Diversity as a Solution

I've been thinking a lot about Myra Thomas's article on the risk of minority women leaving accounting. In particular, this passage:

One African-American woman CPA, who's also a firm partner with two decades in the profession, who spoke with JobsintheMoney on the condition she remain anonymous, observed that "to really move the needle" in diversity practices "requires a culture change and personal values to change, which is a huge undertaking - similar to changing race relations in America."

I talk to a fair number of consultants who specialize in diversity. (The fact that I'm married to one such consultant helps.) They're men and women, black, white, Hispanic and Asian. What they tends to echo this woman's comment. We won't really approach diversity, as a solution as opposed to an issue, until we see the idea surround and knit itself into our culture, both in the office and in life more generally.

This is a huge idea, and it's not the kind of thing that can be planned for and scheduled. It can be encouraged, which is what corporate diversity programs tend to do, but it can't be mandated and it can only be enforced to a certain point. Sure, you can "hold managers accountable" for diversity goals, and discipline workplace harassment, and develop mentoring programs and networking programs. But all those programs do is provide minority professionals with certain career-development tools. Despite what you might hear around the microwave, these programs tend not to give people an undue advantage or free them from the pressures involved in doing good work, or bringing in clients, or whatever it is they're supposed to do for their firm.

These programs also don't address the grumbling around the microwave, which is a huge if insidious part of the quiet discrimination faced by professionals of color. Indeed, nearly 80 percent of the JobsintheMoney users who responded to a March 2006 snap poll said their company was not serious about diversity. People seem to believe firms run diversity programs because they have to. They want to show they're fostering a friendly work environment, because it looks good to potential employees, might help retain existing ones, and might also impede certain lawsuits. I'm not saying firms really are this cynical, but the perception is they're exactly that.

I realize I'm not saying anything new here, and I certainly don't have any answers to all this. But I do think diversity is the kind of thing we should be talking about more - not as an issue, but as a solution.