs of an important group—people who are blind or visually impaired. That realization unleashed a creative, cross-company engineering effort to create a different kind of technology that would help people with disabilities to make a copy entirely on their own. And by March 2003, the Xerox Copier Assistant was born—a software system that, when linked to a
Xerox digital copier, can “talk” people through how to make anything from a single copy to a duplexed, multi-page set of printed pages. “Xerox’s aim is to employ the most creative minds internally to develop tools and technologies that elevate our customers’ productivity, including people with disabilities who need office products that are easy to use and operate,” says Jack Azar, Vice President of Xerox Environment, Health and Safety—the organization that led the Copier Assistant’s development. “This system was a major breakthrough in terms of eliminating accessibility barriers for our customers.”
“The best reward is the satisfaction of helping people and knowing that the solution is advancing the company’s goal to make IT products ‘equally accessible to everyone.’” Jack Azar Vice President Environment, Health and Safety
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A history of designing for accessibility Reaching out with products that can serve diverse customers is not new at Xerox. Valuing diversity in the workplace has long been as essential to Xerox’s business strategy as energizing the marketplace with creative product designs and workplace solutions. In fact, the two are co-dependent ingredients for Xerox’s ongoing success. Xerox views diversity as a critical business imperative, vital to ensuring that employees can grow to their fullest potential. Business is energized with creativity and fresh ideas and Xerox leverages these differences to achieve a competitive advantage. Xerox has been an industry leader in accessible product design for more than three decades. From the earliest design stages, product engineering teams incorporate features that make Xerox products easy to use and operate. Product designs minimize the force required to push buttons, lift document covers and open doors—and controls are within easy reach for a wide range of people, including those who use wheelchairs. Dozens of accessories, such as angled consoles, Braille console labels and “start print” footswitches, also help customers with disabilities gain productivity.
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Diversity & Technology
A rewarding team effort
Since its launch in March, the Xerox Copier Assistant technology has earned three awards, including a 2003 “IT Works Ability Award” in the category of “Development of Universally Accessible IT Products and Services.”
In fact, Careers and the disABLED magazine has recognized Xerox for these efforts, naming the company in 2000 as Private Sector Employer of the Year, in part for how it supplies disabled employees and customers with customized products and services. But as far ahead as Xerox already was on the curve in designing accessible products, a significant problem was identified as part of the review—the lack of an alternative to the touchscreen user interface found on most digital copiers and multifunction systems.
The Copier Assistant’s development Touchscreens, a technology that has been adopted throughout industry, provide a convenient and direct navigational tool, allowing an office worker to program copy, scan and fax jobs on Xerox digital multifunction systems. However, touchscreens significantly impede the use of copiers by people with certain disabilities. People must be able to read the screen and use touch to select functions. To design around the traditional touchscreen, “we invited office users from the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Rochester, NY, to test an early prototype,” Azar says. “Their feedback was critical to the success of the solution.” 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
Xerox
Xerox engineers quickly learned that their prototype’s text-to-speech capability did not translate directions in an understandable way, especially for blind people who had never had the experience of making a copy before. Thanks to the users’ recommendations, the final product is a hit. “I am totally amazed at how easy it is to use, and I’m not even a computer user,” said one of the clients of the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired/Greater Rochester who tested the product. “It was easy, and I felt proficient,” reported another. When installed on a dedicated PC, the Xerox Copier Assistant can help anyone—blind and visually impaired users, as well as those with mobility and tactile impairments—to easily program copy jobs. Once loaded on a PC, the software displays an enlarged user interface on the PC monitor. Using embedded text-tospeech software, the user is given voice directions as to how to begin programming the job. He or she then navigates the interface using the tab, arrow, function and other keys. The solution gives the person voice-directed real-time feedback about the status of the job she or he has requested, including error messages.
The universal-design effort has involved a team of more than 30 Xerox people from accessibility and usability engineering, software and hardware design engineering, research, regulatory compliance, marketing, and the office of external affairs—in addition to the partners from the disabled community in Rochester. The successes of this team, including the successful 2003 launch of the Xerox Copier Assistant, demonstrates the value of creative, motivated people with different backgrounds and perspectives in creating innovative solutions. Since its launch in March, the Xerox Copier Assistant technology has earned three awards, including a 2003 IT Works Ability Award in the category of “Development of Universally Accessible IT Products and Services.” This award is offered jointly by the Information Technology Association of America and the Law, Health Policy and Disability Center at the University of Iowa. The ITAA IT Works Ability Awards is a national awards program recognizing IT firms that have developed effective products and strategies to promote the employment and advancement of people with disabilities. In addition, the Xerox technology won a Gold CQIA Innovation Prize from the Connecticut Quality Improvement Award Partnership, and it won the Access Award from the Regional Center for Independent Living. Despite the recognition, the Xerox design team remains focused on “continuous improvement” and searching for ever-better ways to help people do their work. And the best reward, Azar says, is the satisfaction of helping people and knowing that the solution is advancing the company’s goal to make IT products “equally accessible to everyone.” PDJ
For more information about the Xerox innovations for accessibility, visit www.xerox.com/copierassistant. Profiles in Diversity Journal
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Diversity & Technology
Rainbow Technologies
WHENRainbow ALL THE PIECES FIT Technologies embraces both the challenges and benefits of their international market By Dan Chmielewski “Rainbow” is actually one of the most common business names, but the marketing team at Rainbow Technologies in Irvine, California, is anything but common. The team, which is spread throughout the world, with members in the UK, California, Hong Kong and Brazil, meets regularly for creativity workshops, messaging sessions and informal team building exercises that foster creativity. Rainbow Technologies is a leading provider of security solutions that protect software from piracy, provide secure remote access solutions, and makes USB authentication tokens that replace user names and passwords. Rainbow also makes very high assurance security solutions used by the U.S. government. Rainbow Technologies is a global company. It was necessary to create and set up a marketing organization and structure that would not only reflect that, but also would allow us to take the best ideas and concepts from all the regions and incorporate them into an overall global marketing direction. Sounds easy enough. And while the global nature of the company and its business is truly universal, communicating the value proposition in a common way didn’t always work. For example, the company’s catch-phrase, “Making Security Simple,” didn’t translate well in Chinese or Japanese. So the team needed page 20
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to brainstorm to develop policies and plans to ensure consistency in message even when a direct translation wouldn’t work. “Global marketing is a lot like assembling a jigsaw puzzle—all the pieces have to fit just right or the image becomes blurred or unrecognizable,” said David M. Lynch, former vice president of marketing at Rainbow. “It’s a lot more than producing collateral or building a Web site. It is ensuring that all members of the marketing team are involved and knowledgeable about what we were trying to accomplish, and then creating ways where we can absorb and adopt ideas and concepts from around the world to make the overall picture clearer or brighter.” Technology marketing continues to evolve digitally. One of the action items created by a team workshop with Rainbow’s international marketing team revealed that the company’s corporate Web site, as a marketing vehicle, was underutilized. Rainbow wanted to take steps to make sure search engine keyword-search tools were optimized and that the content of the Web site meant there was sufficient repeat traffic from interested prospects. The challenge was transforming Rainbow’s Web site (www.rainbow.com) from a static information website to an up-to-date information portal on data security. By making January/February 2004
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Diversity & Technology
Rainbow Technologies
Rainbow’s Web page a true destination site on topic issues in data both corporate and regional—were equally represented in the security, Rainbow’s marketing team created custom content and planning, implementation and ongoing modification.” Rainbow’s Web site features a rich library of white papers, integrated the content with the MarketFirst marketing automation software and Onyx customer relationship management software custom issues-based research, and news announcements. In used by Rainbow. The next challenge was to globalize the process addition, the company hosts issues-based Webinars directly via its Web site or through a third party Web service (with an archived and replicate this initiative for other parts of the world. “Over the last year, we have worked very closely with our Asia file on the corporate Web site), and even processes multiple email Pacific, European and South American marketing teams to more direct marketing campaigns. Potential customers register to access fully understand the cultural differences and nuances as we built content and the information is processed into the company’s integrated marketing automation software our global Web site into a dynamic and lead to track program effectiveness. The generating machine,” said Anthony Sanchez, “Global marketing director of iMarketing, Rainbow is a lot like assembling registered and qualified leads are then routed to sales, allowing Rainbow’s Technologies. “Our collateral, campaigns a jigsaw puzzle— iMarketing team to effectively track the value and online messaging are strengthened because we validate them across the regions.” all the pieces have to of a marketing program, a white paper, a Webinar or an advertisement. “One of the major projects in 2003 was fit just right or the Before the process started, Rainbow had translating the redesigned Web site into eight image becomes generated close to 350 qualified leads languages,” Sanchez added. “We worked very blurred or per month. Once the iMarketing programs closely with employees from these countries were put into place and the Web site was to understand how our message is perceived unrecognizable.” redeveloped and relaunched, Rainbow in their country, and oftentimes we had to David M. Lynch increased the number of qualified leads come up with an alternative way to say something that cannot be literally translated. Without our diverse received each month to 1,000 and cut costs by 35 percent. The marketing team celebrated their success by challenging team working closely together, we might have sounded unprofessional in our communications and may not have been the company’s IT staff to a paintball tournament, an uncommon way to celebrate an uncommon success. considered as a viable vendor in the local geography.” PDJ “Consistency is essential in establishing a strong brand image, and we needed to reflect this consistency in our Web structure, For more information about Rainbow Technologies, visit their Web site at creating an environment that would ensure that all Web sites www.rainbow.com, or contact Dan Chmielewski, Senior Public Relations Manager, at dchm@rainbow.com. reflected our brand and market image while at the same time allowing for the cultural and product differences specific to the various regions that we worked in,” said Lynch. “What would work in the U.S. may not necessarily work in Japan, for instance. This required making sure that all members of the marketing team— Members of the Rainbow Technologies marketing team include (from left to right) David Lynch, Vice President of Marketing; Jeff Laubhan, Sr. Product Marketing Manager; (kneeling) Dan Chmielewski, Sr. PR Manager; Therese Hong, Product Marketing Manager; Aaron Perreira, Designer, Anthony Sanchez, Sr. Manager of iMarketing, (kneeling) Karen Tacy, Events Manager, Thomas Toth, Corporate Web Master, and Issac Alves, Sr., Graphic Communications Specialist. 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
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Diversity & Technology
Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. (ACS) iversity at Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. (ACS) is part of the company’s culture. ACS is a rapidly growing provider of business process outsourcing (BPO) and information technology (IT) solutions to commercial and government clients worldwide, and does not view diversity as a program, but rather as a way of life. A truly diverse workplace is accomplished not by words, but by how each individual is treated. Building, celebrating, and nurturing an environment where all employees have the opportunity to reach their full potential begins when a candidate walks through the doors at ACS. The company focuses on skills, abilities, and knowledge, and we hire the most qualified candidate for the job. We train our managers on the importance of diversity in our workplace, and on the importance of fostering an environment of inclusion, respect, and diversity. ACS looks at people based on their competencies, enthusiasm, and the energy they bring to the team. Diverse teams of people have enriched ACS with new ideas, new ways of processing work and through the development of new ways of thinking. Diversity at ACS is synonymous with variety. With service delivery and global operations reaching nearly 100 countries, At ACS, more than 40,000 people understand and value the different cultures present in the countries where they live and work. Diversity of ideas and talents enables ACS teams to appreciate the unique characteristics that are brought to every situation. Exceptional performance is driven by exceptional people working at a place where employees can leverage their diverse experiences, strengths, and perspectives to maximize individual and collective accomplishments. In order to
D
Embracing cultural differences has helped to strengthen new and existing relationships at ACS.
MAXIMIZING page 22
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INDIVIDUAL and COLLECTIVE
1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
Diversity & Technology succeed in a dynamic, global marketplace, we must continue taking steps to raise employee awareness of and appreciation for the benefits of embracing cultural differences. Sharing, brought about by cultural exchanges, has helped strengthen new and existing relationships at ACS. This strength comes from a respect, understanding and sensitivity for fellow employees. Our commitment to a diverse workforce is characterized by similarities and differences. Our similarities are a set of core values that we exercise on a daily basis. Our differences are the opportunities to internalize those values as they relate to who we are as individuals. Employees with exposure to only one cultural or ethnic experience may become skewed in their view of the world, which can hinder prosperity. Being content to associate only with like-minded people may result in losing the ability to appreciate others whose backgrounds might be different from one’s own. Success comes through the understanding and appreciation of all cultures, both around the world and within our U.S. society. Since ACS pays for performance and holds people accountable for behavioral and business changes in the diversity arena, we have built a culture supportive of diversity. More importantly, we have built a culture that leverages diversity for success. It is through this focus on facilitating and maintaining a diverse workforce and an equitable, supportive workplace that ACS sparks creativity and vitality in its employees. In short, the power of people, relationships, and diversity in the workplace enhances our opportunity for continued success. Our view of diversity is reflected by CEO Jeff Rich, who said, “We must have
Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. (ACS)
leaders who can manage diversity.” The ability to manage diversity, Rich adds, is a threshold issue. “We make diversi“Diversity “Diversity at at ACS ACS isis ty management a synonymous synonymous with with variety. variety. fundamental With With service service delivery delivery and and business practice, global global operations operations reaching reaching a pattern of nearly nearly 100 100 countries, countries,ACS’ ACS’ behavior.” more more than than 40,000 40,000 people people ACS does not understand understand and and value value the the look the same as it different different cultures cultures present present did when it was in in the the countries countries where where founded 15 years they they live live and and work.” work.” ago. Both our Lora Lora J.J.Villarreal Villarreal workforce and Chief People Officer Chief People Officer our client base Senior Senior Vice Vice President President have changed significantly. Ten years from now, the company will be even more diverse. integrate them into our organizations. If Recognizing the talents of each person in current experience is any measure, the our organization is important. Recognizing companies that succeed in this effort will the value of diversity is important, both be the winners. As John F. Kennedy so eloquently from an individual perspective and from an said, “If we cannot end our differences, organizational perspective. Individual contributors are motivated by inclusion, at least we can help make the world safe making a difference, achievement, and for diversity.” PDJ recognition, while the company is motivated by success, which is easier to accomplish Chief People Officer and Senior Vice President when teams work smoothly and in harmony. for ACS Dr. Lora Villarreal holds a B.S. in Together, everyone’s goals can be reached by Human Resource Management from Bellevue working toward the same clear University, an M.S. in Administration and Management from Central Michigan University purpose and practicing values that and a Ph.D. in Philosophy & Management from support, respect, and dignify everyone California Coast University. She was one of 25 involved to achieve success. Hispanic women chosen nationwide to attend It is no secret—managing diversity can the National Hispanic Leadership Institute, and be difficult. However, with diversity comes was one of 25 women featured in the book Cases of Women Who Have Won. In 2001, Villarreal change, and with change comes was named one of the Top 50 Hispanic Women opportunity. As more diverse, educated, in Business by Hispanic Business Magazine. and highly qualified candidates enter the Contact the author at workforce, we must be prepared to Lora.Villarreal@acs-inc.com.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS By Lora J. Villarreal, Ph.D. Chief People Officer and Senior Vice President 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
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Diversity & Technology
“ALL OF
Dendrite International, Inc.
