SECTION VI
MANAGING ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE AND DIVERSITY:
CURRENT ISSUES
49. What Do Organizations Do to Manage Diversity?
WHAT DO ORGANIZATIONS DO TO MANAGE DIVERSITY? EXAMINING
CORPORATE LEADERSHIP, MENTORING, EMPLOYEE RESOURCE
GROUPS, SUPPLIER RESPONSIBILITY, TRAINING, SUPPLIER DIVERSITY,
AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Carol P. Harvey
Assumption College
Goals
• To examine the roles that Board members and Chief Diversity Officers play as
leaders of diversity initiatives
• To explain the importance of mentoring and sponsoring to diverse employees
• To consider the role of employee resource groups as assets to both organizations
and employees
• To learn which types of diversity training are the most effective
• To understand the importance of supplier diversity programs
• To analyze corporate social responsibility and philanthropy initiatives
Outline of Key Points
I. Diversity leadership
A. Corporate level leadership provides vision and resources
B. CEO must value diversity
C. Board should be diverse and support diversity
1. Board membership in U.S. is homogeneous
a. May be harder to recruit diverse members
b. Networking and social capital issues
c. Board needs specific skills
2. Diverse board members need support
3. Different styles need to be valued
D. Chief Diversity Officers (CDO)
1. Responsible for strategic diversity leadership
2. Should report to CEO or a vice-president
49. What Do Organizations Do to Manage Diversity?
II. Programmatic diversity initiatives
A. Mentoring and Sponsorships
1. Mentoring programs – developmental but not always well done or
enough
2. Sponsorships – add advocacy to mentoring relationships
B. Affinity groups/employee resource groups (ERGs)
1. Provide organizational communities for diverse individuals
a. Affinity groups focus on socialization and mentoring
b. ERGs also utilize employees as a business resource
i. Product development
ii. Recruitment of diverse employees
iii. Marketing advice for diverse consumers
iv. Can be a competitive advantage in global and diverse
markets
2. Originated in the 1960s at Xerox
3. Can increase morale
4. Require guidelines and open membership
5. Examples: Eli Lilly, Ford, Aetna
6. Benefits both organization and employers
C. Diversity training
1. Early training was based on legal content and focused on race and
gender
2. Now training is broader in terms of social identity groups and linked
to organizational strategy
3. Example: Sodexo
D. Supplier diversity programs – buying from diverse business owners
1. Help develop minority and women owned small businesses
a. Tier I – direct contractors
b. Tier II – sell to Tier I
2. Often involves more than purchasing
a. Training and development
b. Example: AT&T program
3. To be Tier I & Tier II requires certification by independent agencies
49. What Do Organizations Do to Manage Diversity?
E. Corporate social responsibility & philanthropy
1. Charitable giving to organizations whose missions include serving
diverse populations
2. Employees can often volunteer on company time
3. Often linked to corporate mission
4. Provides tax breaks and positive public relations
Discussion Questions and Answers
1. Why is corporate and board involvement so crucial to the business case for
diversity?
The business case for diversity means that having a diverse workforce can and should
will not happen.
2. Besides the legal considerations, why does locating the responsibility for
diversity initiatives in Human Resources limit the effectiveness of diversity
initiatives in an organization?
3. How can corporate boards that want more diverse members, recruit good
candidates?
Board membership is often as much about who you know as it is about what you
49. What Do Organizations Do to Manage Diversity?
VI –
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
5
no case should someone who is unqualified be appointed because of gender, race, etc.
That will only set the person up for failure. Once a few diverse candidates are on the
board, they can broaden the board’s network even further.
4. How can an organization minimize backlash and conflict about ERG
membership?
ERGs can be perceived as exclusionary by outsiders. To avoid this, ERGs should be
clear about their missions and goals, share progress with non-members, and be open
5. How can an effective supplier diversity program support the business case for
diversity?
6. Thinking as a consumer, does an organization’s social responsibility and
corporate philanthropy make a difference in your buying decisions? Why or
why not?
Answers here will vary, but the good publicity that results from these associations,
49. What Do Organizations Do to Manage Diversity?
Writing Assignment
Find an individual who serves on a Board of Directors or a Board of Trustees (a non–
profit) and interview this person about board membership. Try to learn the answers to
the following questions:
1. How was he or she selected?
2. Did he or she know someone on the Board?
3. Does he or she have a particular expertise that the Board needed (lawyer,
accountant, civil engineer, etc?)
4. Does he or she know how future board members are selected?
5. How are members of this board diverse or not diverse?
6. If this is a for-profit corporation:
What is his or her compensation for serving as a Board member?
If this is a non-profit Board:
What are the expectations for financial contributions?
7. Has recruiting diverse members to the Board been an initiative?
8. What types of diversity did the Board seek? If so, how was this done and was it
successful? Why or why not?
9. If there are diverse members, do they participate fully in Board discussions?
Remembering that this is only one individual’s perception and that his or her position
may have some bias:
a) Analyze the material from this interview and write a two to three page essay
that evaluates this Board from the perspective of diversity.
b) Answer one of the following questions:
If the Board is diverse now, how does the board’s diversity link to the
organization’s mission and the business case for diversity?
OR, if this Board is not diverse, how could a more diverse board potentially
improve the link between the mission and the company’s business case for
diversity?
49. What Do Organizations Do to Manage Diversity?
Diversity on the Web
For examples of supplier diversity programs benefiting business owners, the local
communities in terms of job creation, and the organizations for which they provide
services, go to http://makingittv.com. Click on “Tweets with Business Tips & Featured
Entrepreneurs with Free Streaming Videos.”
Then, click on “entrepreneur success stories.” Select “The Power of Partnerships”
episode #512, which features Linda Stone, an Asian American female entrepreneur, and
“Frontier Electronics Systems,” episode #511, which presents the story of Peggy
Shreve, a female Native American business owner who is a supplier to Boeing Aircraft.
50. Work-Life Balance Issues: Changing When and How the Work Gets Done
WORK-LIFE BALANCE ISSUES:
CHANGING WHEN AND HOW WORK GETS DONE
Carol P. Harvey
Assumption College
Goals
• To understand how the changing composition and values of today’s workforce
impact traditional work schedules
• To present a business case for a more flexible workplace
• To illustrate successful business models for work-life balance issues
for parents, caregivers and mature workers
Outline of Key Points
I. Diverse workers need more flexible work schedules
A. To care for children
B. To act as caregivers for elderly and those with handicaps
C. To work past retirement age
II. Legislation
A. More progressive in other countries
B. U.S. Family Medical Leave Act – only provides for unpaid leave
III. Business case for work-life balance
A. Helps to attract employees
B. Decreases stress, burnout, and unplanned absences
C. Workers feel using flexible work options can hurt career progress
D. Resentment from co-workers
IV. Work-life balance: parental roles and care giving
A. Increase in number of working parents
B. Care of elderly and disabled family members
V. Work-life balance: flexible work models
A. Accenture – self-funded sabbaticals
B. Continental Airlines – work from home and rotating shifts
C. Raytheon – flexible hours
D. AstraZeneca – job sharing and part-time schedules
E. I-800 Contacts – telecommuting options
50. Work-Life Balance Issues: Changing When and How the Work Gets Done
VI. Work-life balance: mature workers
A. Many do not want to totally retire
1. Due to financial needs
2. Have healthier lifestyles
B. Limited number of companies who tap into this resource
1. Prejudice and stereotypes about older workers
2. Fear of age discrimination lawsuits
3. Outdated ERISA and IRS legislation
C. Redefining retirement
1. Retirement in stages – working retirement
a. Part-time and flexible schedules
b. Phased retirement with current employer
2. Business case for older workers
a. Mercy Healthcare – weekend and rotating assignments
b. The Vita Needle Company – most of their workers are
past retirement age
c. CVS/Caremark – Snowbirds program meets consumer
demand in warm climates in peak seasons
d. L.L. Bean – hires back retirees for seasonal work
e. Monsanto – hires their retirees, part-time, or as needed
f. The Aerospace Corporation – hires skilled workforce
back for special projects
D. Innovative ideas – 10 til 2
E. Innovative ideas are needed to achieve work-life balance and more
flexible work arrangements
VII. Age Discrimination in Employment Act (1967)
Discussion Questions and Answers
1. Analyze the need for work-life balance in terms of the forces promoting and the
forces resisting these types of programs.
Answers will vary according to students’ experiences and perceptions but possible
answers could include:
50. Work-Life Balance Issues: Changing When and How the Work Gets Done
VI – 10
healthy and may not have the money or desire to retire; need for efficiencies such as
2. It is mentioned in the reading that even when organizations offer work-life
balance plans, some workers, especially men, often do not feel that they can use
them. Why might men feel this way more than women?
In our masculine culture (refer to the Farough article here), care-giving is still
considered a feminine role. Courts routinely give custody of children to women.
3. What might the presence or absence of flexible work programs suggest to you
about the corporate culture and values of an organization?
The presence of flexible plans could suggest that an organization is proactive about
change and adapting to its environment. These are the companies that value and
encourage innovative thinking and are proactive rather than reactive. Such a culture
4. Apply the concept of the business case for diversity to offering more flexible
work arrangements for caregivers.
The business case clearly outlines the employee and organizational “costs” of
50. Work-Life Balance Issues: Changing When and How the Work Gets Done
VI – 11
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
Over 21% of all U.S. households provide some type of care for elder relatives or a
person with a handicap, and this represents an annual productivity loss of $17.1
billion. The personal and organizational costs here are too high to ignore.
5. In spite of people living longer and healthier lives, stereotypes about older
workers being hard to manage and slow to adapt to new technologies still
persist. How do the media contribute to and reinforce these perceptions?
Too often on television and in films, mature people are still portrayed as bumbling,
forgetful, silly, and ignorant about technology. This is an opportunity to ask students
6. The organizations profiled in this article are quite different and represent a
range from small businesses, to huge corporations. What might they all have in
common that has enabled them to be innovative about their programs for older
workers?
This question illustrates that such innovative ways of structuring work can be
successful in any industry: manufacturing, service, medical, etc. What they have in
common is the leadership of managers who are willing to try new ways of
restructuring work and be proactive about the changing needs of today’s workforce.
50. Work-Life Balance Issues: Changing When and How the Work Gets Done
Writing Assignment
Go to the website below and read the “Measuring the Impact of Workplace
Flexibility” study. Then write a two-page memo to a past or present employer
that presents a suggestion for implementing some flexible work arrangement for
parents, caregivers, older workers, etc. currently not offered by that organization.
Adapting ideas from this report, develop a “business case” that stresses the
measurable benefits that this particular organization could derive from this new
flexible work arrangement that you are proposing. Your answer should take into
consideration the demographics of your local area and the size, mission, and
resources of this organization.
http://bc.edu/cwf. Click on “publications.” Then, click on “Measuring the Impact
of Workplace Flexibility.”
Diversity on the Web
Go to slideshow.net. Search for the report, “Business Impacts of Flexibility: An
Imperative for Expansion” (November, 2005).
This report details many arguments for increasing flexibility in terms of the way that
work is done. Select one company mentioned in this report as having a flexible way of
scheduling work. Go to that company’s website and attempt to find additional
information on this plan. You may have to be creative in trying to find this material but
be persistent. What does what you found or didn’t find indicate about the
implementation of this plan?
51. The Six Sigma Case: Promotion at Western Company
VI – 13
THE SIX SIGMA CASE: PROMOTION AT WESTERN COMPANY
Rana Haq
Laurentian University, Canada
Goals
• To provide an example of the types of work-life balance issues and stressors that
parents face in today’s workforce
• To illustrate the complexity of the decisions that managers must make on a daily
basis
• To learn about the Six Sigma program and its requirements
Case Synopsis
Peter Toubin, a Master Six Sigma Blackbelt, was recently promoted to the Vice President
of Marketing, position at the corporate headquarters of Western Company in Vancouver,
British Columbia. Peter was surprised to receive a request from Sarah Cunningham,
Marketing Manager, for a special promotion to her sponsor company, after completing
only one year of her required two-year Six Sigma contract. The only existing precedence
was a three-month-early contract release. Peter knew his decision would have major
companywide implications.
