By Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas and Albert A. George
As U.S organizations increasingly develop a global footprint, they are finding that diversity, once relegated to the realm of race relations, encompasses many dimensions, is ubiquitous, and offers a potential for both good and ill. Effectively managed, diversity becomes a strategic force that both results from and contributes to organizational success in the global arena. Ignored or mismanaged, diversity can stymie the most ambitious of global aspirations.
As a result, diversity management competencies—the ability to identify and address significant similarities and differences and their accompanying tensions appropriately—are more important than ever. Indeed, organizations that wish to prosper must develop a World Class Diversity Management Capability. What are the requirements for achieving World Class Diversity Management Capability? If diversity is defined as the differences and similarities—and related tensions and complexities—that can characterize any mixture, world class aspirants must have an approach that at a minimum:
