Diversity In The Workplace

Diversity in most organizations is no longer a matter of counting statistics and attempting to do the right thing, it is now vital to business success. In order for companies to sell locally and globally they need to better understand their target audience mix and include a diverse perspective of their employees. Top executives will also need to better understand cultures in countries around the world.

In the article “The New Diversity”, published this month in The Wall Street Journal, several examples were cited to substantiate this importance:

PepsiCo – Increased minorities in management positions and new products such as guacamole-flavored Doritos chips, Gatorade Xtreme aimed at Hispanics while Montain Dew Code Red targeted towards African Americans and wasabi-flavored snack aimed towards Asians.

IBM – Increased minority management, especially women, more than tripled since 1995 and now stands at 52% of the organization.

Harley Davidson – Increased women and people of color in management positions.