Pedagogy and Teaching Plan
Students should be instructed to step into Peter’s shoes and analyze the problem and its
impact on: a) the company, b) the Six Sigma program requirements, c) the work-life
balance policy, d) Sarah, and e) his career. The best way to do this is to start by clearly
defining the decision criteria, by developing and evaluating at least three realistic
alternatives and then generating a list of their pros and cons. Lastly, students should
select an action plan and implementation process.
The recommended approach is to tie the case discussion and the theoretical concepts
together to show the direct application of these concepts within the case study. Students
can also be directed to do further research on other companies Six Sigma and work-life
balance programs.
51. The Six Sigma Case: Promotion at Western Company
Guidelines for discussing the case:
• Discuss the Six Sigma program and its implications
• Review work-life balance and stress management issues in the workplace
• Discuss what would be reasonable accommodations for Sarah
• Discuss her motivation and job satisfaction
• Discuss alternatives that Peter could suggest
• Select an alternative and discuss its implementation
Sarah:
Came back from maternity leave in January; has two young children at home;
current job requires a lot of travel across Canada.
Peter Toubin:
New to his current job and felt he needed to do some research before making this
decision.
Sarah’s Old Manager:
Felt Sarah should not come back to her old position because he wanted her to have
more responsibility. Knew some people’s expectations were too high coming out of
the Six Sigma program and could become disappointed.
Sarah’s Current Manager in the Six Sigma Program:
Wants her to continue; does not want her to leave.
The Open Position’s Manager:
Felt Sarah was not the only one who could do this job; were other applicants; felt
Sarah would be a candidate but not the only one.
The Six Sigma Worldwide Corporate Program Director:
Said it would not be acceptable for Sarah to leave the program; sets a precedent for
others; wants to protect the integrity of the process.
The HR Manager:
More flexible and supportive; wants to let her go to the new job.
51. The Six Sigma Case: Promotion at Western Company
VI – 15
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
Postscript
Students are always eager to know: “What really happened in this case?” They may be
encouraged to discuss what the consequences of Peter’s decision would be for each
individual and the organization.
Peter explained all of the factors that were considered in making the decision. In the end,
he said no because it was too early and she did not meet the criteria. Peter knew that she
was disappointed, but he also was confident that she would be okay. “She’s a
professional and she’s ambitious! I think that she will make it work.”
Sarah said that she understood but was disappointed. She said that she would continue to
do a good job. She did feel that her relationship with Peter had to be mended and asked
how she could best do that. So she was advised to reaffirm her commitment. She felt
comfortable with the decision process, that it was open and fair, even if it was not the
decision she wanted. She was secure in that she still had another year in the program.
Since a Six Sigma objective is never to go back to the old job at the end of the two years,
she was struggling with the uncertainty of another suitable position opening up for her
next year when she would become sort of a free agent.
Discussion Questions and Answers
1. Discuss the pros and cons of each of Peter’s four alternatives. Can you think of
additional creative alternatives?
Peter’s decision criteria could include:
Peter’s Decision Alternatives:
51. The Six Sigma Case: Promotion at Western Company
Decision 3. Compromise
Consult stakeholders to review the precedence issue and find a time-related
compromise solution in consultation with Sarah:
• The Human Resources manager
• The Six Sigma leader in the U.S., who oversees the worldwide program
• The Six Sigma manager from the business currently sponsoring Sarah
• Work/life balance Policy (Resource Centre, Alternative Work
Arrangement, Childcare)
– Flexible work time – let Sarah decide when to begin/end her
workday
– Job sharing – splitting a job between two people
51. The Six Sigma Case: Promotion at Western Company
2. As Peter Toubin, what would be your decision and why? Provide a
justification/rationale for this decision and outline a step by step process for
implementing it.