US HAVE A VALUABLE ROLE” Dendrite Finds Global Growth and Success in Diversity From Day One…A History of Diversity In 1986, Australian-born John Bailye launched a software company in his native country that focused on enhancing the effectiveness of sales forces in the global pharmaceutical industry. Since then, diversity has played a role in the company’s success and helped set the foundation for Dendrite’s multicultural, multilingual, multi-operational business philosophy that continues to this day. From the start, the company had to address myriad issues of the drug industry—a global marketplace with differing and complex regulations on how products can be sold and marketed. Dendrite understood that to support clients on a global level, it needed to understand what made each client unique. This required knowledge of a customer’s culture, language and business environment. To better tap into the U.S. pharmaceutical market, Dendrite moved to the United States in 1987 and eventually established its global headquarters in Morristown, New Jersey, near several leading pharmaceutical companies. Dendrite then opened a subsidiary in Japan, followed by offices in Britain, Belgium, France and Italy. Since then, Dendrite has acquired businesses (most recently Synavant in 2003 and Uto Brain in Japan in 2004) that have helped the company grow annual revenue to $321 million in 2003.
A Multicultural Organization “Dendrite has always welcomed people of different cultures, each of whom brings his or her unique backgrounds, experiences, and philosophies,” explained Sandra Heims, Human Resources Generalist for Dendrite’s Interactive Marketing business in Totowa, New Jersey. “Our goal is to create an educated global staff that respects each other’s nationality, religious beliefs, culture and more.” In fact, one of Dendrite’s guiding principles, which the company applies to customers as well as employees, is “We treat people with trust, dignity, and respect.” “All of us have a valuable role in this organization, and regardless of our diverse backgrounds, education, and professional experience, we have a genuine opportunity to contribute to the success of Dendrite,” said Gary Banas, who works in Dendrite’s Human Resources department and created a new diversity program, “Respect or Harassment: Your Guide to Knowing the Difference.” More than a seminar on race relations, the program is intended to reinforce Dendrite’s guiding principles by fostering a work environment that creates respect for coworkers and customers alike. While including discussion of serious legal issues such as page 24
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Diversity & Technology discrimination and harassment, the program has a much broader message that illustrates how working with, understanding, and valuing people of different backgrounds and cultures is critical in ensuring Dendrite’s continued success in the global marketplace. Since its implementation last year, more than 200 employees have completed the training and have given it consistently high ratings. “Because of the variety of employees coming from multiple backgrounds, Dendrite is a good example of how diversity works and how it has been made to work successfully,” explained Neeraj Singhal, Director of Development who joined Dendrite more than eight years ago from his native India. “It’s been a learning experience interacting with people from different cultural backgrounds and understanding different viewpoints and work ethics. For companies to succeed in the global economy, understanding and accepting diversity is a prerequisite.”
Dendrite International, Inc.
John Bailye Chairman & CEO
Diversity and International Awareness Improve Global Customer Service Operations Diversity, along with strong teamwork on local and global levels, lets Dendrite deliver superior support to customers no matter where they are located. Staffing people from different nations is key to Dendrite’s consistently highly rated support services. Who better to solve issues or answer questions on geographic-specific subjects than a customer service representative (CSR) who comes from or knows that region of the world and speaks the native tongue? When Dendrite recently migrated part of its Canadian operation into its data center and help desk in Chesapeake, Virginia, the move was seamless to the company’s Frenchspeaking Canadian customers. The help desk augmented its staff of French-speaking CSRs, relocating an employee from the Canadian office to Chesapeake. Many Dendrite offices around the globe regularly interact with each other in an effort to share knowledge and improve customer service levels. The Chesapeake data center supports global customers and has in-house servers and supports for those that reside elsewhere (at customer sites or other Dendrite locations). The center has joined an initiative already under way in Europe to create a central repository to house customer information and ensure that all of Dendrite’s global data centers can share this
information, helping Dendrite provide consistent levels of service to clients on a global basis. Maintained in Europe, the repository has been instrumental in establishing standards between offices and fostering better alliances with counterparts around the world. The shared efforts of these global data center employees have increased Dendrite’s collective knowledge and best practices as well as the capabilities of the global operations. “Through collaborative efforts, our European and Chesapeake data centers and their employees are more like one unit than separate operations,” explained Joe Growney, Dendrite’s Group Director of Data Services. “It’s a step in the right direction for truly global operations.”
Giving Back Dendrite’s philosophy of diversity encourages people to go beyond contributing to the company’s own success; it recognizes a personal and corporate responsibility to help those in need. Last year, employees in the Chesapeake data center devised a way to bridge the gap between generations,
Forbes, Fortune, Business 2.0, NJBiz and other prominent business journals have recognized Morristown, New Jersey-based Dendrite International, Inc. (NASDAQ: DRTE), a leading provider of information, software and services to the worldwide pharmaceutical industry, as an innovative and fast-growing company. A strong belief in diversity, along with teamwork and corporate philanthropy, are all part and parcel of what has made Dendrite a successful global operation. Its data center in Chesapeake, VA, is pictured at right. 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
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Diversity & Technology
Dendrite International, Inc.
and volunteered their time and expertise to provide Internet and email technology to Chesapeake General Hospital’s assisted-living facility. “When we discussed the idea, we envisioned a way for residents of the facility to keep in touch with their families and friends via email,” explained Ann Kirwan, Vice President of Technical Services. In their spare time, several help desk and data center employees built and installed a number of Internet-accessible computers. “The group raised money to purchase items needed and even held a parts drive in which people donated used computers and their parts,” said Kirwan. “You’d be amazed how many systems we were able to put together when people cleaned their home offices.” Meanwhile, Dendrite’s hardware services team in New Jersey recently lent a hand in support of the HIV/AIDS Infectious
Diseases Institute, currently under construction in Kampala, Uganda. With more than 27 million people infected with HIV, HIV/AIDS has become the number-one killer of adults in many African countries. On donated time, Dendrite technicians refurbished several hundred laptops contributed by Pfizer that will help serve as a technology backbone to training physicians from Africa in the care and prevention of HIV/AIDS. Pfizer, Inc. and the Pfizer
“... regardless of our diverse backgrounds, education, and professional experience, we have a genuine opportunity to contribute to the success of Dendrite ...” Gary Banas, Human Resources Foundation are major contributors toward the construction of the Institute, the brainchild of the Academic Alliance for AIDS Care and Prevention. “It is gratifying to know that we could work alongside Pfizer to assist in the development of this important new medical facility,” said Dendrite Group President Mark Cieplik. Other Dendrite offices have also provided services to their communities. Routinely, Dendrite’s hardware services center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, is charged with disposing of hardware deemed obsolete. In one such instance, the Bethlehem staff put the “trash” to good use. According to Ruben Christie, director of the center, employees donated their personal time and built computers out of recycled parts from some 50 “throw-away” machines. They were then donated to a local religious organization to jump-start a program that provides computer training to inner-city, at-risk teens and individuals seeking computer training in order to rejoin the mainstream workforce. “We received a heartfelt thank you from the organization that told us we went a long way in making their dream a reality,” said Christie. “And that’s a wonderful feeling, especially after a hard day’s work.” Working hard, respecting diversity, giving back—it’s the Dendrite philosophy and it feels good. PDJ For more information on Dendrite International, Inc., contact Erik Kopp at erik.kopp@dendrite.com.
Serving a Global Market: Dendrite provides a portfolio of more than 50 software applications to more than 100,000 pharmaceutical sales representatives and managers from more than 150 corporations—including the top 20 pharmaceutical companies—in more than 50 countries. The company also provides hardware and call center services (pictured at left). page 26
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Diversity & Technology
Professional Profiles
ZÜtvxyâÄ
Nav Navigation How do you inspire an international engineering team? Xerox Chief Engineer Dr. Sophie V. Vandebroek says it’s ALL in the communication.
I
t is pleasantly unusual for a dignified scientist— accomplished in the fields of electro-mechanical engineering and microelectronics—to also be recognized as a charismatic leader who has a knack for motivating people. This rare combination of skills belongs to Dr. Sophie V. Vandebroek, chief engineer of Xerox Corporation. Vandebroek, also vice president of the Xerox Engineering Center, oversees 100 engineers located in Webster, NY, and El Segundo, CA. She is also accountable for keeping a step ahead in a company with 5,000 engineers and researchers across the U.S., Europe and Canada, as well as with engineers in Xerox’s jointventure company, Fuji Xerox, in Japan. One of the most challenging aspects of Vandebroek’s job is ensuring that this sprawling mass of expertise stays connected across the continents. “I call it the human puzzle, and piecing it together is quite an intriguing process,” said Vandebroek, who is known among her colleagues as a
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high-energy leader. “It’s not all about the innovative technology. It’s about the people who create it. It’s about getting the right people with the right mindset into the right job. Then you have to figure out how to keep them all in touch with one another so that the whole is larger than the sum of the individual contributions.” Trained as an engineer, Vandebroek earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in electro-mechanical engineering and microelectronics in Belgium before going on to earn her doctorate in microelectronics at Cornell University. In 1991, Vandebroek was hired by Xerox to supervise an inkjet design group. It wasn’t long before she began climbing through a series of increasingly responsible positions, including director of the Xerox Research Centre of Canada and technical advisor to the Xerox chief operating officer. Despite her demanding profession, Vandebroek has served as a role model for other Xerox women on achieving work/life balance. Her number one piece of advice to others: Have fun in what you do. “Fun makes teamwork effective,” said Vandebroek. “Fun also helps create a diverse culture, diverse thinking, and a lower-stress environment where people feel good about working hard and therefore exceed expectations.”
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Diversity & Technology
Triumph Technologies, Inc.
Where People & Technology Triumph Retired Army Colonel Gloria Redman and her team of experts at Triumph Technologies have turned
service into a science.
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Profiles in Diversity Journal
loria Redman spent her first career fine-tuning the leadership she would need to take Triumph Technologies, Inc., the company she founded 15 years ago, to the very top. A retired Colonel with the U.S. Armed Forces, her focus has been to assemble dedicated leaders, each with the ability to inspire others in the firm’s quest for superior performance. “Repetitive top quality performance,” says Redman, “stems from selecting and retaining a dedicated staff of professionals who are focused on managing change. Because of their inherent leadership, Triumph excels in delivering customer service and quality products.” Triumph Technologies, Inc. specializes in providing program management, information technology and security operations services to government and private industry. Since its inception in 1988, Triumph has established a solid reputation for delivering world-class systems and value-added solutions—on schedule and within budget. It has also garnered a reputation as one of the government’s most trusted vendors, due, in part, to Redman’s ability to attract a senior staff with impeccable credentials. “For a company as young as Triumph, our expertise is top of the line,” says Redman. “The members of our senior staff represent many years of service in highlevel government positions. The federal
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government is our major client, and we have an innate understanding of how many agencies within our government work.” Redman has a background in military intelligence; her senior staff include security specialists from many areas, including a retired Army Lt. Colonel and a member of the Air Force One security force. Today, Triumph Technologies provides support to organizations like the U.S. Department of State’s Local Guard/ Residential Security Program. There they provide physical and protective security, as well as building defense, anti-terrorist research and threat reduction analysis. The firm also handles the facility’s records management, financial management and controls, and administrative services.“We offer them a comprehensive support package that has significantly enhanced the performance of DOS diplomatic missions,” says Redman. Triumph security professionals also provide facilities management for the Defense Information Systems Agency’s (DISA) nine locations, and records management and library services to the National Library of Medicine, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Census Bureau Headquarters Library, among others. Triumph also conducts on-site cross training and continuing education seminars to help these organizations stay abreast of the latest developments in information management.
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Diversity & Technology
Triumph Technologies, Inc.
“Like any woman in the business arena, I have found the biggest challenges to be access to capital—especially during growth spurts—and access to those clients who really can benefit from Triumph’s products and services.” challenges. Gloria D. Redman President and CEO “Just as any woman in the business arena,”says Redman,“I have found the biggest challenges to be access to capital—especially during growth spurts—and access to those clients who really can benefit from Triumph’s products and services. To overcome these challenges, we adjust our portfolio to meet market demands and focus on best business practices relying on quality services.” “Two indicators of our success are that banks now seek business with Triumph and clients continually refer the firm based on its management and leadership role.” Currently, she has a group of small firms with whom she meets quarterly to “survey the landscape” and to discuss teaming arrangements to meet potential business. Through these relationships, she helps smaller firms identify work that can benefit them, their client and Triumph. Redman enjoys mentor-protégé relationships— both official and unofficial—with many larger groups as well, including Advanced Resources Technologies. Their relationship was recognized with the prestigious NunnPerry Award, which honors outstanding Triumph Technologies CEO Gloria Redman performance of menreceives the 2003 U.S. Department of State tor-protégé teams on Associate Director’s Award of Excellence.
While Redman works to “set the industry standard” in Triumph’s three core business areas—information technology, security and program management—she sees training as Triumph’s new horizon. “While security has always been our strong suite, I believe our involvement in training will be key to our growth in the 21st century.” In addition to needs assessment, curriculum development and classroom delivery, Triumph offers interactive computer based training, web based training, and computer managed instruction. Redman and her firm have already achieved a great deal of recognition. Triumph received an Award of Excellence from the State Department in 2003. In 2000, Redman was named one of the 25 Most Influential Minority Women in Business by the Minority Business Professionals Network, and The Parren Mitchell Foundation presented her their Award for Excellence in 2002. Like other women entrepreneurs, Redman’s success has not come without its
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U.S. Department of Defense contracts. Redman has set high standards for her firm, continually raising the bar to achieve optimal results for both client and employee. “Triumph is not only a systems integrator, but also a performance-based producer of solutions. I believe Triumph will keep pace with the vigorous competition within the industry due to our diversity in services and clients and our workforce of highly talented and creative individuals,” she says. Redman earned bachelor’s degrees from Pepperdine University and the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and has completed Fellowship post graduate work at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth University. Recently, Redman was appointed Secretary to the George Mason University Diversity Advisory Board. She is affiliated with the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, serves on the NASA Minority Board Resource Advisory Committee and is past Secretary of the Retired Military Officers Association.
PDJ For more information about Triumph Technologies, Inc., visit their website at www.triumph-tech.com.
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Diversity & Technology
Cisco Systems, Inc.
