Is There A Lack of Diversity in Information Technology? part 3

CREATE DIVERSITY IN CULTURE, IDEAS

Create Diversity in Culture, Ideas by Melissa Solomon appeared in Computerworld on May 6, 2002. It discusses the various reasons Information Technology companies should commit to setting up a diversity program and how those programs can help them become more successful at hiring and keeping the best employees.
 
Anh Nguyen, who works for Freddie Mac (which provides funds to mortgage lenders), described how the fact that Freddie Mac values diversity has helped her in her job. She had suggested reorganizing her group to management, and they not only listened to her but also implemented her idea and put her in charge of one of the reorganized teams.
 
Nguyen feels that diversity is a good thing because "Every day, I work with someone who is very different from me. Not just in the way we look, but in the way the person thinks" (Solomon). If a company encourages a culture that appreciates not only the workers' needs but also their contributions, they will have a much easier time keeping those workers.
 
Ashley Zakas, vice president of human resources for a federal contractor, must by law take into account the demographics of its home state but she thinks is should not be a difficult task unless of course, you're not really trying. Others point out the benefit of having a diverse workplace because people do not like working for companies that do not reflect the makeup of the local population.
 
Encouraging diversity in leadership positions is also important. Once a company promotes a diverse group of people into leadership positions that sends a message to other minority employees that they have a chance to succeed too. It also makes the company more competitive in the multicultural marketplace that exists globally.
 
Even when you are able to attract a diverse workforce there are still problems. Keith Early, Freddie Mac's vice president of employment practices, reported that their staff is a diverse "15% black, 3.5% Hispanic, nearly 13% Asian/Pacific Islander and 56% female" but retention was a big problem for the company (Solomon).
 
To increase retention, companies are now setting up leadership training programs as well as opportunities for mentoring and professional development. Accommodating employees' needs also goes a long way toward helping valuable employees stay put, because the worker knows the company values their individual contributions.
 
Diversity training that stresses awareness is also important. Ron Frieson, vice president and chief diversity officer of BellSouth Corp. says that when people list stereotypes for certain groups "it's hard to miss the fact that 99% of those stereotypes are negative" (Solomon).
 
The textbook does a pretty good job of describing how our perceptions are filtered through our emotions and provides some individual and group exercises that IT management could use to increasing diversity awareness in its employees.
 
BellSouth Corp. measures how well the program is working by looking at four factors: first, the actual numbers hired, second, the effectiveness of the education and training programs, third, how well the programs and policies (i.e., benefit incentives) are working and finally, if and how the diversity program has helped the company meet its financial targets.
 
Solomon lists four ways to attract a diverse workforce:

• Place ads in magazines aimed at people from different backgrounds.
• Sponsor and participate in career shows geared toward minority groups.
• Develop internship programs that solicit minority applicants.
• Track diversity statistics for your region and work to match them (Solomon).

 
Solomon admits that diversity programs do not come without some cost, but integrating them into the company's goals and targets can help the company become more successful. Companies who set up successful programs realize that it requires a long-term commitment on the company's part but that the final result will be well worth it.