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This whitepaper will be especially useful for association professionals engaged in staff management, organizational management, and human resources.

Diversity awareness has swept the business world. Yet in many organizations the conversation continues to center around a single, plaintive question: What is diversity? It is vital to address that question within each organization and constantly communicate the answer as it embarks on a diversity initiative. "If you don't know where you're going, then any road will get you there," warns an old saying. If we forge ahead to "do diversity," check it off our day-timer list and make our report to the executive committee without stopping to articulate what we mean by "diversity" and why it matters to our organization, we won't know where we're going and we won't know when we get there.

So, if an organization wants to focus on diversity, it first must articulate, clearly and simply, what is meant by diversity and then decide what approach to take. Is it going to tolerate, value, celebrate, manage, harness or leverage diversity?

What do you mean by diversity?

This simple question derails many HR professionals who have embarked on a diversity initiative without clearly defining the terms and business reasons for doing so, and without involving staff in developing the definition and focus of the initiative. For a focus on diversity to be embedded in an organizational culture, you must do both. The danger is stopping there or, as often happens, continually revisiting the question of definition, which delays actually doing anything about diversity. The question is really two questions in one: What is diversity? And the real question: What value does our company place on diversity? The first is relatively easy to answer; the second is more complicated. To be effective, communication about diversity in your organization must address both.

We may think that diversity is a new phenomenon, but the word was first used in the 12th century to mean "difference, oddness, wickedness, perversity." That origin may help explain the negative perception of diversity that lingers today. Some organizations avoid the word altogether, using words like "inclusion" instead. By the late 19th century, "diversity" had taken on a meaning more consistent with modern political and corporate initiatives. The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary defines diversity as "the condition or quality of being diverse, different or varied; variety, unlikeness."

Even today we must continually reiterate that contrary to our cousins in the 12th century, "different" does not have a negative connotation. But employees are not just seeking a dictionary definition when they ask about diversity. Instead, they are asking, "What does diversity mean to this company?" and "What are we going to do to embrace and maximize the benefits of diversity here?" The answers determine employees' expectations of how they, as diverse individuals, will be treated by the company. They will look to see if they are reflected in the organization's definition of diversity. In fact, in the current tight job market, some job candidates are asking to see prospective employers' diversity statements as they consider competing job offers.

Count me in

Roosevelt Thomas, founding president of the American Institute for Managing Diversity in Atlanta, enlarged our national perception of diversity with his book, Beyond Race and Gender. (AMACOM, 1992). By going beyond race and gender, Thomas focused on creating an environment that maximizes the potential and appreciates the diversity of every employee, not just women and minorities. However, most U.S. employees still consider diversity a "minority" issue, posing the first challenge for an organizational initiative.

Thomas defines the diversity process as a "comprehensive managerial process for developing an environment that works for all employees." The definition of diversity in Thomas' model is simple: "all the ways in which we are similar and all the ways in which we differ." The Pillsbury Co., for instance, defines diversity as "all the ways in which we differ." The simpler the definition, the better. The more important question is whether all the ways in which people differ are, in fact, respected in your workplace. What are the ways in which people in your organization differ and what barriers do those differences pose to full engagement of all employees? How do we express the fact that we value the diversity of our employees? What shows them that?

According to the Los Angeles-based management consulting firm of Gardenswartz and Rowe, four layers of diversity form the filters through which each of us sees the world. Personality is at the center: the innately unique aspect that gives each of us our own particular style. The next layer includes internal dimensions of diversity over which we have little or no control, such as gender, age and race. The next layer, external dimensions, includes outside influences such as where you grew up or live now, whether you have children and your hobbies and other personal habits. The final layer, organizational dimensions, includes what department you are in, your level, seniority and worksite in the organization.

All these dimensions form a filter through which you see the world and that can create barriers to accepting others. All should be considered a part of your diversity definition-and there may be others relevant to your own company or industry.

Marilyn Loden, author of Implementing Diversity: Best Practices for Making Diversity Work in Your Organization (Irwin Professional, 1995), advocates a broad definition of diversity. "To avoid wide-scale opposition, diversity must be defined in a broad and inclusive way. The definition must make it obvious to employees that everyone is included and therefore everyone's diversity is valued," she says.

Which diversity dimensions matter?

While diversity is inherently a broad, inclusive term, not all of its dimensions are created equal; some make a bigger difference in your organization than others-and those are the ones on which you must focus.

A broad definition of diversity does not imply that the organization is prepared to address each element of diversity equally or simultaneously. Each company and each industry has its own particular diversity issues.

For example, the American School Food Service Association in Alexandria, Va., examined the four layers of diversity in a conference of its leaders. The diversity issues that emerged were not about race and gender but were organizational in nature. Cafeteria workers in elementary schools were not perceived to be treated with as much respect as those in high school settings. Such workers in satellite kitchens also were perceived to be at a disadvantage compared to those in central kitchens for school districts. As a result, school districts were losing good people.

From words to deeds

Once an organization has defined diversity and determined which dimensions will have the greatest impact, it must decide what strategy or action to pursue. Will the organization tolerate, value, celebrate, embrace, manage, implement or leverage diversity for competitive advantage? Effective diversity statements include both the definition and the strategy-the "what" and the "why" of diversity.

More than 70 percent of Fortune 500 companies-and increasing numbers of nonprofit organizations-have diversity initiatives in place, each with written materials including their mission statement and definition of diversity. Effective diversity statements reflect not only what diversity is but also what it means to the organization, its business value.

Kraft Foods Inc., for example, spells out its commitment to diversity in metaphors with which people can identify: "A stellar meal requires contrasting and complementing textures and tastes." A winning sports team depends on the different talents of its members. A first-class orchestra needs many varied instruments. And a successful business team requires a variety of thought, energy and insight to attain and maintain a competitive edge. "Kraft Foods is comprised of people from different backgrounds, different ethnicities, different work styles, different values and different ways of thinking. We invite these differences. We seek them out. And we know that our business teams and the individuals thrive as a result."

Kraft's language provides a clear signal that as a corporation, it supports diversity. It has met the goal by clearly defining diversity, determining how to communicate it effectively and articulating the outcome. 

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