Diversity Executive - September 2008 - (Page 36)

side of Chicago. This training locale provides employment opportunities to individuals that otherwise might not have fully explored their marketable skills. The company takes pride in its success in supplier diversity, as well. Clark said the company spends more than 17 percent of its total spend in goods and services with women- and minority-owned suppliers — totaling $176.5 million in 2007. To demonstrate the company’s forward-thinking commitment to growth through diversity, Clark said ComEd has performed a comprehensive assessment of its diversity and inclusion initiatives. Using employee feedback and assessment of the programs, the company has gathered input on how to improve. Employees also contribute to the company’s diversity practices through Exelon’s Employee Network Groups (ENGs), which are self-initiated groups for demographics such as Asian-American and LGBT workers. ENGs facilitate employee ties and provide perspective on ComEd’s business strategies in relation to their particular populations. They also work on projects related to professional development and the recruitment of new employees, as well as help strengthen the company’s corporate citizenship. Patrick Esser Cox Communications Diversity at broadband entertainment and telecommunications company Cox Communications isn’t just about recruiting and developing a diverse workforce; it’s also about diversity of products and services, community relations and supplier and vendor development, all of which help to better connect the company to its customers. This commitment starts at the top with Cox President Patrick Esser. “Everyone at Cox understands that inclusiveness and the active promotion of diversity are business imperatives that are key ingredients to our ongoing success, as well as reﬂections of our core values,” said Esser. “To best serve our customers, we must be a diverse organization that is a mirror of our communities, and we are very proud to be a leader among companies making this commitment.” Leadership also means creating the type of environment in which employees such as Senior Vice President and Chief People Ofﬁcer Mae Douglas are empowered to use Cox’s diverse workforce to create a diversiﬁed selection of products and services that meet the needs and demands of its customer base. “It is only through the development of a diverse workforce that reﬂects the demographics of the communities we serve that we are able to fully understand the needs of our customers and develop products that are meaningful and deliver value,” said Douglas. “In our marketing endeavors, we invest heavily in market sciences to have the best possible understanding of the evolving demographics of the communities we serve. These investments help us to develop the right mix of products and to address our customers and potential customers in ways that best enable us to meet their needs.” In terms of community relations, Cox has invested more than $12 billion since 1996 in infrastructure upgrades that deliver video, phone and high-speed Internet service to homes and businesses in the company’s service area. Cox also has made a commitment to achieve diversity in its business partnerships that include suppliers and vendors. As a result, the organization casts a wide net to provide equal access to purchasing opportunities. As in most business initiatives, for diversity to succeed, measurement is key. “It is obviously crucial that goals around diversity and inclusion be measured and that there be some action or consequence associated with measurement,” Douglas said. “Cox’s Inclusiveness and the active promotion of diversity are business imperatives that are key ingredients to our ongoing success. – Patrick Esser, President, Cox Communications Clark said ComEd’s philosophy on diversity and inclusion extends beyond simply complying with federal mandates on minority hiring. Instead, the company has adopted a more global deﬁnition. “Diversity and inclusion is not just a focus on people of color,” Clark explained. “It means understanding that everyone who is part of the organization needs to feel that he or she is part of the corporate fabric, held together by a deeper appreciation for how what is different about us is really a way to show what is similar about us. “Understanding what links us is what allows us to grow as individuals and as a company. As we’ve been able to expand the deﬁnition of diversity and inclusion, we’ve also been able to expand the level of discussion about why diversity matters, talk about diversity and inclusion, and grapple with what that means every day. [It] represents signiﬁcant progress.” – Meagan Polakowski 36 Diversity Executive | www.diversity-executive.com | September/October 2008 http://www.diversity-executive.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Diversity Executive - September 2008

Diversity Executive - September 2008 Editor's Letter Contents Leadership Connections Guest Editorial Diversity Executive Online 2042: A New Business Era Begins The Rules of Attraction Where to Look for Diverse Talent Like Minds Think Great Culture Teams Target Business Opportunities at Luxottica Retail Special Section Rebalancing Gender At ING Americas, the Color of Diversity Is Orange Profile Business Intelligence Case Study Strategies Advertisers' Index Editorial Resources

Diversity Executive - September 2008

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