SHPE - Fall 2008 - (Page 38)

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ❚ By Patty Enrado Grupos de Afinidad Sharing a Common Vision N ineteenth century Spanish anarchists created the concept of affinity groups, or grupos de afinidad, which were small bands of activists who shared a common vision and worked on a direct action. The concept stayed true to its roots when affinity groups associated with the anti-nuclear movement sprang up in the 1970’s. By the 1990’s, however, the concept was embraced by private corporations, which envisioned affinity groups to be a venue that provided minority employees with professional development resources and social networking opportunities. These days, affinity groups are ubiquitous in the private and public sectors, but they have continued to evolve. Many companies see affinity groups as beneficial not only to the employees but to the company itself in the form of recruitment and retention of top talent and business success in a global economy. The proliferation of and support for Hispanic affinity groups attest to the value of these networks, especially as the marketplace becomes more global. Several of the Society’s corporate supporters describe the vital role of their affinity groups. Cummins Inc.: Education, Awareness and Business Acumen Cummins Inc., whose business units design, manufacture, distribute and service diesel and natural gas engines and related technologies, has 33 affinity groups, with 23 based in the United States and 10 based internationally. The global company supports the Latino Affinity Group based in the Nashville, Tennesee, and Grupo Organizado de Affinidad Latino (GOAL) in Southern Indiana. The misalignment between the large Latino population in the United States and its representation in major companies drove Julie Bermudez, marketing analyst, to get involved in and eventually become leader of Cummins encourages its affinity groups to address business problems as well as cultural education and awareness issues. the Filtration/CBS Latino Affinity Group, which has approximately 40 members. She spearheaded a career development initiative which brought communications training to the members. It also helps implement recruitment and retention initiatives in the community such as increasing awareness of Hispanic Heritage Month outside of the company. While on assignment in Columbus, she helped develop projects within GOAL, such as implementing communications training in Southern Indiana. “The advantage to being a part of both groups is trying to link and share best practices,” she said. Bermudez and Arcy Wilson, the Cummins Filtration team leader for Product Cost Optimization Engineering, worked together on the retention committee. Wilson joined the Latino Affinity Group in 2005 to help build a network of shared interests and cultures. Her involvement in community initiatives has provided personal satisfaction. “This is a way for me to educate or lift somebody else, pass on my learning,” she said. “It makes you feel good that you are helping others.” Like Burmudez, Wilson developed leadership skills, and her involvement in the Latino Affinity Group provided her with opportunities that she would not have experienced in her current job. “A lot of companies are only as good as their people,” said Wilson. Affinity groups help recruit and retain employees, added Wilson, enabling companies to maintain their high-level environment and in turn grow their businesses. Cummins encourages its affinity groups to address business problems in addition to focusing on education and awareness, said Lisa Gutierrez, executive director of Global Diversity. “We find that groups that effectively link with their organization’s goals have members who, at least anecdotally, seem to feel a much stronger bond with Cummins,” she said. “Our goal is to have our affinity groups become strategic business partners Lisa Gutierrez, with the company Cummins while also stewarding a viewpoint to improve and enhance the effectiveness of strategies, processes and policies.” U.S. Coast Guard: A “Business Imperative” The United States Coast Guard (USCG), the Navy and the Marines, as part of the three sea-bearing services alliance, fund major affinity groups for women, AfricanAmericans and Hispanic officers. The Association of Naval Service Officers (ANSO) supports approximately 500 Hispanic officers. Each group receives between $30,000 and $40,000 annually to send its members to the SHPE Conference for mentoring, training, networking and relationship-building. Its activities are aligned with the USCG’s Compass program, which funds its employees to attend minority conferences, thus becoming “the eyes and ears” for the rest of the USCG regarding minority interests and concerns. All affinity group members also participate in focus groups and have direct dialogue with top leaders. “We know the Hispanic community is the fastest growing minority in the United States,” noted David Benton, Work Force Policy advisor to the USCG. “We need a work force that reflects our country. In order to pull top talent into the sea-bearing services, we need to be visible and have minorSHPE ❘ Fall 2008 38

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SHPE - Fall 2008

SHPE - Fall 2008 Contents President's Letter From the Vice President Calendar of Events National Board of Directors The Great '08: Chapter Leaders Learn to Spread 'SHPE Fever' Browser National Retreat Provides a Redefinition An Engineer and a Politician Capitalizing on Engineering Talent Grupos de Afinidad A Focused Approach to Getting the Job You Really Want SHPE Conference 2008 IPC Update Programs & Services Keeping Warm with 'Yuper' Familia Spirit Promise of Spring Recruit, Engage and Retain Regional Student Representatives Regional Roundup Advertisers Index

SHPE - Fall 2008

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