Diversity in the Workplace Grows: No Commitment to Diversity Leadership at the Top

There are several arguments that support the benefits and increase of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Both qualitatively and quantitatively research have shown the benefits to the workers and overall profits for organizations and businesses. However, there is no evidence to show that diversity is reaching leadership at the top. Given this, critics are skeptical about the effects of diversity on leadership because there is no increase of the representation of minorities and women in top leadership positions. Yes, there is no doubt that diversity is represented at the bottom of organizations or businesses where many minorities and women are located. However, their absence in top management certainly shows. The gap and absence of women and minorities in upper management are not being addressed. Again, reflecting on my last blog about solving the world economic crisis, women have shown how it should be done. Without them in leadership at the top, how can we get change? What about diverse ethnic minority groups? What are the obstacles also preventing them from climbing to top managerial positions of leadership in organizations and businesses? These must be addressed for any true change. Diversity should be represented throughout organizations and businesses, not only at the bottom. We need to have diversity in top managerial positions of leadership.

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"Stepping Up: Managing Diversity in Challenging Times," from above is the recently concluded study done by Commonwealth Compact created by Stephen P. Crosby, dean of the McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies. The report shows that although there are initiatives aim to help reverse Boston's image as unfriendly to minorities and women in the workplace, 42% of organizations surveyed showed that they were not satisfied with diversity leadership. 11% surveyed have no minorities in their governing and leadership boards, unlike minority representation in clerical and technical positions. The report reinforces that having minorities and women in the workplace doesn't mean there will be diversity in the leadership ranks. One reason is that there is less a focus to bring in people to break the glass ceiling, and I would add also the concrete ceiling.

The Diversity Institute in Management and Technology, Ryerson University, Toronto and the Maytree Foundation are embarking on a similar leadership project to review the participation of visible minority men and women in leadership positions in the Greater Toronto Area within key areas of government, private and public sector organizations and not-for-profit institutions. Do you think that the findings would be different or similar to what came out of the Commonwealth Compact project in Boston? We can know definitely after 2011, when the project ends and the report written.

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Dr. Marilyn J