In 1968 the Phillip Morris Tobacco Company introduced a new cigarette, Virginia Slims, using the marketing slogan, “You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby”.  The underlying message was supposedly not only about the freedom women now had to smoke, but that in essence they had “arrived” at a point of equality with men.

Just four years before this campaign was launched, the Civil Rights Act was passed. This Act was the beginning of what would become the transformation of the business environment to accept and embrace diversity.  For the most part this legislation, along with other regulations that followed, resulted in policies and trainings targeted at raising awareness and sensitivity regarding fairness and equality in the workplace, and forced the modification of employment practices related to issues such as:  age, disabilities, race, gender, national origin, religion, etc. 

In the process of shifting workplace perceptions and behaviors towards non-discriminatory practices, additional benefits have been realized.  The most surprising, improvements to the bottom line. Business profits grew in addition to improvements being made to the work environment. As a result of working with people offering different experiences, knowledge, and skills they were also able to expand product innovation and market share.  Other benefits included improved capacity to become a “global” enterprise, and greater adaptability to change.  The question now – “Is that all there is?   Have we “arrived?”

Words Can Inspire

As the business environment has changed, so have technologies and social norms.  Our changing world and paradigm shifts have brought us to a “new” sense of this thing we call diversity.  However, the word has been diluted and the clarity of its definition is murky.  We’ve used it to define variety, differences, affirmative action, programs, trainings, quotas, etc.  The word means a lot of things to different people.  

A basic change management concept is to change the terminology employees use to complete a function when an organization wants to emphasize a new expectation, practice or behaviors.  By changing the words used to accomplish the tasks, the employees are reminded that the work is to be approached differently and with time, the “old” ways are forgotten, and the “new” expectations become the routine.  In her February 17th blog Avivah Wittenberg-Cox  suggests that a more appropriate term than diversity is Mosaic Management.   I like that.  It provides a great visual for our mind’s eye.

Progressive business leaders and HR executives are exploring differences being encountered in our domestic and global workplaces and examining how they impact their business. They continue to honor the expectations for inclusion and non-discriminatory practices, while grappling with how to respond to the sophistication of our 21^st Century and Beyond workplaces.   It appears we may be at a point where we no longer need one key manager to be responsible for ensuring the appropriate level of inclusion and fair treatment in our business operations.  We’re all a lot wiser now.  Perhaps the time has come for each of us to be individually accountable for demonstrating behaviors that connect us, not divide us, and support the success of our businesses.

The "New" Diversity

So what “new” horizons could we reach for with Mosaic Management goals?  For starters, we could raise awareness of how to work more effectively with co-workers and customers that have different (fill in the blank with one of the following): 

Dr. Izzy Justice, founder of EQMentor, participated in a recent SHRM webcast where he stated that the “new” diversity “focuses on the state of the modern workplace, one that:

• is global.
• operates virtually.
• is in a state of constant, rapid change.
• requires awareness of cultural issues.
• demands technology literacy.
• is transient.
• uses multiple models of communication.”  
  

Taking it to the Next Level

We already have a strong foundation to build on; utilizing the policies, practices and trainings created to educate employees about the importance of diversity to individuals, the organization and the future of the business.  We now need to expand the lens we are looking through.  

So what can your organization do to take diversity to the next level?  Here are a few suggestions.

1.         Create a culture dedicated to the art of respect.

2.         Don’t wait for legislation to mandate what is the “right” thing to do.  

3.         Engage with your employees, customers, and stakeholders in a dialogue about what improvements can be made to better acknowledge and respect differences.

4.         Make a commitment to follow through on the ideas stakeholders generate that spark creativity and innovation.

5.         Continue to educate and ensure that respecting differences is a high priority for all employees and policies and procedures are followed to ensure compliance with employment regulations.

6.         Celebrate your successes and be a role model for other organizations trying to figure out what to do next.