Peter will have to consider Motivation Theories & Job Satisfaction as these relate to
Sarah Cunningham. One theory that could be applied here is Satisfaction and Work
Peter’s Action Plan and Contingency Plan:
Given that Peter is fairly new to his position, he would benefit from consulting some
of the stakeholders in the company and reviewing the special considerations under
which the earlier concession was made.
Since Peter himself is a graduate of the Six Sigma program at the company, he would
have special insights into the value of completing the leadership training contract,
51. The Six Sigma Case: Promotion at Western Company
VI – 18
essentially be using the same process with the needs of the male employee balanced
3. Would your decision be different if this were a male employee asking to get out
of a similar childcare obligation? Why or why not?
4. If Peter allows Sarah to take the new position and not complete the second year
of the Six Sigma program, could this affect his future career at Western? Why
or why not?
Peter’s allowing Sarah to take the new position and not complete the second year of
Diversity on the Web
Step 1: Learn more about the Six Sigma program by visiting the link below. Research
the websites of five different companies and note their similarities and
differences.
Step 2: Based on your research, write a one page analysis answering the following three
questions. Use your research findings in formulating your answers.
a) What is the importance of leadership in Six Sigma programs?
b) Why is the selection of potential candidates critical in implementing Six
Sigma programs?
c) What are the key success factors for implementing successful Six Sigma
programs?
http://www.isixsigma.com/industries/
52. Diversity and Inclusion Awards: A Critical Examination
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AWARDS
A CRITICAL EXAMINATION
M. June Allard
Assumption College
Worcester State University, Professor Emerita
Goals
• To explore the various types of diversity awards
• To examine the meaning of diversity awards
• To determine the criteria for selecting diversity winners
• To critically examine selection processes in choosing organizations to honor
Outline
INTRODUCTION
SECTION I. JUDGING THE AWARDS
A. Selecting the Winners . . . The Criteria and their Weights
B. Selecting the Winners . . . Collecting Applicant Data
1. Type of Information
2. Gathering the Information
3. Information Sources
C. Selecting the Winners . . . the Applicant Pool
1. Becoming a Contender
2. How Many Contenders?
D. Selecting the Winners . . . the Judging Process
1. Blindfolds vs. Open-eyes
2. Transparency
3. Final Determination
E. Results and Outcomes
1. Interpretation
2. The Prize
3. Best Practices
4. The Awards
52. Diversity and Inclusion Awards: A Critical Examination
Note: The numbers below (1 – 12) refer to the numbers assigned to each of the 12 awards
described in the text. For example, the third award described in the text is entitled
Applause Awards.
SECTION II. COMPREHENSIVE DIVERSITY AWARDS
1. Top 50 Companies for Diversity® ….………………………………… (DiversityInc)
SECTION III. DIVERSITY INNOVATION AWARDS
2. International Innovation in Diversity Awards…. (Profiles in Diversity Journal)
3. Applause Awards ……….……….…(WBC: Women’s Business Enterprise Council)
SECTION IV. SPECIAL INTEREST AWARDS: RACE AND ETHNICITY
4. Best Companies Awards ………………………….…………..……… (Asia Society)
5. 40 Best Companies for Diversity………………….…. (Black Enterprise Magazine)
6. The NAACP Opportunity and Diversity Report Card …..………… .(NAACP)
7. 50 Best Companies of the Year ……………………….….. (Latina Style Magazine)
SECTION V. SPECIAL INTEREST AWARDS: AGE, DISABILITY, SEXUAL
ORIENTATION & GENDER
8. Best Employers for Workers Over 50………………………..… (AARP & SHRM)
9. Top 10 Companies for People with Disabilities®…………………. (DiversityInc)
10. Corporate Equality Index for Workplace Equality Innovation……………..
…………………………………….……………. (Human Rights Campaign Foundation)
11. 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers………… (Working Mother Magazine)
12. Catalyst ………………………………………….………….……………..….. (Catalyst)
SECTION VI. THE DECISION TO APPLY
A. Costs and Risks
B. Benefits to the Organization
1. Business Case for Diversity
2. Human Capital Benefits
C. The Pressures of Changing Demographics