THE
OUT-OF-THE-BOX APPROACH
Cisco Systems reaches a more diverse audience through its innovative internal learning processes. People learn differently. Cisco Systems, Inc. has incorporated this idea into nearly every facet of their business. In fact, it could be argued that helping people learn—from training customers in the latest product or technology, to sponsoring e-learning programs to teach Internet technology skills to students, to helping organizations create e-communities to harvest collaborative ideas and increase market insight—has made Cisco one of technology’s pacesetters. So it is no surprise that Cisco’s internal learning processes would be cutting-edge, as well. Two years ago, Cisco’s Creative Learning Studio (CLS) was formed to drive the type of innovation in learning that Cisco requires to remain on the cutting edge. The team’s charter is to expand Cisco’s leadership in the marketplace by leveraging Cisco technology to creatively deliver the information Cisco employees need to learn—including diversity, leadership, communication, work and life skills. According to Kate DCamp, senior vice president of human resources, these types of creative learning solutions are strategic to Cisco. “New approaches are required to engage this generation of Sylvia Sylvia Allen Allen learners. We will not reach a Director Director of of Philanthropy, Philanthropy, Diversity Diversity and and Ethics Ethics generation raised on video games, IM and anime with the education curriculum of the past. Creativity will be the key to getting their attention and engaging them.” 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
Profiles in Diversity Journal
“We can overcome
many learning obstacles— overbooked classes, inconvenient time or location, or even a person’s inability to discuss sensitive subjects in a group environment— through effective e-learning offerings.” What makes the Creative Learning Studio approach interesting is the array of communicating methods used to deliver their messages. Team expertise includes animation, illustration, Flash, graphics design, instructional design, film editing and production, audio engineering, 3D modeling, game architecture and project management. The group always keeps an eye towards ensuring their offerings are representative of Cisco’s diverse employee base. They experiment with different approaches to instructional design and user interface in order to accommodate different learning styles. “We avoid traditional e-learning (which is basically e-reading) because it bores the learner and results in disengagement. Instead, we engage them with humor, rich, entertaining media, and high levels of interactivity,” said Marcia Sitcoske, director of the group. “Cisco technology, including IP phones, Cisco’s Media Network and other resources, enables us to take this approach.” Recently, the team’s creative approach was honored with a Gold Award in the Custom Content category at the 7th Annual Excellence in E-Learning Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. The awards program showcases exceptional work of e-learning industry professionals for the year. The winners in this category were chosen for unique programs that are high in interactivity. •
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Cisco’s Creative Learning Studio: (front row) S. Budhraja, D. Avondet, K. Roemheld, T. Alber, M. Sitcoske; (back row) P. Naas, S. Knell, R. Dinsmore. In addition to the Brandon Hall award, the team was also recently honored with a gold and overall Best in Class award by the International Academy of Communications Arts & Sciences for their Preparing to Breastfeed program. “Cisco has long offered an instructor-led course on breastfeeding, and while we had great response for the class, we found that this method of instruction alone was limiting to many people who wanted or needed the information,” said Sitcoske. “We can overcome many common learning obstacles—for example, overbooked classes, inconvenient time or location, or even a person’s inability to discuss sensitive subjects in a group environment—through effective e-learning offerings.” Other products include “DiversiToons,” an e-comic strip on diversity issues, and an e-game to teach change management. Recognizing that people learn differently is a big part of Cisco’s commitment to diversity, says Sylvia Allen, Director of Philanthropy, Diversity and Ethics. “Cisco is on a journey of building a culture of inclusion. By partnering with the Creative Learning Studio, Cisco is poised to be able to reach employees on a number of different fronts,” she says.
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“E-learning is part of our ‘learning solution set,’ and a key driver in exploring behaviors that will foster the inclusion of diverse perspectives in the workplace.” “Cisco is a strong environment for innovation due to the technical infrastructure we have and our tech savvy employees,” said Sitcoske. “They are open to change and love to learn. Combined with the strong executive support we’ve gotten, we hope to continue contributing to changing the way we work, live, play and learn for a while to come.” PDJ
For more information about the Creative Learning Studio’s approach to learning, contact Marcia Sitcoske, Director, at creative-learning-studio@cisco.com.
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Diversity & Technology
IBM
CROSSING THE
DIGITAL DIVIDE
IBM and Career Communications host events to spotlight technology in the Black community. hey come with questions. And if IBM and Career Communications Group can help it, they will all—young and old—leave with answers. Co-sponsors of Black Family Technology Awareness Week (BFTAW), these organizations are hosting events in cities across the U.S. in a campaign aimed at helping Black families who aren’t taking full advantage of today’s technologies—technologies that can, the sponsors say, significantly improve their quality of life. The campaign’s goal is to eliminate the Digital Divide for those families by informing them about the importance of having a personal computer and Internet access at home and by explaining how they can—and why they should— make that a reality in their lives. So what can eliminating the Digital Divide do to make a difference? Obviously, it can’t solve all of the issues being faced by
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Black families in the lower earnings quartile, say organizers of the event, but if a technology groundswell can be established, it could make a major difference in the futures of many families.
Raising Awareness Black Family Technology Awareness Week was created in the belief that success in the 21st century is about leveraging technology in school, at work, at home, in communications, and in almost every area of our lives. The competency gap in many important areas of life is growing between those with access and the skills to use a personal computer and the Internet and those who don’t understand its vital importance and how to take the needed steps to realize the advantages it offers. By providing this opportunity in communities across America, the organization hopes to
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have helped them take a much needed and challenging step. The campaign theme, “Let excellence become your way of life—in your family, your education and your career,” highlights promoting the value of technology in the Black community and its importance in educating and preparing Black youth for future careers. “This is the fifth year that IBM has cosponsored Black Family Technology Awareness Week,” says Al Zollar, general manager, eServer iSeries, IBM Systems Group, and a BFTAW co-chairperson. “Our commitment continues because the need to educate Blacks and raise awareness to the importance of technology remains a key issue.” Recent studies show that 61 percent of Black Americans1 who do not use the Internet would be open to getting online if 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
Dr. Sandra Johnson, one of four national chairpersons for Black Family Technology Awareness Week, fields questions from children at last year’s Technology Symposium, where she was joined by Captain Winston Scott (behind her), a former NASA astronaut and current Associate Dean of the College of Engineering, Florida State University, and other high profile Black professionals who excel in their respective fields. the opportunity presented itself. During BFTAW 2004, hands-on technology demonstrations, online college expos, cyber cafes, computer classes and workshops on navigating and building Web sites will take place coast to coast, providing Black families with numerous opportunities to not only access Internet information related to everyday life, but also recognize the potential technology has to positively impact jobs and education. Dr. Sandra K. Johnson, who is herself an IBM Master Inventor, senior technical staff member, Linux Performance Architect, and one of the national co-chairs of the event, says there are many in the African-American community who do not fully understand how using technology—and participating in the technology development process—can improve their overall quality of life. “They may not fully understand that not embracing technology could severely impact their ability to get things done, to have a good job, to adequately provide for the future of their children, etc.,” she says. “Black Family Technology Awareness Week is important for many reasons,” says Johnson, who has been involved with the initiative since its inception five years ago. “There were a couple of young ladies I met at a community center in Chicago during the BFTAW campaign two years ago,” she says. “One was very reserved and focused. The other was very outgoing. They were both vying for my attention, almost to the point of shouting at each other. I quickly stepped in and spent time with them, individually and collectively.” Could she have been talking to a future IBM Master Inventor? “The reserved one really reminded me of myself at her age (13),” she says. “Although 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
Diversity & Technology she came across as meek, she stood her ground and was highly intelligent.” Along with Zollar and Johnson, two other senior Black IBM executives serve as national chairpersons of the event. Rodney Adkins, vice president of development, IBM Systems Group, and Philip S. Thompson, vice president, sales and marketing, will join Zollar and Johnson in crisscrossing the country to attend events and address some of the issues critical to persuading Blacks to participate more fully in the Digital Age.
IBM
for major hiphop and other recording artists as well as for feature-length films. The filmmakers will share with the students the role technology has played in creating greater opportunities for Blacks and members of other under-represented groups to work in the industry and gain access to the medium to tell a wide range of stories.
Exciting Events Honor Technology’s Brightest Stars This year, three highly respected Black filmmakers will also join the BFTAW campaign by hosting an interactive symposium with hundreds of students at New York City’s Martin Luther King, Jr. High School of Arts and Technology. They include: •Haile Gerima, internationally renowned filmmaker, director of the critically acclaimed film “Sankofa,” and senior professor of film at Howard University •Tewodross Melchishua, award-winning animator, designer and producer; founder and president, Soulsuite Studios; and a lecturer in the Department of Art Electronic Studio, Howard University, and •Alan Ferguson, a leading cinematographer, still photographer and director of videos
For children 3-17 years old, 24.7 percent of Black children had Internet access at home while 50.2 percent of White non-Hispanic children had Internet access at home.1
Dr. Sandra Johnson IBM Master Inventor Linux Performance Architect A gala tribute honoring the 50 Top Blacks in Technology will also take place in Baltimore on Friday, February 20th, during Black Family Technology Empowerment Weekend, the culmination of the campaign. “On a daily basis, technology is helping our society to consider new and more effective ways of carrying out tasks that are central to our lives,” says Zollar. “The opportunities to make a difference are endless. That’s why it is critical to get everyone involved.” “Our job isn’t done,” said Tyrone Taborn, chairman, Career Communications Group and founder of Black Family Technology Awareness Week. “Blacks still see a delta 1
Pew-Funded Study, “The Ever-Shifting Internet Population: A New Look at Internet”
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Diversity & Technology
Ford Motor Company y colleague Carron Odokara is among a core group of volunteers who helped organize a job shadowing program within Ford Motor Company’s Information Technology organization five years ago. She didn’t anticipate that one day she would be a participant. Yet late last year, it was her turn to “shadow” a more senior level employee, and to get a unique perspective on the program she helped launch. She told me that being a shadow gave her an opportunity to see other parts of the business, beyond her department and daily job responsibilities. It also gave her a better sense of how our organization operates, a closer look at the priorities and focus of upper management, and an honest look at the worklife balance issues that often come with those positions. It gave her a new and different perspective about her work, our company and our colleagues—which is exactly what the program was designed to do. Job shadowing is one of several programs initiated by our IT Diversity Action Team (DAT) since 1998. Along with me, Carron is one of the founding members. The year 2003 proved to be a very successful one for our team. We initiated or continued several distinctive diversity activities and events. From my perspective, it’s exciting to see how we’ve developed as a successful and high performing team over the years. We aren’t HR professionals, though we work in partnership with our Human Resources department. Each week, we devote time and energy—beyond the scope of our regular jobs—to make certain that the diversity message is heard throughout IT. To all of us at Ford, that means doing what we can to create an inclusive culture that celebrates all the things that make us unique individuals—our race, gender, age, ethnicity and religion, of course, but also our perspectives and our life experiences. Our goals on the Diversity Action Team focus on those fundamental values. We take seriously our mission to promote diversity, and to build a strong IT team that honors all the differences our 4,000-plus North American employees and managers bring to work each day. In our opinion, there is no better way to do this than to encourage an open dialogue—not only between employees and senior level managers, but between departments. We believe that sharing and appreciating other perspectives are critical to our diversity mission. So far, we’ve received great feedback. We were honored late last year by Ford at the company’s fourth annual global Diversity and Worklife Summit. We have earned awards within IT, most recently for charting and illustrating 100
M
by R. Tyrone Kelsey
KEY FORD’S IT DIVISION FINDS THAT
To Our SHARING PERSPECTIVES DRIVES
SUCCESS SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS PRACTICES
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Diversity & Technology years of the diversity legacy at Ford Motor Company as part of our centennial celebration last summer. On a more casual level, members of the DAT get positive comments every day from colleagues. I know that I get stopped in the hall on a regular basis, and I am always encouraged to hear what people think about our efforts. I believe we are making a difference in diversity and worklife within IT. Here are two of our major projects:
Ford Motor Company
Back Row: John Dennis, Carron Odokara (ITDAT Consultant), Gary Heitman, Gayle Treece, Pius Oleh, Marie Habel, Randy Wilson, Greg Clark (ITDAT Consultant), Tom King. Middle Row: Darren Shelcusky, Smita Desai, Madhuri Raju, Lisa Xu, Rizwan Latif, Emily Wachsberger, Sara Stricker, Bipin Patel (ITDAT Sponsor), Malini Thammareddy, Wanda Hayes, Tess Miller (ITDAT Coordinator). Front Row: Tyrone Kelsey (ITDAT Chair/Team Leader), Gwen Moore, Deshana Dottrey, Rupa Kramadhati, Michelle Garvey (ITDAT Champion).
Job shadowing Job shadowing was one of the first programs started by the DAT, and it’s been one of the most popular and effective. In this program, less experienced and entry
together a manager and employee who see the world the same way—we want to challenge each of them, and help them learn and grow through the experience. We have a process in place to ensure that it is satisfying for both participants. Our surveys demonstrate that the program has been a great experience for nearly all of our employees and managers. Additionally, the employee must complete a summary of the experience and share his or her suggestions on how the manager can improve his or her organization. Our managers tell us that they have appreciated the feedback.
Team building
R. Tyrone Kelsey Site Management Line-of-Business/Project Manager Chair, IT Diversity Action Team
level management employees shadow upper management for one week. The goal is to foster a frank exchange about what life is like in upper management, as well as in the lower ranks. We do three sessions a year, involving a total of 20 employees and managers for each session. Candidates are selected by a personnel development committee, and matches are made to encourage the sharing of diverse perspectives. We don’t necessarily want to bring 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
Building relationships is at the foundation of the business pyramid that drives all our efforts at Ford. And building high performing teams helps us leverage the diversity within our company. That’s why we have focused so intensely on team-building within IT. Again, this encourages the sharing of diverse perspectives. Our DAT has created a number of prestructured lesson plans—we call them “chats”—that are used by managers to facilitate face-to-face discussions about diversity within IT departments. These “chats” are about 15 minutes in length, and are voluntary. Recent topics have included: the value of teamwork and valuing diverse teams; Profiles in Diversity Journal
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becoming a highly effective team; assumptions and stereotypes; communication and active listening; telling the truth and courage; working as a team for corporate good; honest and open debate of issues; and trust and respect of all opinions. We developed these “chats” because many of our managers and supervisors told us that they wanted new ways to make their teams stronger. The beauty of this program is that it does much of the work for them. And it’s a consistent way for us to reinforce messages throughout our IT organization. These are just two of our major programs, as the DAT is active throughout the organization in other ways. We recently held a town hall meeting on diversity and updated key company leaders on our progress. We are active in events like “Take your Child to Work Day” and host a number of “lunch and learn” brown bags on diversity and other issues. We have supported a number of local charities and have hosted Total Health seminars for employees. Working together—sharing our differences and sharing our perspectives— is key to all we do. Within IT, we are contributing each day to the overall diversity effort at Ford. R. Tyrone Kelsey works as the Site Management Line-of-Business/Project Manager, and is Chair of the IT Diversity Action Team. For more information on diversity at Ford, contact Rosalind Cox, Manager, Diversity and Worklife Planning, at rcox4@ford.com. PDJ
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The Business Toolbox MicroInequities: The Power of Small
The DNA of Culture Change New Seminars Bring Powerful Communication Skills to Professionals Across the U.S.
