Strategic Diversity Leadership

In today’s world – whether viewed through a lens of educational attainment, economic development, global competitiveness, leadership capacity, or social justice and equity – diversity is not just the right thing to do, it is the only thing to do! Following the era of civil rights in the 1960s and ‘70s, the 1990s and early 21st century have seen both retrenchment and backlash years, but also a growing recognition, particularly in business and the military, that we have to educate and develop the capacities of our citizens from all levels of society and all demographic and social groups to live fulfilling lives in an inter-connected globe.For higher education that means not only increasing the numbers of diverse students, faculty, and staff, but simultaneously pursuing excellence in student learning and development, as well as through research and scholarship – in other words pursuing what this book defines as strategic diversity leadership. The aim is to create systems that enable every student, faculty, and staff member to thrive and achieve to maximum potential within a diversity framework. This book is written from the perspective that diversity work is best approached as an intellectual endeavor with a pragmatic focus on achieving results that takes an evidence-based approach to operationalizing diversity. It offers an overarching conceptual framework for pursuing diversity in a national and international context; delineates and describes the competencies, knowledge and skills needed to take effective leadership in matters of diversity; offers new data about related practices in higher education; and presents and evaluates a range of strategies, organizational structures and models drawn from institutions of all types and sizes. It covers such issues as the reorganization of the existing diversity infrastructure, building accountability systems, assessing the diversity process, and addressing legal threats to implementation. Its purpose is to help strategic diversity leaders combine big-picture thinking with an on-the-ground understanding of organizational reality and work strategically with key stakeholders and allies. This book is intended for presidents, provosts, chief diversity officers or diversity professionals, and anyone who wants to champion diversity and embed its objectives on his or her campus, whether at the level of senior administration, as members of campus organizations or committees, or as faculty, student affairs professionals or students taking a leadership role in making and studying the process of change.This title is also available in a set with its companion volume, The Chief Diversity Officer.

This volume addresses the role of chief diversity officers as coordinating and integrating diversity leaders in higher education and other sectors.Having established in a companion volume the parameters for an effective diversity strategy, the authors address such questions as: What is a chief diversity officer? How might we create dynamic chief diversity officer infrastructures? What models of CDO structure exist in the academy? What misperceptions often confound the work of officers and the institutions they work within? What key competencies are necessary to lead as a CDO? How does the CDO role compare across higher education, non-profit, and corporate sectors? And how might the role serve as an important contributor to a collaborative vision for change and transformation in the academy?This book begins by delineating the evolution of the chief diversity officer role in the academy. Drawing on extensive qualitative and quantitative research on CDOs conducted for the purposes of this volume, it describes how the scope and responsibilities are variously defined at the organizations where the position has been created, and offers insights into the complexities and challenges of the role.On the basis of this data and the literature on organizational design and change management, the authors define the requisite skills, knowledge and background to be effective, review the alternative organizational and governance structures under which CDOs operate, and in so doing present the Chief Diversity Officer Development Framework as a basis for recruiting candidates, for structuring the position to succeed, and for providing prospective and incumbent CDOs with a realistic sense of the scope of the role.This title is also available in a set with its companion volume, Strategic Diversity Leadership.

This book explores diverse cultural leadership styles and paradigms of leadership that are dynamic, complex, globally authentic and culturally competent for the 21st century. By redefining global leadership, the authors impart a new understanding of the criteria for selecting, training and evaluating leaders in the 21st century.

