Diversity Executive - November 2008 - (Page 23)

When crafted with a formal structure, complete with mentoring, educational components and standardized selection criteria, supplier diversity programs promote organizational growth for all parties and the community at large. By Armelle Carminati and Douglas G. Scrivner orward-thinking companies take an active role in society. They continuously look for ways to demonstrate the value of inclusion and diversity, and to work with others who embrace similar values. As part of a broader set of talent and diversity initiatives, supplier diversity programs offer one way to do this. An effective supplier diversity program creates opportunities for qualiﬁed minority-, women-owned, small and other growing enterprises to grow. Supplier diversity efforts are a critical component of an organization’s diversity program — they demonstrate a commitment to promote economic growth in communities in which business is carried out. And by offering minority suppliers equal access to a procurement sourcing process, diversity leaders create opportunities for previously underutilized minority-owned enterprises that have never enjoyed such access. “It’s the right thing to do,” said Anthony Chase, CEO of ChaseCom LP a minority business in Houston that provides , multilingual technical support and customer contact-center services. “A robust supplier diversity program results in cost savings, stronger relationships and continuity in quality of service.” Partnering with non-minority suppliers on programs that promote diversity also encourages efforts to give back to the community through mentoring and career education programs that help create the next generation of successful, inclusive organizations. For example, law ﬁrm DLA Piper now offers legal education and experience to minority high school students, as well as undergraduate and law school students in Chicago, that involve community lawyers, judges and police ofﬁcers in classroom activities. “Over the past several years, with such partnerships, our incoming classes of new attorneys have been 50-70 percent diverse in the Chicago ofﬁce, with somewhat comparable numbers nationally,” said David Mendelsohn, co-chair of DLA Piper’s ﬁnancial services practice. F Building solid relationships and broadening a network of suppliers enables everyone involved to tap into new ideas that lead not only to new business opportunities but to a more inclusive business community. The “domino effect” of a supplier diversity program moves along a continuum that starts with engagement of womenor minority-owned businesses through supplier contracts and increasing those companies’ disposable incomes. The companies are thus able to reinvest and contribute to the growth of their businesses and their communities. The positive impact has a halo effect that comes back to the sponsoring company as word of these inclusive practices spreads, helping to position the organization as a leader in an increasingly competitive business environment. “The relationship we enjoy with Accenture allows us to provide solid work for skilled employees and to invest in the education of future workers through our support of universities and scholarship programs. We also enjoy the mentorship of one of Accenture’s top executives, which provides us leadership guidance, as well as role modeling and the encouragement to be good corporate citizens,” said Janice Bryant Howroyd, founder and CEO of the Act-1 Group, a personnel services center. Identify and Standardize Selection Criteria Diversity leaders should set out to shape an environment that will enhance the sponsor organization’s ability to spread opportunities to minority companies, while creating a model that will inform the process for other organizations entering this space. The initial sourcing process may invite interested ﬁrms to register on a designated portal. Then diversity executives can vet their credentials as minority ﬁrms and provide requests for proposal (RFP) based on business needs, to which majority-owned ﬁrms can respond. Standards for entry into the process should be aligned to business requirements. Further, execute strict due diligence to ensure identiﬁed suppliers can November/December 2008 | www.diversity-executive.com | Diversity Executive 23 http://www.diversity-executive.com

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

Diversity Executive - November 2008 Editor’s Letter Contents Leadership Connections Guest Editorial Diversity Executive Online Middle Management Roadblock ‘Hidden Winds’ Hinder Progress The Domino Effect Supplier Partnerships Unlock Economic Opportunities Measuring Diversity Special Section: Who’s Who in Diversity and Inclusion Dimensions of Difference Overcoming Language Diff erences Business Intelligence: Combating Subtle Discrimination Case Study: Shifting Diversity Into Overdrive Advertisers’ Index Editorial Resources Strategies

Diversity Executive - November 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.