Profiles in Diversity Journal and Insight Education Systems team up to present
MicroInequities: The Power of Small
“After watching Stephen’s seminar I realized this is the
missing link for diversity.” Joyce Tucker VP Global Diversity, Compliance & Policy Administration Boeing Corporation page 40
Chasing that elusive goal of “workplace inclusion” continues to be an everamorphous pursuit. Many employees for whom so many inclusionary efforts are designed talk about experiencing an ever-increasing volume of programs and activities but perceive only minimal real behavioral change in their work environment. Corporate diversity teams are vibrant with an impressive array of “stuff,” yet employees say, “I see all the activity but it just doesn’t feel different for me.” For years, organizations have flooded their environments with a broad array of initiatives, yet it’s hard to find a company that doesn’t find itself repeating the mantra “We’re just not there yet.” So, what’s really keeping them from getting there? The answer may well be the need to address the underlying, subtle behaviors that reveal our true opinions. Not what we say (the words), but rather what we genuinely believe (micro-messages). Diversity initiatives have focused primarily on a set of idealistic goals. Little has been done, however, to really identify the underlying specific knowledge and skills needed to reach those goals. Mastering the ability to identify micro-messages and
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developing the skill to send them constructively may truly be the new paradigm that will shift the whole diversity game into turbo boost. For decades, diversity initiatives have concentrated on the most prevalent behaviors that cause workplace exclusion. These tend to be the things we can most readily see or define. Far more pervasive are the virtually invisible behaviors that are, in orders of magnitude, more damaging. Organizations have done a great job at controlling the big, easily seen offensive behaviors but have been somewhat blind to what is rarely observed. Organizations have done great work at controlling the few elephants, while being overrun by a phalanx of ants. Listening with your arms folded, losing eye contact with the person you’re speaking with, or even how you move your lips to shape a smile—in any given conversation, we may send hundreds of messages, often without even saying a word. Just as television or radio waves surround us yet we never see them, these micro-messages are just as pervasive and nearly as difficult to discern. Positive micro-messages (MicroAdvantages) can spark creativity, 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
leadership and exceptional performance. Negative micro-messages (MicroInequities) often cause employees to withdraw, complain, or question their own abilities, resulting in lackluster peformance and, as a result, little movement upward. They have been referred to as the “invisible force” that drives the high turnover of women and people of color that so many corporations struggle to analyze and explain. Clearly, there’s a compelling business case for managing effective micro-messages. In his program MicroInequities: The Power of Small, Stephen Young seeks to effect major changes in the cultural landscape of an organization by addressing the small, yet powerful, biases communicated in the workforce. MicroInequities: The Power of Small has been delivered to thousands of people globally. Reactions from the organizations who have attended this program have been overwhelmingly positive. Many say that The Power of Small has revolutionized the way they think about and interact with others. “I was first introduced to the concept of MicroInequities by a Wall Street colleague in the mid 1990s,” says Young. “We both were experiencing routine, subtle discrimination from our manager but just couldn’t put our finger on exactly why we felt the way we did. At one point she whispered, ‘Will these micro-inequities ever stop?’ We discussed how the term so perfectly described our experiences. She told me about Professor Mary Rowe from MIT, who conceived the term and authored the original scholarly writing on the topic. The wisdom of Professor Rowe’s work was the basis for the development of a workplace program to help others respond to these issues.” With the launch of Insight Education, the program has undergone an impressive overhaul, generating widespread endorsement from a broad array of senior leaders. Now, through an arrangement with Profiles in Diversity Journal, professionals in all walks of life can learn to manage effective micro-messages when MicroInequities: 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
In his program MicroInequities: The Power of Small, Stephen Young seeks to effect major changes in the cultural landscape of an organization by addressing the small, yet powerful, biases communicated in the workforce.
The Power of Small is presented in cities "Steve Young is one of the across the U.S. most effective corporate “These powerful half-day sessions will workforce diversity executives provide leaders with the tools to hot-wire in the field today. He is their communications,” says publisher good at focusing on the blend James Rector. “Understanding the impact of workforce and marketplace of micro-inequities is a significant part of issues; his work successfully building and sustaining a demonstrates this reality." Ted Childs strong and diverse workforce.” Vice President, Global Workforce Diversity “Micro-messages are rooted in the IBM foundation of human communication, which has less to do with the mechanics of “Young provides useful speech and more to do with the complex and profound insights ways that people communicate,” says Young. as to how subtle communication patterns Beyond Diversity Management, can significantly impact the Key to Effective Leadership business performance Although this program falls within the and employee morale.” Raymond V. Gilmartin realm of diversity management, it aligns Chairman, President and closely with the foundation of leadership. Chief Executive Officer Participating leaders see the impact of their Merck actions—conscious and unconscious— “Managers and employees alike that motivate or de-motivate people. will become more aware Gaining control of micro-messages of their own and others’ becomes a leadership imperative if we are methods of relating, and going to create environments that will will be more aware of attract and retain talent. For example, at the implications of Unilever, CEO John Rice saw The Power of their words Small program as an opportunity to bring and actions.” this point home in his organization. Rosalind Hudnell “Steve’s program is unique in that it takes Director of Diversity diversity down to how we treat each other Intel Profiles in Diversity Journal
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MicroInequities: The Power of Small
Interactive Workshop Agenda • Overview -MicroInequities defined. -Recent research. -Critical skills that you will take back to the workplace. • Workplace Scenarios -The pervasiveness of MicroInequities. -How MicroInequities erode workforce effectiveness and productivity. -MicroAdvantages. • Awareness-building Exercises -“Catch Me If You Can”—a unique exercise that turns the tables on the facilitator by analyzing and catching the MicroInequities he exhibits in his interaction with participants. • Self-Assessment -Participants learn to identify where, when and how they engage in micro-messaging—particularly in the workplace. • Video Scenarios • Skills for Driving Change -Provides the tools you need to change your own behavior and influence the behavior of others.
“Stephen’s approach with MicroInequities exactly describes the core challenges of inclusion that face us all. Basically, Steve has really nailed the central diversity issues facing organizations today.” Sheila Wellington Former President, Catalyst Clinical Professor of Management, Stern School of Business at NIGH
“At Raytheon, we seek to expand our diversity awareness and learn from the experiences of people outside our industry. Steve Young is one of those people.” William H. Swanson Chairman and CEO Raytheon Company
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day-to-day, how important this is, and how important it is in relation to team performance and business results.” Rice’s assessment of the need for this type of program is not unique. According to Merck Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Raymond V. Gilmartin, “The MicroInequities program provided useful and profound insights as to how subtle communication patterns can significantly impact business performance and employee morale. The program was effective—the examples provided not only made the learning enjoyable, but increased the probability that participants will put the training principles into practice.” Says Pat Coll, CEO of Fleet Bank Credit Card, “Steve engages his audience with relevant examples and hits a chord with them. I’ve listened to his approach twice myself and personally recommend him highly.”
Immediate Results One of the most striking features of the MicroInequities program is how quickly behavior change occurs. It’s virtually impossible to leave the session and not immediately start seeing every interaction differently. It’s not at all usual for
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participants to return to their offices and instantly observe messages they never noticed before and, more importantly, engage and challenge those sending the micro-messages in a well-crafted, comfortable and constructive fashion. Typically, we send between 2,000 and 4,000 positive and negative micromessages to our colleagues every day. These messages have a powerful influence on driving the performance of all those with whom we interact. Certainly, everyone knows that subtle messages exist, but most of us go through the day oblivious to the overwhelming majority of these. This program provides the skill to detect them, analyze their meaning and craft an effective strategy to transform the workplace experience. How does an organization’s investment in this program pay off? Phyliss Piano, VP, Corporate Affairs at Raytheon, believes that the improvement in the yearly opinion survey related to increasing understanding of commitment towards diversity is a direct result of the 8,000 employees at Raytheon who attended the program. Merck has undertaken a longitudinal study, and will measure every six months how employees are applying the learning and minimizing MicroInequities. Deborah Daggit, Executive Director, Diversity and Workplace Environment at Merck, says, based on what she has seen and heard to date, she can already report the positive results her CEO had anticipated. Likewise, Coll commented that many of the managers, directors and EVPs “resolved to adopt the interpersonal practices right away, and our employee feedback suggests some of them have.” “Our company—any successful company—must be able to retain the best talent and recruit from the greatest pool of talent if we are to compete and win,” says William H. Swanson, Chairman and CEO of Raytheon Company. “Innovation today is more likely to be the product of teamwork fueled by diverse perspectives than individual achievement pursued in 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
“Part of what divides The Business Toolbox MicroInequities: The Power of Small corporate America isolation. Sharing the theories on ‘microinequities’ at Raytheon has helped us to create an environment where all people can contribute at their highest levels.”
Easy To Relate To One of the many things that make this program different from other diversity and leadership programs is that the program quickly gets at inclusive or exclusive behaviors in the workplace that every person can relate to, and has experienced. “It is something we’ve always intuitively felt but, until now, we’ve never had the language around it. We can now understand the impact this has on individual and organizational performance,” says Danny Best, Director of Corporate Diversity at Fleet Bank. “The concepts contain levity and are not heavy—people can comfortably open the door to talk about micro-inequities and comfortably receive feedback when it occurs,” says Daggit. Participants of the program instantly become aware of the subconscious messages they send that can value or devalue the performance and selfesteem of others, and go back and do something about it. Apryll Adams, Compliance Analyst at Fleet Bank, changed her own behavior immediately after the program. “There I was talking with someone and found myself drifting off. I immediately caught myself and brought the micro-inequity out
on the table and talked about how this behavior was sending a message that ‘you are not important.’ I have since stopped doing this behavior, and find that communication has opened up for me.” According to Michel Landel, CEO of Sodexho North America, when his senior managers and executives saw the presentation, “I think all of us were struck by the concept of micro-inequities and how they can impact how we work together and interact with our colleagues. We were presented with focused strategies for helping our managers become more effective in managing our increasingly diverse employee base.” What also makes this program different from others is its practical aspect. Many participants believe this three-hour program had as much or even more impact than the longer diversity programs they currently offer in their organizations. According to Kay Hoogland, Diversity Manager at Motorola, “This program is so powerful and engaging that it will and is selling itself.” Says Deborah Daggit of Merck, “The enthusiasm and buy-in for the program is coming from the senior levels and grassroots of our organization because they can really see the impact of microinequities towards self-esteem and performance. These two groups, in particular, are often the hardest to engage in these PDJ types of programs.”
