FREE
E-SUBSCRIPTION
to
If your e-mail
address ends in:
.gov
.edu
.mil
.us
.org
You can get a
FREE electronic
subscription at:
www.DiversityInc.
com/Freesubs
editor’s letter
Don’t Rest
On Your Laurels
We recently had a
conversation with the
chief diversity officer
of a company that has a decades-long history of involvement
with diversity, starting with its
advocacy for equality in the Civil
Rights Era. Both its current and
former CEOs were outspoken and
passionate champions of equal
rights for everyone.
The CDO’s question was: “Given
who we are and our long history of
involvement here, why aren’t we
higher up on the Top 50 list?”
The answer is clear. While past
commitment to diversity and
equality demonstrates deep core
values, it does not mean a company
is staying ahead of the pack in an
increasingly competitive area.
Consider this: In 2003, we had
118 companies participate in The
DiversityInc Top 50 Companies
for Diversity® survey. In 2007,
that number was up to 317, and
this year, it was 352. This year, the
list includes eight companies new
to the Top 50, and each year we
see additional companies make the
list or come close.
How do they do this? They
ramp up their diversity efforts
and pay attention to the crucial
and evolving elements we’ve
identified in the four areas we
measure: CEO Commitment,
Human Capital, Corporate and
Organizational Communications,
and Supplier Diversity.
“Evolving” is the important
word in that sentence. The
Top 50 is tweaked every year
to ensure it is capturing the
constant new trends in diversity
management, such as creating
employee-resource groups based
on generational differences
or auditing supplier-diversity
numbers.
But some companies don’t
evolve. They believe that resting
on their laurels should earn them
national acclaim. That’s like saying
you should keep your job because
of all the great projects you did
three years ago. It doesn’t fly in
today’s ultra-competitive market.
How do companies evolve?
They stay on top of the trends by
comparing their efforts against
their competitors and the best
of the best. They recognize that
more and more companies are
getting into the diversity “space”
and that to keep their prominence,
they have to constantly strive
to improve. That has a more
important effect as well: It makes
them more competitive nationally
and globally.
Those who went first, who had
the courage of their convictions
to defy “acceptable” standards and
fight for what was right, deserve
our admiration and respect. But
that won’t translate into increased
competitiveness. It’s their past,
not their future.
Barbara Frankel
Senior Vice President,
Executive Editor
editor@DiversityInc.com
