Diversity Executive - November 2008 - (Page 38)

selves, but when faced with the need to change their leadership style, there’s usually the question, ‘Why do I need to change a model that worked so well for me?’ What I try to do is put leaders in touch with their biases or what I call their ‘unconscious incompetence’ and hold a mirror up so they can see where change is needed. [Then] they make the decision whether they want to grow or not.” Now that Prudential has integrated diversity into its business and HR processes, the next step for Egea’s organization and others is internalization. “The future for diversity and where we’re headed as a company is what I call ‘internalization.’ That’s where the understanding and full utilization of diversity is second nature to our people. It’s second nature to our people, to our processes and, very importantly, to our business strategies,” he said. – Lindsay Edmonds Wickman 1. What does it take to make IBM attractive to members of your community? 2. What can we do in partnership with members of your community to maximize your productivity and ability to contribute? 3. How do we make IBM the technology provider of choice in your communities? 4. Which external organizations should we work with to grow in the diversity space? “The answers came back, and they were speciﬁc to their respective constituencies, but one thing they had in common was they all took the offer of partnership seriously,” Glover explained. “They said if the company allowed them to form constituency groups to work together internally and externally within their communities, and got real sponsorship from the people who lead the business, we could build and sustain programs that would get us positive answers to all of those questions.” Consequently, those constituency groups rolled out 196 local and business unit-based diversity programs all around the world during the next 10 years that deﬁne the needs for speciﬁc constituencies or communities. IBM works in partnership with them to respond to issues, and the communities help the company with its marketing and recruiting activities and in establishing an open and authentic dialogue about the differences within humanity. Glover, who has been in his current role for more than two years, said IBM’s approach to diversity has been central to its business success. “It’s based upon the fundamental assumption that bright, talented and smart people can be found in every part of the human family, and if you attract those people and provide the opportunity for them to be the best employees they can be and make the best contributions they can make, you could produce an extraordinary company that’s able to innovate and respond to customers better than anybody else. “It’s not an option anymore,” he explained. “We’re now operating in a global economy. This notion of being able to work with people who are different and being culturally adept is becoming an essential prerequisite. You cannot succeed as a global business unless the people in your enterprise know how to do that. That’s the work of diversity.” – Brian Summerfield Ron Glover Vice President of Global Workforce Diversity IBM Diversity and inclusion have been priorities at IBM for a long time. In fact, the company traces its diversity and inclusion lineage back more than a century, said Ron Glover, vice president of global workforce diversity at IBM. “This work is predicated on a history that goes back to 1899 in terms of creating opportunities for women and people of color,” he said. “That history is replete with examples of us being the ﬁrst to take action to actually build a diverse and inclusive workplace. We believe we were the ﬁrst major corporation to hire blacks and women: We have evidence, in a brochure that was published in 1924 that celebrated IBMers who had been around for 25 years, and there were women and blacks [in that group]. They were thought of as part of the IBM family.” Glover pointed to another instance that took place a decade later as further evidence of IBM’s trailblazing efforts in diversity and inclusion. “In 1935, we employed women in what were the high-tech jobs of the era,” he said. “The president of the company at the time published a policy that said those women would be paid the same as men to do the same work. That was not required by law, and that was certainly not the customary practice at that time. It was something that he believed.” More recently, Glover said the company formalized its programs and processes around diversity. In 1994, IBM formed several task forces made up of executives from the enterprise’s major constituency groups, such as African-Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, gays and lesbians, and people with disabilities. Those executives went to their respective constituencies at IBM and asked: Susan Hamilton Chief Diversity Officer CSX Susan Hamilton was born and raised in Birmingham, Ala., and during her childhood there she witnessed an event that impacted the rest of her life. 38 Diversity Executive | www.diversity-executive.com | November/December 2008 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

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