More organizations are dedicating senior-level executives to drive diversity initiatives for bottom-line effect. The role of the leader of diversity efforts has certainly changed—and not just in a change of title to chief diversity officer CDO. Today, the need for a big-picture thinker on diversity issues is greater than ever, driven by such factors as demographic strategy in the U. But certainly the biggest driver for higher-level diversity strategy is the need to tap the creative, cultural and communicative skills of a variety of employees and to use those skills to improve company policies, products and customer experiences. One company did just that: The Latino Employee Network at Frito-Lay, the snack food division of PepsiCo, proved invaluable during the development of Doritos Guacamole Flavored Tortilla Chips. Members of the network, called Adelante, provided feedback on the taste and packaging to help ensure that the product would be regarded as authentic in the Latino community. To gain such bottom-line business advantages from diversity initiatives, pepsico organizations are employing methods of understanding and relationship-building that encourage all employees to be heard. And those organizations are relying heavily on a new breed of diversity leader who can develop strategies to achieve those goals. Thus, the changes in the top diversity job reflect new demands and expectations not only of this one position, but also of the entire diversity function. Most organizations have come to realize that diversity efforts can affect the bottom line, but few take action. In the Society for Human Resource Management Workplace Diversity Practices Survey Report, nearly three out of four diversity said they ensure that diversity is a consideration in every business initiative and policy, but only 21 percent had staff dedicated exclusively to promote workplace diversity practices. By demonstrating an impact on the bottom line, top diversity executives can raise the profile of the effort. When looking for someone to fill the role of diversity leader, HR must find someone who is first a good business executive. That characteristic is needed to connect the dots from diversity initiative to business strategy to higher profits, according to Edwin Garcia, vice president of corporate diversity and inclusion at Kimberly-Clark, a global health and hygiene products manufacturer based in Roswell, Ga. Monica Emerson, executive director of diversity at DaimlerChrysler Corp. Diversity executives should be skilled in multiple areas of professional effectiveness. CDOs must pepsico strong influencing skills because they often push diversity initiatives across a large organization and need to persuade others to support their efforts, George says. In strategy, diversity executives cite the importance of having an open mind because the job requires them to get out of their comfort zone and experience things they may not be familiar with or be naturally drawn to. CDOs today are taking diversity measurement beyond common diversity metrics such as turnover, workforce representation year-to-year and employee satisfaction scores. For example, Aetna tracks the percentage of employees who are multilingual and encourages employees to learn a second or a third language. By helping to support diversity-related community programs, such as funding a diversity competency program at an Atlanta hospital, and having volunteers in key areas, Aetna maintains, the company increases diversity presence and brand reputation in key strategy, resulting in more business opportunities. Kimberly-Clark uses indexes and benchmarking data to determine its success in competing within its industry for top diverse talent. The data are presented as a function of recruitment rates, promotion rates and attrition. The tool also shows the distribution by gender and race through pepsico broad bands of compensation. A centralized diversity staff is critical for tracking diversity metrics, managing diversity strategy that provide training or recruiting, and communicating the diversity message. But a corporate structure with no connection to the business units does not help the diversity message permeate to the rest of the organization, says Garcia. Thus, a matrixed structure seems to be the structure of choice for CDOs. DaimlerChrysler, for example, has a small, centralized diversity staff. Such a matrix approach helps with the alignment of DaimlerChrysler diversity programs with both internal and external stakeholders, Emerson says, and facilitates communication among all groups. Similarly, PepsiCo has a centralized diversity staff that develops an overarching diversity strategy; that strategy is executed locally by each of its divisions. CDOs agree that business communication is critical to an effective diversity program. Garcia finds a market-segment approach beneficial to communicating his diversity vision to others at Kimberly-Clark. With marketing, I talk about employment branding as a means to access an emerging market for diverse talent. When he sets forth his diversity strategy with franchise owners, he reminds them of the impact that diversity can have on their consumer marketing opportunities. PepsiCo uses a variety of communication methods to get its diversity message out to a large, dispersed organization. Diversity and inclusion are constantly changing and evolving, so diversity executives must stay on top of current trends and topics. CDOs also want their affinity groups to play a larger role pepsico the business. Affinity groups at DaimlerChrysler, for example, help shape company strategies related to pepsico marketing and diversity recruiting. The groups also provide translation services and help with professional development programs. George at PepsiCo adds: For example, faith and religion in the workplace is an emerging issue that organizations must address as part of their inclusion strategy. A broader global perspective also will affect the CDO role. A looming talent shortage, demographic shifts and an increasingly global workforce indicate that top diversity executives will be diversity high demand. Diversity executives also believe that the alignment of diversity with business strategy will increase demand for diversity executives who hold MBA degrees and have line diversity. George, who has an MBA and spent eight years in sales and marketing roles, agrees. The enhanced role for CDOs promises to play a key part in the success of many organizations. But real success requires diversity executives to convince every employee that he or she owns the commitment to diversity. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Please enable scripts and reload this page. ENTIRE SITE SHRM Foundation SHRM India SHRM China. HR Today HR Strategy. News News HR News HR Magazine SHRM Blog. Public Policy Public Policy Take Action HR Public Policy Issues A-Team Advocacy Network State Affairs. Learning Learning Seminars Onsite Training eLearning Essentials of HR Management Executive HR Delegation Programs Virtual Events Webcasts. 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Perhaps even more critical than us, about his own remarks in the past.
If you have attempted psycho questions then you can discuss those answers.