from achieving its greatest growth potential is based upon our own
cultural blinders. We miss the potential to truly expand our marketplace by not understanding how our differences can help us grow to greater profitability. Hopefully, initiatives such as Steve’s MicroInequities program will help us not only bridge this growth gap but take diversity planning to an entirely new level.” Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. President & Founder Rainbow/PUSH Wall Street Project
Profiles in Diversity Journal and Insight Education Systems present
MicroInequities: The Power of Small Seminars Are Coming To Your Area Soon! Join Us At Our First In
Cleveland, Ohio • June 22, 2004 Windows on the River For reservations and information, call 1-800-573-2867 To request that a seminar be held in your area, call Profiles in Diversity Journal at 1-800-573-2867 or e-mail profiles@diversityjournal.com. 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
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WOMEN OF “… you can never be a good enough listener …” Stephanie K. Wernet Vice President, Information Technology & Chief Information Officer The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company Stephanie Wernet, Goodyear’s chief information officer, wastes no words about her importance to the company’s Information Technology capabilities. “The front-line associates have clout, not I.” No sense of self-importance here, but Wernet is earning high marks for her ability to keep Goodyear on top of rapidly changing technology. Her ability to see ability in others is her strength. “They are the thought experts with the experience to make the right decisions for Goodyear. All I can do is ensure that their best ideas are heard, circulated and acted upon. It requires that I be a very good listener, a skill which I need to keep developing, because you can never be a good enough listener in a large corporation,” she insists. Wernet is on a fast track since joining Goodyear in 2001 as director of e-business for the company’s North American Tire unit. She was named director of customer service in January 2003 and CIO in August. She is listening, but when she speaks, people page 44
listen. Just don’t expect a long dissertation. “I prefer the direct approach; open, honest, blunt conversation. It helps ensure clear communication, and it’s definitely quicker.” Enough said. It’s back to Wernet, the listener. And that’s where she focuses on diversity. She calls it the diversity of thought. “Diversity of thought in an organization ensures creativity, innovation, growth and successful adaptation to the changing business environment. Without thought diversity, an organization will die. It is the quality of business thinking. The most successful business solutions are generated and implemented by broadly diverse teams.” Wernet’s own diversity of thought resulted from a diverse career and educational background. The Romeo, MI, native received a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University. Wernet was involved in e-commerce at Reynolds & Reynolds in Dayton, OH; more recently, she was vice president of EyeVelocity, Inc. in Portland, OR,
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which developed visual personalization technology for point-of-purchase and Internet applications. Wernet uses this diversity of thought outside of Goodyear as well. She’s a member of the University of Michigan’s Engineering Class of 1931 scholarship committee. “The story of the Class of ’.31 is an amazing one. The class graduated into the unemployment of the Depression and still became a class of successful engineers, business people and community leaders. “I enjoy this role, because I get to meet some of the best and brightest engineering students each year as they interview for the scholarship.” It’s a lesson in listening. PDJ
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INITIATIVE Antoinette McCorvey
Vice President, Corporate Financial Planning and Analysis Eastman Kodak Company
“… the key to anyone’s success lies in their support system …” When a precocious Antoinette McCorvey worked as her father’s bookkeeper at their hometown credit union, she had no idea that her part-time accounting stint would be the start of something big. Today, McCorvey is Vice President, Corporate Financial Planning and Analysis for Eastman Kodak Company, where she serves as the company’s financial analyst and works closely with Kodak’s executive leadership team, including the CEO, CFO, and COO. Previously, McCorvey was Vice President and Director of Finance for Kodak’s Global Manufacturing Division. In this position, she oversaw more than $4 billion in business and a 250-member staff. Although her days growing up in the sleepy farming community of Marianna, Florida are long behind her, McCorvey is quick to praise her small-town upbringing for developing the work ethic she needed to become one of Kodak’s most valued leaders. “The key to anyone’s success lies in his or her support systems,” says McCorvey, also a wife and mother of two teenage boys. “I’ve had the benefit of having caring parents, teachers, and mentors who instilled in me solid family values, a strong work ethic, and the confidence to believe in my abilities. With a foundation like that, it’s pretty hard to fail.” A veteran to the challenges of being an African-American female corporate executive, McCorvey is dedicated to providing mentoring and counseling to other minorities who aspire to the corporate ranks. 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
Besides one-on-one mentoring, she also gives time to Kodak’s employee networks. In 1989, a group of African-American employees incorporated the first employee network at Kodak to provide a forum for exchange of ideas. Today, the company has eight networks that represent African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, gays and lesbians, veterans, people with disabilities, and women. McCorvey belongs to all of them and makes it a point to participate in at least one event for each network during the course of a year. “I feel a responsibility to look for ways to continually improve the workplace environment,” McCorvey explains. “A piece of that is expanding my understanding of all aspects of diversity so any person can feel comfortable approaching me and I can have a better idea of what motivates him or her. That’s why the diversity networks are so important to me.” Prior to joining Kodak in 1999 as a Director of Finance and Assistant Comptroller, McCorvey had a 20-year career with Monsanto/Solutia. There, she was responsible for strategic development and business growth with direct accountability for sales, marketing, and manufacturing. The business had 1,000 employees responsible for delivering $400 million in sales in five major operating units and joint ventures around the world. Away from work, McCorvey divides her time between her family and serving on advisory boards for the Association for the Profiles in Diversity Journal
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Blind and Visually Impaired, and Erdman, Anthony and Associates, Inc., a mediumsize employee-owned engineering firm headquartered in Rochester, New York. She has aspirations of one day becoming CFO of a Fortune 500 company, a goal that many who know her believe is well within her grasp. In light of her accomplishments, McCorvey keeps it all in perspective by remembering the simple lessons she learned as a youth. “The lessons I learned when I was young permeate every aspect of my life … including my roles as wife, mother, and manager. By listening to people’s concerns and responding to them fairly and honestly, I hope to inspire others to work effectively with one another and to give their very best performance possible,” she says. When asked what makes her most proud and the secret to her success, without hesitation McCorvey says: “The fact that I’m raising two young men who will be assets to society. I think they are well grounded with a good sense of what’s right and what’s wrong. “If people wonder about the secret to my success, I guess you can say I get it from my father.” PDJ
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WOMEN OF “… Sometimes OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS in unexpected ways …”
Kathy Geier Senior Vice President, Human Resources The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company Degrees in biology and psychology seem to be the perfect background for Goodyear’s leader in human resources. Consider the acceptance of diversity—of species and human behavior—embraced by both sciences. Kathy Geier’s immediate understanding and acceptance that each associate is different in their own way allow her to create an inclusive workplace that goes far beyond looking at race and gender issues. “Diversity means thinking in terms of varied backgrounds and experiences that can be educational, socioeconomic and geographic. That leaves diversity fairly openended—to maximize the contribution of every person,” Geier says. Geier’s career is rich in opportunity, because of “the willingness of Goodyear to embrace and promote a truly diverse working environment.” She joined Goodyear in 1978 as a trainee after graduating from Heidelberg College in Tiffin, OH, with Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology and Psychology. She transferred to the company’s Gadsden, AL, manufacturing plant as page 46
an industrial engineer, followed by a number of assignments where she took on a variety of roles such as plant manager and business center manager, before taking on a human resources position. “Sometimes opportunity knocks in unexpected ways. We need to be openminded enough to take advantage of it,” says Geier.“Early in my career, I had decided that I would follow a human resource track. A superior suggested that I take an operational position to broaden my perspective. I ultimately became a plant manager and, although I returned to human resources, the operational position is invaluable in the contribution I can make to the company today.” Prior to her present position, Geier was also director of human resources for Goodyear’s Eastern Europe, Africa, Middle East region, based in Brussels. It was another step in her diversity training—from both socioeconomic and geographic aspects. Now as senior vice president, human resources, she is responsible for developing
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and executing a global human resources strategy to drive the company’s competitiveness in the marketplace. Often that requires challenging the status quo. “I know that I have to champion initiatives that change any existing policies and practices that lower morale. I want an environment that encourages cooperation among associates,” says Geier. “We need to create an environment at Goodyear that values and respects people through best-inclass selection, development and motivation of associates throughout their career.” PDJ
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INITIATIVE “… a woman can have control over where her life is going …” Karen Smith-Pilkington Senior Vice President and Vice Chairman of Greater Asia Region Eastman Kodak Company In December, Eastman Kodak Company announced the appointment of Karen Smith-Pilkington, a 23-year veteran of the company, as vice chairman of the company’s Greater Asia Region, reporting to Henri Petit, the region’s chairman. Both are senior vice presidents of the company. Smith-Pilkington’s appointment became effective January 5th, at which time she relocated to Shanghai. Smith-Pilkington has seen a steady rise to the top. In August, 2003, she became second-in-command of Kodak’s combined Consumer & Professional Imaging operations, focusing primarily on the integration of those two organizations. In November 2001, she was named president of Kodak Professional, which provides imaging products, solutions and services to professional photographers and related labs. There, Smith-Pilkington drove the growth in one of Eastman Kodak’s most mature businesses by leveraging marketing capabilities, operational efficiencies and enhanced customer care. Smith-Pilkington has had global responsibilities in Consumer Imaging, Health Imaging and Kodak Professional. She has managed numerous strategic product groups that involved global profit and loss responsibility. She has built and leveraged multiple global alliances in product development, manufacturing and customer development. She also served as the 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
regional business unit general manager for Kodak Professional in Canada, increasing the company’s share in that market. One of only two female senior vice presidents within the company, SmithPilkington is passionate about helping other women at all levels of the organization find success. “Karen provides an environment among her leadership team that, while demanding from a performance point of view, is very inclusive,” says one senior executive of her work. “She creates an environment in which employees can thrive.” Smith-Pilkington has found Kodak to be the ideal place to promote women’s success. She has herself had the opportunity to lead—and grow—in a wide variety of managerial positions in Marketing and Human Resources. Outspoken and energetic, this 46-year-old mother of two actively works to influence academic institutions—their strategies, curriculum and policies—regarding the development of and opportunities for women and girls. She serves on the University Council, State University of New York, the Cornell University Presidents’ Council on Women, and on the Advisory Council, William E. Simon School of Graduate Business Administration, University of Rochester. She has also served as Chairperson of Teenage Parent Support Systems, and as Chairperson of the Women’s Foundation of Profiles in Diversity Journal
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the Genesee Valley, an organization committed to “funding social change through enabling the economic self-sufficiency of women and girls.” “I strongly believe that two keys for a solid future are a woman’s control over her economic independence and her reproductive choices,” says Smith-Pilkington. “If a woman has control over these things, then she can have control over where her life is going.” Smith-Pilkington holds a BA in Political Science (summa cum laude) from State University of New York at Geneseo; a Master of Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University; and a Master of Business Administration from the William E. Simon School of Graduate Business Administration at the University of Rochester. She was recently awarded the United Nations International Photographic Council Award, the Professional Achievement Award from State University of New York at Geneseo, and was named by the Rochester Business Journal as one of its Twenty Most Influential Women for 2003.
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Studying the Black CEO
ING Gazelle Index
SHATTERING THE
CONCRETE
CEILING Studying America’s New Black CEO: The ING Gazelle Index
Studying the Black CEO r. Thomas Boston has made it his business to study the most influential Black CEOs in America; he believes that corporate America would do well to study them, too. No, we’re not referring to the CEOs of the Fortune 500. We’re referring to a group even more influential. America’s Black entrepreneur has likely done more to improve the economic situation—and has become more of a political force in this country—than any other single group in the past twenty years. There are now more Black students in entrepreneur programs at colleges and universities across the nation than in any time in history. And education, in this instance, does have its dividends. In a study cited by BusinessWeek1, the current wave of Black entrepreneurs is “heavily weighted toward the highly-educated and well-heeled.” Twenty-six percent of Black men with some graduate school education are trying to start a business. As far as investment capital is concerned, 16 percent of Black men making over $76,000 a year are trying to start a business, as opposed to just 10 percent of Whites making that much. These characteristics, the study contends, may just give the new Black entrepreneur the advantage they need to make their business a success. The influential CEOs studied by Boston and his Atlanta-based Boston Research Group (BRG) for ING Financial Services are called Gazelles, he says, because of their speed of business growth. Boston has been studying these CEOs for years. A professor of economics at Georgia Tech, his consulting
D
group, Boston Research Group, specializes in African American-owned businesses, but also studies trends in minority-owned businesses as a whole. According to Economic Census data, there are more than 880,000 AfricanAmerican business owners in the United States, up 46 percent over a 5-year period. Majority-owned firms have grown only 24 percent during the same time frame. “One of the problems that you encounter in trying to identify what’s happening in that business sector is the absence of data and information, especially current data,” says Boston. The Census comes out once every five years, and it takes four years for them to publish the data. So I approached a number of different companies and foundations about the idea of developing this sort of ongoing base of information.” He found a willing partner in ING. “Our current and future customer base isn’t going to look like our last customer base,” says Carolyn Harris-Burney, vice president of African American Markets for ING Financial Advisers. “There are many similarities in all Americans, and there are also some cultural differences that make the whole American landscape so rich and diverse and appealing to many people in the world. At ING, we realize we need to know the similarities and the differences, because
According to Economic Census data, there are more than 880,000 African-American business owners in the United States, up 46 percent over a 5-year period. Majority-owned firms have grown only 24 percent during the same time frame. 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
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ING Gazelle Index
“Much of the motivation for these questions comes from the questions and attitudes of my students of economics at Georgia Tech. Often, I hear comments like ‘... you can’t really learn how to be a successful entrepreneur.’ ” Dr. Thomas Boston Professor of Economics, Georgia Tech President, Boston Research Group in the differences, you can make a significant impact on the market. The closer you get to any customer, the better you can develop market strategies that really hit the bulls-eye, or develop communication strategies that connect with more than just one generic face of America.” The Gazelle Index polls CEOs of not the largest, but the nation’s fastest growing African American-owned businesses. The nearly 1,500 businesses included in the survey have between 10 and 100 employees and have experienced the fastest rate of employment growth over the last five years. Each quarter 350 of these businesses are surveyed randomly. The ING Gazelle Index surveys the confidence, expectations and plans of the CEOs of these fast-track businesses, much like the Conference Board constructs its index of the top CEOs of the nation, says Boston. The differences are subtle, but important. “Generally, they move in the same direction. The Gazelle CEOs, however, tend to take larger movements; in other words, they tend to be more pessimistic about current conditions, but more optimistic about the future as compared to the CEOs of major organizations,” says Boston. “We also find that their attitudes take major jumps, much larger than their counterparts in larger corporations. 1
BusinessWeek, October 7, 2002: “The Return of the Black Entrepreneur,” Kimberly Weisul.
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Studying the Black CEO
ING Gazelle Index
terms of their market and environment—and much “In the African-American more quickly than CEOs community, limited upward of larger organizations. mobility is referred to as the “In the Conference Board ‘concrete ceiling.’ Some of our Index, the CEOs of the brightest students don’t want larger corporations are in to be limited; they want to tune, but the information fully use their education, to is being filtered up to control their own growth, so them. Their sales force they go into business gathers the information for themselves right out that, often, the CEOs of of college.” the Gazelle organizations ‘gather’ themselves. That Carolyn Harris-Burney is why the Gazelle Index Vice President respondents measure African American Markets change almost instantaING Financial Advisers neously, and why we most likely see more drastic “For example, in the fourth quarter of swings in confidence.” 2002, the Gazelle Index actually slid from According to Harris-Burney, studying the 49.9 to 44, while the Conference Board movements of these Gazelle business ownincreased from 54 to 58. Then, in the first ers is very important to all organizations quarter of 2003, as the U.S. entered into war because of the characteristics these midwith Iraq, both indexes went down. The sized organizations exhibit. Gazelle Index fell drastically, declining all “We weren’t looking for the large corpothe way down to 37.9, and the Conference rations, such as Johnson Publishing or BET, Board Index fell from 58 to 53. The Gazelles, nor were we looking for the people that in that instance, were much more pes- were starting businesses in their basements. simistic. Most of the large corporations were created “In the second quarter of that year, the by acquisitions; smaller companies are not Gazelle Index rose from 37.9 to 52.8, so they yet able to develop strategies for their busigot a big boost in optimism. The Conference ness or hire more people. We decided there Board went up as well, but didn’t go up as were more lessons to be learned from the much; it went from 53 to 60. While they group in the middle. These CEOs are free often move in the same direction, the enough from the start-up pressures to focus Gazelles tend to show a larger swing in con- on what the economy is doing and what it is fidence than the Conference Board.” going to mean for their business. They are Boston believes the difference in the indices is due in large part to the size of Gazelle CEOs and the War in Iraq the organizations. The economic confidence of Gazelle CEOs “I think we see these types of results (blue) showed sharper swings than their counterparts’ in larger businesses (gold) in because of the nature of small business. The regards to the war’s effect on the market. average employment size for a Gazelle Boston attributes this to their proximity to the organization is about 25 employees— marketplace. “In a smaller organization, the remember, we restrict our group to those CEO is really out on the front lines of the sales organizations between 10 to 100. In an force … he or she can truly gauge what’s organization of that size, the CEO is really happening in terms of their market and environment—and much more quickly out on the front lines of the sales force. He than CEOs of larger organizations.” or she can truly gauge what’s happening in page 50
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hiring in a good economy and creating innovative products. They are conservative, so they will wait until the pressures of growth demand they hire. In fact, it is this type of growth we’re now seeing—we call it pent-up demand. “The next stage in the study that will be interesting is when we can measure some long-term trends,” says Harris-Burney, “and identify whether or not the Gazelles represent a leading economic indicator. I personally think this is something we will begin to see.