Executive Summary This briefing is designed for senior academic leaders and others engaged in the work of campus diversity and organizational change, whether at the president, provost, dean, or department head level, or participating in campuswide diversity planning committees and commissions as students, faculty, and staff. Although the briefing focuses on the key role of academic leadership, we developed it so that it would be helpful for the full spectrum of individuals often charged with intersecting with the diversity planning and leadership process. It is based on several concepts that emerged as part of a project by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) on the future of diversity work in higher education, Inclusive Excellence (Williams, Berger, & McClenden, 2005); a project examining dedicated executive-level diversity leadership, The Chief Diversity Officer Project (Williams & Wade-Golden, 2006; in press); the scholarly literature on diversity and organizational change; and our individual experiences building sustainable capacity to support and nurture diversity as administrators, researchers, consultants, and thought leaders nationally and at our respective institutions. We describe the context for understanding the environmental dynamics of diversity in the 21st century and the challenge of the diversity planning process. Next, we identify three key existing diversity models and a new multidimensional model that offers promise for enhancing diversity efforts on college and university campuses. We conclude with multiple principles-- which we call change levers--important for academic leaders interested in applying this model to leading and managing diversity in a way that is systematic, focused on diversity's implications for all students, driven by accountability techniques, and intended to create real and meaningful change at all levels of institutional culture: the Inclusive Excellence Model of organizational change and diversity (Williams et al., 2005).

Globalization is transforming the very nature of our business relationships, decision-making processes, and interactions, making world-class diversity management more needed than ever before. But until now, the field of diversity had no established standard for evaluating best practices, or even agreement on fundamental philosophies, principles, and concepts. In this pioneering book, the world's leading diversity authority proposes a framework that will facilitate the development of a truly world-class standard for diversity management. R. Roosevelt Thomas begins by laying out his Four Quadrant model, which encompasses all core diversity strategies: managing workforce demographic representation, managing demographic relationships, managing diverse talent, and managing all strategic diversity mixtures. He analyzes the goals, motives, approaches, accomplishments, and challenges associated with each quadrant, as well as the paradigm or mindset that lies behind each quadrant's express purpose. Having laid out this broad range of strategies, Thomas shows how to realize them through the Strategic Diversity Management Process™, by far the most effective method for implementation. A detailed case study of CEO Jeff Kilt—a fictional composite of the many executives Thomas has worked with—effectively illustrates the complexities encountered when working with each of the Four Quadrant strategies in the real world. This book offers a comprehensive blueprint that will enable leaders to address any diversity issue (not just race or gender) in any setting, anywhere in the world. Most important, it proves that a world-class standard of diversity management is indeed a possible and achievable goal.

This book guides managers and leaders toward greater insight and more deliberate practices in regards to diversity, equity, and inclusion addressing leadership, operations, and the educational environments. The authors consider the qualities of awakened leadership as critical components for establishing and nurturing a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment. The book argues that the only way destructive conflicts can be resolved on a lasting basis is through profound collaboration, which can be embedded in performance structures by questioning biases, and becoming aware of limiting mindsets and traditions, that keep parts of society subjugated. It offers a wide range of constructive approaches that lead to higher awareness, thus, better understanding and focus on stakeholders. Finally, it presents examples of diversity-engendered issues and their resolutions from around the globe.

"This study identifies the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other personal characteristics (KSAOs) needed in individuals who will be responsible for implementing strategic diversity plans in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The authors interviewed more than 60 diversity leaders in industry, the public sector (including DoD), and academia and reviewed relevant scientific literature, education programs, and advertised job requirements. The study found that primary roles and responsibilities for diversity leaders include strategic leadership, stakeholder engagement, tracking diversity trends, and human resources-related activities. To carry out these responsibilities, diversity leaders would ideally have the following KSAOs: interpersonal skills; business expertise; leadership skills; equal employment opportunity, affirmative action, and diversity knowledge and skills; a driven personality and commitment to diversity; analytical abilities and skills; critical thinking and problem-solving skills; and multicultural competence. Certain KSAOs are harder to develop than others (e.g., personality attributes and motivation) and should form the basis of selection of diversity leaders. Other KSAOs, such as problem-solving, communication, and technical skills, are easier to develop and may be enhanced through training and education. The study recommends a three-step plan for DoD to help determine how to train and educate future DoD diversity leaders: (1) determine whether there should be a separate professional development track for diversity and inclusion personnel, (2) determine training and education requirements by focusing on those KSAOs more amenable to development, and (3) determine the best means for fulfilling those requirements (e.g., whether to outsource the training)"--Publisher's description.