Diversity Executive - November 2008 - (Page 40)

Philip Harlow Chief Diversity and Chief Labor Relations Officer Xerox At Xerox Corp., diversity and inclusion have been on the radar since the beginning, said Philip Harlow, the company’s chief diversity and chief labor relations ofﬁcer. “The principles of equal opportunity, fairness and creating a work environment that’s conducive to maximizing productivity and contribution have been embedded in the human resources policies and practices and in the Xerox culture for decades,” Harlow said. “As a result, our corporate culture encourages everyone’s involvement, embracing diversity and inclusion by leveraging the contributions of every team member for business success.” Appointed to his current position in February 2003, Harlow is responsible for the company’s diversity strategies — including councils and forums, minority supplier programs and employee caucus groups — “voice of the employee” initiatives and corporate industrial relations. Prior to his role as chief diversity ofﬁcer, Harlow had responsibilities in every area of human resources, including stafﬁng and employment, employee relations, training and development, and compensation. “[At Xerox], we have not managed diversity and inclusion as a unique program or initiative, but have sought to ensure the principles are integrated in the company’s core business and HR processes,” Harlow said. “We believe that a diverse workforce establishes the foundation for enhanced creativity and innovation. We embrace the philosophy that the contribution of every team member is unique and that everyone represents a piece of the puzzle we seek to assemble to ensure our company’s long-term success.” Further, “we view diversity as a business opportunity,” Harlow is quoted as saying on the company Web site. “Our commitment to maintaining an inclusive environment, a diverse work force and valuing and respecting our employees is a core value companywide.” He said the Xerox senior executive team is committed to creating this culture of inclusion. “Our company has beneﬁted greatly as a result of enlightened and progressive leaders,” Harlow said. “[They] aggressively embraced diversity concepts and principles decades ago and continue to do so today.” Focusing on diversity and inclusion in this way — as a whole environment, not as stand-alone initiatives — is what will set successful companies apart from the pack in the future, Harlow said. “To ensure ongoing competitiveness and growth, progressive companies will recognize that the diversity landscape is con- stantly evolving and expanding. The industry customer base is becoming more diverse, and national and global talent pool demographics are changing during a time when key talent and skills are becoming more difﬁcult to secure and retain,” he said. “Long-term success in diversity and inclusion will require that we move beyond just building a diverse workforce and create a work environment that effectively manages, values and ultimately leverages diversity as a competitive advantage.” – Agatha Gilmore Bill Harper Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer PG&E For Bill Harper, diversity is not just another thing to do, but the way to get things done. Harper’s role as vice president and chief diversity ofﬁcer of Paciﬁc Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) — one of the largest combination natural gas and electric utilities in the United States — allows him to fuse his operations background and diversity and inclusion knowledge to help create real change, he said. “This career path allows me to drive the strategic plan and performance metrics to facilitate realization of the business case for diversity and inclusion across the enterprise,” Harper said. “Although my background is in operations, being a former chief procurement ofﬁcer has allowed me to spend a great deal of time in the diversity arena,” Harper said. “I have always been a very strong advocate for a diversity and inclusion program.” When deﬁning diversity and inclusion for the organization, Harper said PG&E made sure to communicate those deﬁnitions to the workforce in the very beginning. “At PG&E, diversity is deﬁned as all the ways in which we are different,” he explained. “It is present in our job function, work styles, experiences and ideas.” Harper deﬁned inclusion at PG&E as the process of leveraging the power of the company’s individual uniqueness to achieve its business strategies and goals, be better corporate citizens and the best in the industry. The organization’s achievements in diversity include creating a comprehensive, qualitative assessment for diversity and inclusion for the enterprise; incorporating inclusion competencies into the leadership performance measurement process; launching a diversity and inclusion executive steering committee; rolling out diversity and inclusion performance metrics and developing an integrated employee association strategy. Further, PG&E has completed awareness training for all ofﬁcers and directors and also has completed a range of inclusion skills development workshops for recruiters, employee 40 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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