The Survey: Measuring the Business Environment The survey is structured in three parts, the first part dealing with the Confidence Index. This portion of the survey is based on four questions: 1. how do they feel about the current economic environment as opposed to 6 months ago, 2. how is business activity in their company today vs. 6 months ago, 3. how optimistic are they about the future (6 months ahead vs. today), and 4. how is employment today vs. 6 months ago. The Index is structured so that the average of the responses is tracked quarterly to reflect positive and negative feelings on the current or future business environment. A score of 50 or above means that the responses are more positive than negative. This is quite similar to the way that the Conference Board constructs its index
60 58 54
53
52.8
49.9 44 37.9
3rd Qtr 2002
4th Qtr 2002
1st Qtr 2003
2nd Qtr 2003
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of the leading CEOs of major U.S. corporations, which enables Boston’s group to make a stirring contrast. The second segment of the Index asks Gazelle CEOs about current events and the effect of these events on their outlook. “For example,” says Boston, “in our last survey, we asked if they believed that the policies of the current administration had the economy on the right track. We’ve asked them whether the war in Iraq has affected their optimism, how they react to recent changes in the stock market, and questions of that nature.” The last segment of the survey gathers information about the personal attributes and factors that helped influence their decision to begin a business. Gazelle CEOs have been asked about their talents, how they deal with risk, whether entrepreneurship within their family influenced their decision to start a business, about their education and work experience, and other background information. This information is compiled, says Boston, so any factors associated with the success of these individuals might be determined. “Much of the motivation for these particular questions comes from the questions and attitudes of my students of business at Georgia Tech. Often, I hear comments like ‘Bill Gates is successful because of inborn attributes—you can’t really learn how to be a successful entrepreneur.’ So, we asked our Gazelle CEOs if they believe the factors that drive their personal success are inborn or acquired through experience or education,” says Boston. “The overwhelming majority of respondents believe these factors are acquired. From the results of the study to date, Boston’s research showed the average Gazelle to be around 45 years old, with a college degree (over two-thirds of them will have a graduate degree) and most likely male—one quarter of the business owners are women. Over half have someone in their immediate family who is a business owner. Gazelles are not big risk takers—
Gazelle CEO Sandra Dyson-Evans Health Companions, Inc. Sandra Dyson-Evans, President of Health Companions, Inc., began her venture in 1994. A licensed nurse with over 20 years of professional experience in geriatrics and home health care, she founded Health Companions in response to a need she saw among her clientele who needed an alternative to institutional care. “Ten years ago, this wasn’t a regulated industry,” she says. “As we were one of the first in our area, we learned as we went. I worked from home for about a year and a half, at which time the demand became so great that an office and support staffing was required.
Health Companions deals in private care and long-term care only, avoiding Medicare-Medicaid reimbursement scenarios, due largely to the bureaucracy
“... it was a total faith walk ...” “It was a total faith walk,” DysonEvans confesses. “I didn’t have any money or investors, but I knew the need was there, and that the business could pay for itself if it was built efficiently. I never wanted to be in a position where creditors or employees were waiting for payment. “A clean conscience makes for a very soft pillow.” Dyson-Evans now has a full staff of licensed nurses, licensed practical nurses, nursing assistants and sitter companions that service eight counties in the Atlanta area, and offer skilled care in the patient’s home or, if needed, within a facility. On any given day, Health Companions may have as many as 60 professionals placed with clients. Her nurses and staff are employees and are licensed, bonded and insured, and undergo extensive background checks before becoming a part of the Health Companions team. The company provides Workers’ Compensation, manages necessary paperwork, and ensures employees keep their skills up-to-date with in-service education.
involved. “There’s so much red tape. Politics and policies change, and we can’t continue to grow if we have to wait for government entities to ‘review’ payment or ask for reimbursement due to a change in regulations, so we avoid that market altogether.” Health Companions’ clients come from all economic groups, ethnic backgrounds and age groups. “Many families consider us a very viable alternative to institutional care because facilities are really not what they used to be,” says Dyson-Evans. “We allow clients to remain in a familiar environment—in their own homes or with loved ones. These clients become part of our family—some have been with us as long as we have been in business. And I think the reason that it is so successful is that we provide the type of care I would want for myself or my loved ones.”
continued page 52 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
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shattering the concrete ceiling 75 percent of the Gazelles surveyed say that, while they must take risks, they take very measured risks. What is it that a Black entrepreneur has to battle that a White entrepreneur would not? “The biggest thing would be the access to networks—the type of networks that are responsible for creating opportunities,” says Boston. “Of course, they all say they encounter discriminatory barriers, but the response that we get most often to that question is a lack of access to networks and an extremely limited access to credit and capital. Those factors—both key to business growth—are tied to networking.”
Studying the Nuts and Bolts of Business Success ING has begun working with Howard University and other Historically Black Colleges and Universities to introduce the Gazelle studies into the business curriculum. “Today we are seeing a new group of page 52
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highly-educated, highly-ambitious AfricanAmerican business students, says ING’s Harris-Burney. “We find many are interested in starting their own businesses when they come out of school, as opposed to being recruited by large organizations. In the African-American community, limited upward mobility is referred to as the ‘concrete ceiling.’ Some of our brightest students don’t want to be limited; they want to fully use their education, to control their own growth, so they into business for themselves right out of college. Many of them will spend time in corporate America, but with the end-game being ‘in x-number of years I will go out on my own.’ They move from big business to business owner, not out of frustration, but out of complete design. “Many business schools have been supporting these students with e n t re p re n e u r i a l - t y p e programs and curricula,” continues Harris-Burney.
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ING Gazelle Index
“Our goal is to have our information support this work. For example, last summer, ING issued a grant to Howard University business professors to support the integration of the Gazelle study in the curriculum. Today, they are working on enriching Howard’s business studies with these reallife case studies of African-American busiPDJ nesses on the rise.” ING’s U.S. Financial Services operations [www.ing.com] offer a comprehensive array of products and services, and is part of Amsterdambased ING Groep N.V., one of the largest integrated financial services organizations in the world. To review the full report, visit www.INGGazelle Index.com. Atlanta-based Boston Research Group (BRG), headed by Dr. Thomas Boston, conducted the survey on behalf of ING.
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Networking The internal and external “meeting of the minds� that stimulates growth, changes culture, strengthens communities and builds business. Hear from corporations that are making the most of shared resources and information.
Networking
Georgia Power
INFLUENCING GROWTH THROUGH DIALOGUE Georgia Power’s recent forum gave Management Council members the opportunity to share personal lessons from their own diversity journeys. Georgia Power, the largest of five electric utilities that make up the Southern Company, celebrated last fall the third anniversary of the creation of a formal Diversity Advisory Council. Employees who served on the council’s work teams convened in late September to observe the progress made by their work to develop the company’s 33 diversity initiatives. The half-day observance included a panel discussion with four of the company’s Management Council members: David Ratcliffe, president and CEO; Judy Anderson, senior vice president of Charitable Giving; Mickey Brown, senior vice president of Distribution; and Leslie Sibert, vice president of Transmission. Moderated by Frank McCloskey, vice president of Diversity and Corporate Relations, the panel was designed to give employees the opportunity to discuss the progress to date in improving the diversity culture at Georgia Power, as well as to the work at hand. The result was a candid and often provocative discussion that well illustrated the growth being made at all levels of the organization. You are invited to share in celebrating that growth through this edited transcript of the discussion. McCLOSKEY: We’ve likened our diversity commitment to a journey during the past three years. What has been your personal “aha” during the journey? BROWN: I grossly underestimated how long it would take us to get to where we needed to be and how hard it would be. I’ve personally devoted a lot of time to this issue, and it’s taken a toll on me in some ways. I do get a little defensive when, despite everything we (the Management Council) do, David is still seen as the primary driver behind the diversity initiative. I’ve personally tried to push our people to “get it” so we can move forward as a company. We still have a lot of work to do, but I also want to stop and look at the progress we’ve made … because it keeps me fired up and motivated to go to the next step. SIBERT: My background is engineering, and I’ve always been in an environment where I’ve been predominantly the only female. I hadn’t really recognized how much I had conformed to that environment until 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
the past couple of years. Now I’m being more sensitive to things that in the past I would have just accepted and gone along with because it was part of the (male-dominated) environment and the way we did business. For me, the wake-up call has been to take more responsibility and call into question some of those very subtle behaviors that we need to eliminate to make this a better place to work for everyone. ANDERSON: When we were working on the culture scan, Mitchell King (Diversity Action manager) made the statement, “We do things in a way that’s Georgia Power nice.” And I got to thinking about that. Oftentimes, we don’t tell people what they need to hear; we don’t communicate with candor; we’re not as open and honest as we should be. That’s something I’ve been working on personally. David, Mickey and Leslie can attest to the fact that I had a lot of things pent up, and I’ve been sharing them! RATCLIFFE: Five years ago, if you’d Profiles in Diversity Journal
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said “diversity” to me, I would have thought “race,” and that’s probably about as far as I would have gotten with the concept. In the past three or four years, I’ve begun to understand how complex this issue is and how much I need to learn about the various aspects of this issue. The frustration we have culturally is that we tend to like to “get it,” so to speak. Finish a project, complete a goal, and move on, and we come to diversity with the same sort of mind-set. The frustration occurs when you realize you don’t just one day “get it.” You get a little bit. The next day or the next month, you get a little more, and it begins to enlighten you. In the process of becoming enlightened, if I’m honest, I get mad about the things I didn’t know or the things I might have overlooked or haven’t dealt with in the past. So it is a journey, not a pleasant journey sometimes, but it’s the right journey. And there are lots of pleasant things about it, but there are also some real challenges as we go forward.
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McCLOSKEY: Why would you want to continue this initiative, given the difficulty of what we are trying to do? Why is this important to you and our company? ANDERSON: We really don’t have any choice. If we want to retain and attract employees, we have to get it, and we don’t have forever to do it. Look at workforce planning—at least 60 percent of our employees are eligible to retire in the next 10 years. We’re going to have a lot of new folks coming in. We’ve got to have an inclusive environment, where everybody has the opportunity to meet their potential. BROWN: There’s another side of the equation that we talk about, and it was around long before we started trying to make a business case out of diversity. It’s simply the right thing to do. That’s the kind of company we are, and I think it’s the kind of company we’ve always been. What we’ve found out is that it depends on your point of view as to whether we were the kind of company we thought we were. Some folks think we’re already way down this road; some think we’ve got a long, long way to go. I love to use two examples. I started here in 1969 and this is a fact. The only women here then were either secretaries, customer service reps or a few home economists. The only minorities were janitors and laborers on the line crews. That was thirty-four years ago. Now, anybody can make an argument that we’re not where we ought to be, but you can also make an argument that we’ve come a long, long way. And that gives me motivation to go forward. The other side of that argument gets pointed out to me frequently by my assistant, Lori Quinlan. One of the first things Lori asked me was why we have staff meetings at seven o’clock on Monday mornings. I said, “Good work ethic. We’ve always done it then. Nobody bothers you at seven o’clock on Monday morning.” She told me fairly quickly, “My two little kids would challenge you on that.”Now we’re having staff meetings at eight-thirty. (Laughter and scattered audience applause.) page 56
The panel discussion involved four David Ratcliffe, president Charitable Giving; Mickey Brown, vice president of Transmission. It vice president of
Georgia Power
David Ratcliffe AUDIENCE QUESTION: You wear a lot of different hats in a lot of different roles. How has our diversity work at Georgia Power impacted either your role Judy Anderson in the company or any of the other roles SIBERT: One of the people initiatives that you play? ANDERSON: From my perspective as we had this year in Transmission had to part of the Management Council, it’s made do with career development, giving more us listen better to each other’s opinions. guidance. It gets back to what Judy said, We take those different opinions into being more honest with people about consideration, and if we forget to do it, we their expectations as well as what their now challenge each other and remind each progression may be in the organization. other that everybody’s opinion is We have put a lot of effort into that— important. As a result, I think we’re coaching individuals, spending a lot more time assessing who should be in making better decisions. RATCLIFFE: We’re all programmed a development programs, and giving certain way as we grow up. What I’ve been feedback to those individuals on how they able to do is a better job of testing my perform. In general, there’s a lot more programming. When I run into certain focus on giving more constructive situations, I’m better able to stop and say, feedback, giving more honest feedback. ANDERSON: One thing we have to “Why do I think that way, and is that appropriate?” And if it’s not appropriate, do better is getting this message out: then I have a responsibility to change that. Development doesn’t mean upward. So So it’s helped me ask some hard questions many people will not want to take what about those preconceived notions and that they perceive as a sideways move to gain more experience. We need to make certain programming that is part of all of us. BROWN: It’s also not just with other people understand that developing is people who are different, but it’s also those learning more about the business; it’s not different ideas that we may hear in trying to necessarily going up. SIBERT: That’s a cultural change, make business decisions every day. That’s because people think if you move laterally, very good learning. AUDIENCE QUESTION: What are it’s negative; you have to go upward. It’s you doing for employees in the way of okay to move laterally. RATCLIFFE: And the demographic development and giving them more reality just simply exacerbates that problem opportunities?
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of the company’s Management Council members: and CEO; Judy Anderson, senior vice president of senior vice president of Distribution; and Leslie Sibert, was moderated by Frank McCloskey (far right), Diversity and Corporate Relations.
Georgia Power
Frank McCloskey because as we Leslie Sibert flatten another line crew that had three t h e Mickey Brown white males on it. organiAll three groups hammered zation, there are fewer opportunities to move up. me. Every one of them felt like there’s We will continue to look for opportunities nothing in this for me. The women said, “I to move people, not necessarily up but don’t hear much about what you’re going to sideways, to get more development and do for us, my group.” The white guys said, more experience and more cross-business “It’ll be 10 years before I get to be a foreman.” And the African-American guys said, understanding and knowledge. AUDIENCE QUESTION: I’ve gotten “Maybe, finally, I’ll at least get a chance to feedback from employees that some of the compete, but time will tell whether you’ll diversity initiatives we’ve implemented really do anything.” The next day, David asked me, “What have caused a sort of divisiveness among groups. I wanted to know how you all felt are you hearing out there?” And I said, “It’s about that and whether you think this a big success. We’ve made everybody mad.” divisiveness that people are feeling is a part (Laughter) I don’t think three years later of the journey to where we’re trying to we’re at that point, but I witnessed it firsthand, and there was a lot of divisiveness that get to. BROWN: I think we actually, for a came along with this. I guess it’s part of the short period of time, took a giant step journey. Sometimes, you go backwards to backwards. David and I had a conversation, get ahead. ANDERSON: If we weren’t seeing which I’ll share with you briefly. We had signs of conflict, we wouldn’t be making just completed some visits around the state after the discrimination lawsuit to tell change, because there’s always conflict folks, “This is where we are, this is what we when you have change. We just have to think we need to do and we’re going to get resolve to move through it. We have to busy on it.” One day I had an opportunity continue the journey. AUDIENCE QUESTION: What do to talk to a predominantly female group of you think is the next big learning and employees; I had an opportunity to talk to a couple of our African-American improvement in the diversity area that will journeymen on the line crew who I have have the most impact on your business? SIBERT: We’re seeing it right now, a lot of respect for; and then I visited 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
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and it’s generational issues. The current generation coming into the workplace has a very different work ethic, very different expectations. We have hired several new employees, and there’s conflict occurring among the different generations. We need some training around it, to have folks come together and talk about these differences and work through them. ANDERSON: As we become more diverse, we’re going to have more cultural differences, and we have to make sure that everybody can blend and work together. I don’t see it getting easier. The more diverse our workforce becomes, the more differences we’re going to need to embrace. McCLOSKEY: The next key phase is how do we get more white males feeling they are partners in this diversity journey. We’ll never fully benefit from what a diversity initiative is until we’ve leveraged everybody. White males must become more actually involved in our diversity journey. AUDIENCE QUESTION: What changes might the company consider to help working mothers? And do you think it’s important for the company to consider job sharing and part-time work to help new mothers? SIBERT: I will tell you it’s more than working mothers; it’s fathers, too. More fathers are participating in the development of their children and they are asking for more time as well. I think organizations are trying to deal with it on
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Networking an individual level. We’re trying to be more flexible, and I’m encouraged because at least the environment now is such that people can talk about it. In the past, people were afraid to say anything or ask for some flexibility. McCLOSKEY: Because of our limited time, I would like to ask David two final questions. The first is, what are you hearing from the random phone calls you are making to employees? And second, three years into our journey, is there anything that you would have done differently, knowing what you know today? RATCLIFFE: I have made several phone calls, and I’ve been very encouraged by what I hear. By and large, what I hear is a very positive sense from our employee group about what we are trying to do as a company. I actually talked to a couple of brand new employees, who could not have been more excited about working for Georgia Power. They have the benefit of having a perspective from other companies, which some of our 20- and 30-year employees have lost, which is very, very healthy. But even from our veteran employees, I hear they are generally feeling very good about this company and what we are doing to try to open it up and make it more inclusive and to communicate better. I won’t try to fool you though. I still hear, “We need a better pension plan” and “We need an early retirement plan so that I can get outta here.” We’ve tried to deal with that. Unless we answer that specifically for what the person wants to do, it generally doesn’t go down very well. But in general, I’ve been very, very encouraged by what I’ve heard. If I had it to do over again, I’m certain that we would do some things differently, but I’d be hard pressed to give us much criticism for where we are at this point in time. I struggle a lot with a desire to move quickly versus a desire to move substantively in this area. We haven’t been perfect, by any stretch, but given what we set out to do, which was a pretty massive effort when you look back at it, I’m very page 58
pleased with what we’ve accomplished. Going forward, we need to make certain that we validate what we’re doing on an ongoing basis so that we’re not backsliding, so to speak, in some of those areas, which is part of our program going forward, too. McCLOSKEY: David, thank you. And I really want to thank the panel for sharing. Two real quick points before I ask David to close. First of all, the “I” in diversity. Please understand and help those that you work with, that this is not a new program. The “I” in diversity is an additive to what we’ve been doing. It builds upon the foundation, and it helps to move what we’re doing to that point of sustainability.
“There is now more passion in the senior leadership of this company than ever around diversity, and there’s a great deal more personal ownership than we’ve ever had.” David Ratcliffe President & CEO The second point is around sustainability. If there’s one message we can all take out of this room today, it’s this: Nobody is declaring victory. Yes, we’ve done an awful lot. We should be very proud of that; we should celebrate it. But we also understand there’s an awful lot still to do, and we are committed to doing it. RATCLIFFE: I love it when Frank asks me to close a meeting after he’s already closed it. (Laughter) More than anything else today, I hope you get a very strong sense from us that this is not about me. There is a great deal more passion in the senior leadership of this company than ever around this issue, and there’s a great deal more personal ownership than we’ve ever had. These folks have worked hard and
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Georgia Power
deserve your support and your sponsorship, and you need to begin to help to change that notion that I’m the only one who cares about this. Because I can tell you firsthand, these people are pretty passionate, and they don’t mind working hard, and they’re making significant progress and real change in this company. Now, we’re not perfect. None of us are. And we’ll keep working on being better than we are. But you should be extremely proud of what this company has done in the last three and a half years. We would not have been able to do it had it not been for your input. You were willing to invest and to take the risk to be candid with us so that we could get better, and I very much appreciate that. You should feel a real part of this success. Keep giving us the feedback. We want to know what’s not working, what’s broken, what we need to focus on going forward. We’re going to continue to focus on getting better. I said earlier the thing I’m excited about is that I really sense there is a genuine belief throughout the company that inclusiveness gives us better decisions and makes the business process more fun. If we can fan that flame of enthusiasm, then this thing will take a life of its own, and it’ll be something that you, as employees, and your peers, as employees, simply refuse to turn loose of and refuse to go backwards. That’s where we’re trying to get to —enthusiasm and ownership at a personal level that says, “We’re not going to do it that way anymore. We’re going to move forward with this, not backwards. We’ve worked too hard.” I think we’re right on the very edge of that, on the verge of that critical mass. We’ve got to keep working at it and dealing with the people who are not willing to go with us. At the end, let me say thank you again. I’m excited about what you’ve done and where we are and where we’re headed. For more information about the diversity initiatives at Georgia Power, contact Jim Barber, Account Executive for Diversity Communications, PDJ at wjbarber@southernco.com.
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Networking
Ernst & Young LLP
M A N A G I N G
RELATIONSHIP ASSETS E &Y RNST OUNG PROMOTES A TWO PRONGED APPROACH TO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THROUGH NETWORKING.
by Leslie Jones, Americas Director of Diversity Strategy and Development and Wendy Hirschberg, Americas Gender Leader, Center for the New Workforce
N
etworking is essential for individuals to make the connections they need to be successful. At Ernst & Young, networking plays an important part in our people’s personal and professional development and contributes to the overall success of the firm. A large percentage of a company’s intellectual capital is in the form of relationship assets. People are one of the key drivers of our firm’s business strategy—people, quality and growth. By putting our people first, we strengthen our commitment to quality work, which is central to everything we do. This makes good business sense. It allows us to recruit and retain the best people to do their best work, which translates directly into value for our clients.
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Networking = Development = Success While it is important to network at all levels, not everyone is afforded sufficient opportunities to partake in these relationship-building activities. It is often through networking that traditionally underrepresented groups in business have gained the necessary access to peer groups and leadership. These groups have to build their networks before they need them. Maintaining an inclusive culture is integral to any company’s success because differences among people provide a vast pool of fresh ideas. To ensure that women and minorities have equal access to quality networking opportunities at the firm, we take a different approach that extends beyond cocktail parties and golf games. We cater to the interests of our diverse groups, incorporating forums, panels or workshops to enhance the social aspect of networking
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so that all of our people have access to, and take advantage of, opportunities to interact with peers and leadership.
Building Networks We promote a two-pronged approach to professional development through networking by building internally- and externally-focused opportunities for our people. Internally, we conduct conferences that encourage networking, which often include a skill-building component. Externally, we promote the development of intercompany networks. These efforts act in concert with our learning and mentoring programs to create an open learning environment for all levels. Our leadership knows it is essential for them to be actively engaged and involved in networking to send a clear message that networking for our diverse groups is an important matter to the firm—and one 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
Networking
Ernst & Young LLP
The Gender Equity Task Force Ernst & Young’s Gender Equity Task Force convenes each quarter to discuss initiatives across all Americas units. In this recent GETF workshop, members—including E&Y Chairman Jim Turley— review past initiatives and identify new, progressive ideas addressing women's initiatives in the Metro NY Area.
that’s tied to our business strategy. Senior leaders are instrumental in the planning, organization and execution of many of our networking events, from providing the framework and synthesis of the activities, to speaking at the programs to offer their experience and expertise. We host high-level networking events for our minority and female executives because while businesses in all industries continue to make progress in promoting diversity, it can still be challenging for women and minorities to find and maintain relationships with others in similar circumstances. Our annual
personal development, and recognize individual contributions by men and women who are gender equity champions. Our firm supports national and local organizations that promote the interests of inclusiveness: the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA), National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) and the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA). These relationships provide opportunities for our people to network with peers of similar ethnic backgrounds in the industry and enable us to maintain a strong presence at their annual conferences. Additionally, our women’s networks have been successful in connecting with not-for-profit and research-based organizations, and women’s networks at other companies, to share the common goal of promoting women.
Leslie Jones Americas Director of Diversity Strategy and Development Minority Leadership Conference supports Ernst & Young’s minority partners, principals, and directors and provides a unique opportunity to network with peers and senior leaders. The Ernst & Young Women’s Leadership Conference brings together top women executives with senior leadership and select male partners. Attendees, speakers and top firm executives tackle emerging business issues, plan opportunities for further professional and 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
Developing Our People
At Ernst & Young, we encourage our people to participate as presenters, session panelists and facilitators at external conferences. We also engage external speakers for our own events and meetings, to provide attendees with outside insights on managing their careers. A recent daylong skill-building and networking event, launched by our Pacific Northwest Diversity Council, included an interactive presentation on “How to Maximize the Value of Public Events and Work a Room,” given by Donna Bedford of The Bedford Group. Participants learned ways to improve their networking skills and were able to put their new knowledge into practice during the social event that immediately followed. Ernst & Young internal events, such as forums, panels and receptions, enable professionals and leaders to discuss diversity activities and trends in the industry in order to enhance knowledge and development of their career path. Participants are encouraged to meet and network with each other to continue to broaden their network. Issues on My Mind™, a signature relationship development program in New York, provides our women partners with the opportunity to establish and deepen relationships with “C-Level” women business Wendy Hirschberg executives in the geographic area, Americas Gender Leader, while discussing “hot topics” in Center for the New Workforce business, politics and the community.
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Networking
Ernst & Young LLP
Teaching the Benefits of Networking “Take the Work Out of Networking,” an internal event for Senior Managers, Managers, Associate Directors and Assistant Directors, is focused on the benefits of networking as well as tips on how to develop an effective networking style. This program deepens client relationships and builds our women executives’ external networks, their confidence and, ultimately, our business. Ernst & Young organized Professional Women’s Networks (PWNs), actionoriented groups designed to enhance women’s affiliation to the firm and to foster knowledge exchange. PWNs began in 1996, inspired by the firm’s Women’s Leadership Conference. At that time, the women partners were encouraged to go back to their areas and form their own networks, inspiring others to do the same. The ripple effect has translated into an extensive program. Our Women’s Forums, designed to help women overcome barriers to advancement and give them additional exposure to women in leadership
Networking is an important development tool and is one of the most tangible expressions of the firm’s support for its employees and commitment to inclusiveness. page 62
positions, are held locally around the firm to address topics of emerging concern for women at all levels and encourage dialogue among women in a particular location. As of August 2003, 72 locations from across the firm are participating in 41 Professional Women’s Networks. This success is also replicated with our Women’s Forums—more than 60 forums were held during fiscal year 2002.
Measuring Success The success of our networking programs can be measured on a variety of levels. On the employee level, the feedback we receive from participants in our programs confirms that the knowledge gained from peers, E&Y leadership and other corporate leaders is invaluable. Participants enjoy the opportunity to talk with people across the firm with similar backgrounds, which can minimize feelings of isolation. They are proud to work with an organization that concentrates on efforts to help them develop their personal and professional careers. Networking is an important development tool and is one of the most tangible expressions of the firm’s support for its employees and commitment to inclusiveness. The value of developing our people as a result of a combination of learning, mentoring and networking programs at the firm can also be measured by retention rates of minorities and women. Our retention of client-serving women has increased to 79 percent in 2003 from 73 percent in 1996, which yields savings to the firm of approximately $12 million annually. As of September 2003, women comprise 12
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percent of the total Ernst & Young partner population, up from 5 percent of all partners in 1996. In the same time period, the presence of women in E&Y top executive management positions, such as the Americas Executive Board and managing partners, has increased from zero to 14.5 percent. On the minority side, at the beginning of fiscal year 2003, the number of minority employees made up 21 percent of E&Y’s total employee population, an increase from 16 percent in 1996. In addition, from 1995 to 2003, the percentage of minority partners increased 100 percent, and now the ratio of minority partners to total partners is 72 percent. Ernst & Young recognizes that the service we provide to our clients is a reflection of the service we provide to our people. If people are happy with the way they are developing and being treated at work, they will in turn produce the highest quality work for our clients. Our firm’s efforts to encourage networking among our diverse groups provide endless benefits to all stakeholders. PDJ For more information about the people-centered culture at Ernst & Young LLP, visit careers at www.ey.com.
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Motorola
THE GLBT WORKPLACE CHALLENGE
“Invisible Diversity” A Business Case for Diversity in Engineering By Peter L.G. Ventzek, Section Manager, Advanced Modeling and Simulation Audrey P. Lin, Quality Systems Project Manager Don Horst, Vice President and Assistant Director of Final Manufacturing Semiconductor Products Sector, Motorola n the midst of an engineering environment—where metrics for success are power consumption criteria, manufacturability, reliability and speed—it’s difficult at first thought to outline the role of diversity in achieving these metrics. And, when applying these metrics to “invisible diversity,” it would seem to be an even greater challenge. Diversity is about ensuring that key resources in the engineering environment —the most important of which is people— all function at top performance and that the group/corporate entity tap into the unique talents of all its resources. Diversity within manufacturing and research and development (R&D) is about maximizing potential, especially engineering potential. Many diversity objectives are peoplecentric: retaining and attracting talent, garnering market-share and driving a competitive advantage through fostering a productive talent supply. Each of these objectives impact the gay and lesbian engineering population.
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Addressing Talent First, let’s address the retention and attraction of talent. Hiring is about bringing the best to your organization. “Invisible diversity,” such as being gay or lesbian, is as unchangeable as the more visible diversity dimensions of race, ethnicity and gender. These diversity dimensions do not preclude one from being part of the class of top contributors in an engineering environment. In an engineering environment, it’s critical to be staffed by individuals who bring unique qualities to the table. On average, it costs $15,000 (USD) to replace an experienced engineering resource, with the additional loss of knowledge and time on projects. A gay, lesbian or transgender employee—or an employee with a hidden disability or other “invisible difference,” for that matter—may choose to leave a non-inclusive environment for a more inclusive one. According to a 1994 Kinsey Institute Study and the 2000 U.S. Census, the gay and lesbian population is 3-10 percent of the U.S.
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population. This means across the board, from “executive staff” to the “workforce in bays in the factories,” from one in 30 to one in 10 of our colleagues is a gay or lesbian person. Retaining the experience of even one in 30 in a highly-skilled environment— from the Ph.D. level through skilled technicians and operators—is essential to creating a winning organization. Companies are recognizing that attraction and development of their diverse workforce is part and parcel of their business model.
Creating the Winning Business Model Motorola demonstrated itself to be an early leader in diversity with grass roots organizations, starting in 1993 with GABLENet (Gay and Bisexual, Lesbian Employee Network), and in 1996 with GLEAM (Gay, Lesbian Employee At Motorola), coming of age with full corporate support in 2000 with the formation of the GLBT Business Council (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Business Council). In 2001, IBM took the 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
Networking lead with attraction of talent by having a full-time dedicated sales team focused on the GLBT market. It takes some “selling” to convince someone who has not thought about it that GLBT populations have and do play a significant role in technology and engineering. Fortunately, the groundwork has been laid by the National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals (NOGLSTP). A review of the history of contributions of GLBT in science and technology has been prepared outlining such contributors as A. von Humboldt through to Alan Turing.1 A recent highlight in their newsletter2 included a profile of Dr. Stephanie Langhoff, the transgender chief scientist of NASA-Ames Research Center. Leadership development is a facet of extracting value from talent in the workforce. Leadership development, or a cultivation of the “best,” is predicated on an inclusive environment. Outdated social norms inhibit gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals from being “out,” and this inhibits a fraction of the “best” in the GLBT community from seizing more public leadership positions or from being considered as candidates for those positions. Changing outdated social norms is a difficult challenge that is being pioneered by “out”3 executives such as Ford Motor Company Chief Financial Officer Allan Gilmore. The first step, however, is creating an inclusive environment. Motorola is addressing this difficult challenge with education and awareness training on sexual orientation and gender identity and by sponsoring annual GLBT leadership summits. In an engineeringfocused company, creating an inclusive environment on the factory floor starts with leaders of the organization driving change with actions such as visible support of GLBT events and by openly discussing 1. “Queer Scientists of Historical Note” at: http://www.noglstp.org/pamphlet.html. 2. http://www.noglstp.org/bulletin/2002summer.pdf. 3. “Out 100: Business,” B. Boehlert, December 2002 issue of Out magazine, page 81.
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Motorola
“GLBT organizations within corporations are now fulfilling the same grassroots role. We are now at a point where both the individual efforts of GLBT and their allies and the concerted efforts of corporations are required to provide the atmospheric conditions (environment) to fully enable and tap the business power of the GLBT population.” Peter L.G. Ventzek gay and lesbian workplace issues. At Motorola, diversity is recognized through visible support to diversity teams and councils. The policies and benefits language includes gay and lesbian employees, and Motorola has now included language that is inclusive of our transgender employees.
Solidifying Market Share Let’s address the broad topic of market share by specifically focusing on supply chain and manufacturing. As engineers, we interact with individuals and companies outside the corporation in various venues. This may be through interactions with vendors, colleagues at conferences, competitors at trade shows, and contractors in information technology. Effective interaction with all these potential customers and external partners (including segmented markets) is impacted by our individual attitudes. As a GLBT engineer, working with a supplier that has the same respect and commitment to inclusion removes the barriers that could prevent successful transactions. “It just takes a split second to turn a positive interaction into a negative by what we say or do during that interaction,” says Audrey Lin. Recalling an experience at a video taping session with Mel White from Soul Force, she tells of being given positive affirmation for the entire eight-hour session, only to have that positive feeling destroyed during a five minute video of why being a GLBT is wrong or sinful. “I left the taping session depressed,” she said. As employees, we know that our Profiles in Diversity Journal
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interactions could have an impact (and hence a gain or loss market share), interfere with the supply chain or disturb intercompany interactions. Having inclusive suppliers that recognize the business case for diversity allows for clear and open communication and working relationships.
Bolstering Productivity Finally, the core of the business case for diversity is workforce productivity. When we believe our talents, contributions and perspectives are recognized, understood, valued and utilized, we are more likely to enthusiastically engage in collaborative work partnerships. This leads to sharing information freely and working more efficiently in the interest of the company as a whole. In short, productivity is more likely to rise when employees feel comfortable in the workplace and with the people with whom they work. One key to a company’s success is having an employee that is productive and has a positive morale. Unfortunately, the converse of this argument also is true. Workers who don’t feel that their diverse perspectives are valued are not likely to go the extra mile for the companies in which they work. Being “out” as a self-affirmed gay person does not guarantee productivity. However, says Peter Ventzek, “we believe we are more focused, happy and energized by being out as opposed to playing the role of
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Motorola
a straight person while at work and ‘converting over’ to our real selves after work.” Optimizing the productivity of all gay and lesbian employees requires an understanding that the work environment can heavily influence the movement of gay people toward self-affirmation. “Our experiences are testament to this,” says Audrey Lin, who “came out” as a lesbian at Motorola in 1996. “The reason I came out was not for self-affirmation, but to work with our Motorola benefits department to gain health benefits for my partner,” says Lin. “We had just experienced a medical expense that was not covered by insurance due to me changing jobs. As an engineer, my career development and advancement required moving around the country with different companies. Unlike my married peers, my partner had to seek out a new job to help cover insurance every time we moved. I found that being ‘out’ gave me the
“The capability of a workforce to embrace change, question paradigms and go outside the comfort zone is a competitive asset. The diversity dividend of this capability enhances our daily interactions with colleagues, competitors and suppliers and allows one’s creativity to come out at work.” Don Horst graduate school at the University of Michigan banded together as engineers and scientists in a grassroots effort to reinforce the esteem of aspiring GLBT scholars,” says Ventzek, “helping us ‘be our best’ in the environment of graduate school.” “GLBT organizations within corporations are now fulfilling the same grassroots role. We are now at a point where both the individual efforts of GLBT and their allies and the concerted efforts of corporations are required to provide the atmospheric conditions (environment) to fully enable and tap the business power of the GLBT population.”
The Competitive Asset Diversity of sexual orientation in the work environment can impact business in a way that may seem less obvious. Each of us should examine our own personal biases.
“As an engineer, my career development and advancement required moving around the country with different companies. Unlike my married peers, my partner had to seek out a new job to help cover insurance every time we moved. I found that being ‘out’ gave me the self-affirmation to be comfortable with who I am and took away the need to hide, which is a real block to productivity.”
Audrey Lin self-affirmation to be comfortable with who I am and took away the need to hide, which is a real block to productivity.” Peter Ventzek “came out” professionally during graduate school and has had a policy of sharing facets of his personal life as part of his professional experience. He holds that being covert (not out) or not “bringing yourself to work” stifles technical creativity and siphons away the energy one requires to be one’s best. “My GLBT colleagues in page 66
In this era of change, our biases may be related to our concept of gay and lesbian norms, to notions of single parenting or to cultural differences we don’t understand. The capability of a workforce to embrace change, question paradigms and go outside the comfort zone is a competitive asset. The diversity dividend of this capability enhances our daily interactions with colleagues, competitors and suppliers and allows one’s creativity to come out at work.
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Establishing the business case for diversity, even in the case of visible diversity, is subject to challenge. Actions that appear self-evident and promises that appear self-fulfilling to diversity practitioners in business need to be measured quantitatively with business results. In an article in Workforce, MIT’s Thomas Kochan4 points out that measurement of business results in diversity programs is lacking. Further, he points out that establishing diverse environments without accountability for a spectrum of behaviors may lead to negative organizational and business consequences. Enabling diversity or creating an inclusive environment in the context of the GLBT population without recognizing the need for paradigm change in the corporate community may not be worse than doing nothing, but may veil the benefits afforded by a holistic approach to diversity. An unfortunate fifth pillar of the four pillars of the business case for diversity is litigation mitigation. In some sense, this may be the most quantifiable cost of not dealing with diversity issues in corporate America. At the same time, to correlate the proverbial return on investment in this area to the existence of diversity programs may be challenging. This topic is well dealt with in F. Hansen’s article in Workforce.4 It is almost certain that neither enough 4. “Diversity’s Business Case Doesn’t Add Up,” F. Hansen, April 2003 issue of Workforce, pages 28-32
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digital divide
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between themselves and other groups with respect to computer ownership and Internet access. The BFTAW campaign is putting the tools out there that can make a meaningful impact on education and careers. The importance of this undertaking in our communities cannot be overstated.” Last year, the presenting sponsors partnered with churches, senior-citizen
IBM
centers, schools, youth groups, fraternal, professional and community organizations, and IBM employee volunteers to host nearly 100 events in 26 cities, 17 states and Canada, enabling thousands of Blacks to access technology and enhance their technological skills. To learn more about the 2004 Black Family Technology Awareness Week, visit www.blackfamilynet.net or call (410) 244-7101.
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measurement nor maturation of diversity programs have occurred to define worth in this area. However, that the benefits are not measurably clear does not minimize the importance of the general business case for proactive approaches to invisible diversity in the workplace. One thing is certain: that recognizing the business case for diversity in its totality is one facet of making a company best in its class. Whether through the group efforts 1-800-573-2867 www.diversityjournal.com
IBM partnered with Career Communications Group, Inc. (CCG) to host this event. CCG is a minority-owned media services company, headquartered in Baltimore, MD. The company was founded 20 years ago to promote significant minority achievements in engineering, science and technology. For more information about CCG, visit www.ccgmag.com. For more information about programs like this at IBM, contact Jim Sinnochi, Global Diversity, at PDJ sinocchi@us.ibm.com.
Motorola
such as GLBT Business Council or through the efforts of individuals, successful companies that recognize this business case will have a greater chance for profitability in the future. Peter Ventzek is a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff. A 6-year employee of Motorola, he serves on the Austin leadership team of the corporate GLBT Business Council. Don Horst has over 25 years in the semiconductor industry and throughout his career has worked in almost Profiles in Diversity Journal
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all facets of the business. Audrey Lin, a 10-year employee with Motorola, is the co-leader of the corporate GLBT Business Council and works closely with the Global Diversity efforts. She was the founding member of the Semiconductor Products Sector GLEAM (Gay and Lesbian Education and Awareness at Motorola) team. Contact the authors at Peter.Ventzek@motorola.com or audreylin@motorola.com.
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Holland & Knight
Stars Women associates at Holland & Knight get an opportunity to soar through new program. n the spring of 2003, Holland & Knight LLP launched its Rising Stars Program, an intensive leadership and economic development program for women attorneys in their seventh year of practice or more. Last month, five women were selected to participate in the Firm’s second year of the program. The participants include Lynn E. Calkins, Partner, Litigation, Washington, D.C.; Joanie Y. Kim, Associate, Business, Seattle; Judith M. Mercier, Associate, Litigation, Miami; Jennifer S. Oosterbaan, Associate, Litigation, Chicago; and Susan I. Santana, Associate, Government, Washington, D.C. Through this program, Holland & Knight intends to help women attorneys rise into leadership positions within the Firm, achieve professional and monetary success by increasing their profile in the legal profession and the community in which they practice, and be more successful in business development. Those that are accepted into the Rising Stars Program spend twelve months in an intensive leadership, marketing and management program. The program was conceptualized and implemented by attorney and partner Janis Schiff, who recognized a need for greater leadership and professional development opportunities for women attorneys. “As part of Holland & Knight’s commitment to diversity, we strive to provide the tools and resources that are critical to the success of the women in our Firm,” said Schiff. “Each year we select five talented and dedicated women for this unique professional development.” Schiff has served as the coordinator for the Rising Stars Program since its inception. This year, she will be assisted by
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associate Robin Main, a 2003 participant in the Rising Stars Program. “My experience with the first class of Rising Stars at Holland & Knight has been invaluable to my career,” says Main. “The Firm has heartily embraced and supported the program in numerous ways. For example, as Rising Stars, partici- Robin Main, Associate pants have unprecedented access 2003 Rising Star to the Firm’s leadership, thereby enabling us to learn more about the management of the Firm. It also allows us the opportunity to increase our profiles in the Firm, which has resulted in leadership roles and work referrals.” In order to become a “Rising Star,” an individual is selected through an application process. Once selected, participants are expected to take part in all program events and stay with the program until its completion. The Women’s Initiative Advisory Council selection is based on professional experience, community involvement, motivation to be a leader, and ability to put the time and effort in to succeed. “Holland & Knight has many talented, dedicated women attorneys,” says Schiff. “This program reflects Holland & Knight’s commitment to advancing the professional development of its women.” Advancing the professional development of its associates is part of Holland & Knight’s inclusive culture.
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Holland & Knight
Janis Schiff, Partner Member of the Directors Committee “Our Directors Committee set diversity goals 10 years ago,” said Howell W. Melton, Jr., Managing Partner and administrator of the Diversity Program. “The Firm has worked very hard to provide an environment that is appealing and beneficial regardless of an employee’s nationality, race, gender or sexual orientation. We proactively staff our Firm to reflect diversity at every level because we believe this makes us more responsive to our clients’ needs and that it is important to strive to be reflective of the communities in which we practice.” Holland & Knight’s Diversity Program is defined and implemented through two initiatives, the Women’s and Minority Initiatives, led by Raymond P. Carpenter and Deborah E. Barnard, respectively. The Women’s Initiative was initiated to serve as a forum for the women of Holland & Knight and promotes a culture that is sensitive to a wide variety of women’s issues such as less-than-full-time work arrangements. Holland & Knight represents nearly 1,250 lawyers worldwide; of them, 356 are women.
How the Program Works The Rising Stars Program is an intensive, time-consuming program to which the Firm dedicates significant resources. For this reason, participants must have a strong desire to be a Rising Star and must expect to put significant energy and time into the program as well. Factors that are considered in the selection process include geographic representation throughout the Firm; practice area; and an economic analysis, only to the extent it is a measure of dedication to the Firm and general productivity; as well as subjective factors. The twelve-month program involves intensive hands-on leadership and marketing experience combined with professional mentoring, coaching and experiential learning. The program has been designed so that each participant will: • Attend at least one Holland & Knight board of directors meetings as an observer • Attend a briefing on Firm budget, compensation and operations • Meet management to discuss issues facing the Firm and the board’s role and commitment to resolve them • Meet with the managing partner to discuss issues facing the Firm and the managing partner’s role and commitment to resolve them • Meet and confer with leadership and marketing mentor partners on a regular basis to discuss professional development goals page 72
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• Working with the managing partner, select a Firm issue or problem and prepare a position paper addressing the problem and leading the Firm through its resolution, e.g., associate retention; conflict of interest issues; role of managing partner; role of non-lawyers in the practice of law • Prepare a detailed marketing plan to meet their own skills and strengths • Meet with a professional coach or other similar motivational professional to enhance and further goals and deal with personal challenges • Work with marketing department on the preparation and planning of at least one client presentation/briefing, including mailing, coordination of speakers, etc. • Develop a professional database and mailing list and work with marketing to fine tune and use it • Attend events sponsored by and geared towards professional women • Attend client presentations with a “marketing mentor” or other “rainmaker” partners both as an observer and, ultimately, as participant. Finally, each participant must prepare a final project detailing the experience and how it has helped them grow, both personally and professionally, outlining long- and short-term goals. All costs and expenses associated with this program, such as travel, are paid by the Firm. “The goal is to have the Rising Stars assume leadership positions within the Firm and increase their client base and business generation,” says Schiff. “This type of measure of the program’s success is already being exhibited by the Rising Stars of 2003.” After graduating from the program, the Rising Stars continue to meet and reconnect to promote further leadership and client development. “The leadership access, mentoring activities, and high-quality coaching programs can be translated into better marketing, client presentations, and better working relationships,” says Main. “I am certain that the Rising Stars Program will continue to serve as a dynamic, educational opportunity for the female attorneys at Holland & Knight.” PDJ
For more information, visit www.hklaw.com January/February 2004
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