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DEFINING DIVERSITY

iv rsity is a term that is used widely, but often without a shared unders tand ing.

Sometimes diversity initiatives focus on obvious gender, racia l, or physical differences

(e.g., employment equity programs that target women, minorities, or persons with

disabilities). However, within the counseling literature, it is increasingly common to

find a much broader definition of diversity amidst a discussion of what constitutes

personal identity (Sue Sue, 2003) or how to conduct culture-infused counseling

(Arthur Collins, 2010 ).

Sue and Sue (2003), in their tripartite model of personal identity, acknowledged

distinct individual, group, and universal levels. At the individual level are such

characteristics as genetic endowment and unique, nonshared life experiences. At

the group level are similarities and differences in race, sexual orientation, marital

status, religious preference, culture, ability, ethnicity, geographic location, age,

socioeconomic status, and gender. Finally, at the universal level, all people share

some biological and physical similarities, common life experiences, self-awareness,

and the ability to use symbols. Similarly, McGrath (as cited in Mannix Neale,

2005) identified five components of diversity: demographic attributes; task-related

knowledge, skill, and abilities; values, beliefs, and attitudes; personality, cognitive,

and behavior styles; and status in the work group's organization. A comprehensive

definition of diversity, therefore, needs to go far beyond some of the legislated equity

targets that have been the traditional focus of diversity initiatives.

WOR KPL CE DIVERSITY

In a workplace where divers i ty is celebrated rather than merely tolerated, al l indi-

viduals can be open about al l aspects of their culture and individual characteris t ics ;

employees will not have to attempt to hide their spirituality, political affiliations,

sexual or ienta t ion , d isabi l i t ies , gender , e thnic background, age, socioeconomic

s ta tus ,

or any other characteris t ic that could potential ly lead to discrimination or

bul lying. However, this may be more of an aspirational goal than something that is

practically achieve d in the work place. As Mannix and Nea le (2005) noted, workplac e

divers i ty can have negative effects , including increased confiict between groups,

poorer performa nce, an d lower job satisfaction for som e. They a rgued that divers i ty

crea tes social divis ions, especially when some groups are s ingled out and lab eled as

diverse (i.e. , when specific subgroups are the targets of diversity initiatives). Previ-

ously,

Schneider (1987) identif ied the tendency of s imilar employees to be at tracted

to the sam e organization, as well as the tenden cy for organizations to hire indiv idua ls

who match the profile of successful incumbents. To a certain extent, this fits with

Holland's (1985) model of person-environment f i t , a model that is foundational to

many of the interest assessment tools s t i l l used today by career and employment

counse lors . Although Holland's model is specif ic to occupational personali ty, the


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successfully fill key positions, and many highly skilled workers are marginalized,

underutilized, or altogether unem ployed, reaching out to underrep resented groups of

potential employees, and retaining them once they are hired, is taking on increasing

importance. Employment counselors are in a position to assist both of these groups;

supporting workplace diversity has the potential to have a positive impact on recruit-

ment, retention, and employee engagement.

SUPPOR TING WOR KPL CE DIVERSITY

More than 15 years ago, Kleemann (1994) identified several factors that contribute to the

success of diversity

plans:

a recognition ofthe need for change, self-confidence, financial

commitment to the project, education (academic skills), and support from both family

and community. The same holds true today. As in all change initiatives, awareness is

the first step. Workers at all levels (i.e., not just the human resource [HR] managers or

members ofthe executive team) need

to

understand the impact of not embracing diversity.

There are many reasons underlying diversity initiatives or programs, not the least of

which is to avoid discrimination lawsuits (Takeuchi CuUen, 2007). However, there is

a paucity of conclusive evidence that single diversity workshops, short-term diversity

awareness initiatives, or targeted diversity programs really work (Johnstone & Kanit-

saki, 2008). Although such programs may help to win a court case or to minimize the

financial award in a lawsuit settlement, as both Barrile (2003) and Takeuchi Cullen

(2007) have pointed out, a program that does not have acceptance from individuals

at all levels of the organization is unlikely to have any significant, long-lasting effect.

Another challenge with many diversity initiatives is their narrow focus on one

aspect of diversity, often with a specific sales or marketing target in mind (e.g.,

Pepsi Corporation's diversification in the late 1940s as reflected in their hiring of an

exclusively African American marketing team to increase sales to that community;

more recently, that company has used Latino/Hispanic resource groups for product

testing, as described in Egodigwe, 2009).

McGill University (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) sociologist, Morton Weinfeld

While

Embracing Diversity,

We

Should Consider How Much, 2008), distinguished

between hard and soft diversity. Soft d iversity is the approach commonly taken in the

workplace, focusing primarily on food and art; Radisson Hotels, for example, cel-

ebrates multicultural events with educationa l displays, festive m usic, and authentic

cu isine (McBeath, 2008 , p. 7). Hard diversity, on the other hand, challenges some

of the deeply embedded racist, sexist, homophobic, or ableist attitudes and beliefs;

tackling hard diversity, it would seem , has the potential to make more wide-sweeping

systemic differences within organizations and communities.

Diversity in the workplace is beneficial to everyone involved: employees, em ploy-

ers, and in many cases, clients/customers. Having a diverse team provides access

to a multitude of perspectives. Whether for projects or problem solving, a diverse

team can provide opportunities to share knowledge and creativity, in turn enhancing


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DeMaria (2009) refiected on a tendency for employers to become complacent

about diversity issues; it is tempting to believe that once diverse employees feel

included, diversity will no longer be an issue. However, as employees enter and

leave project teams and as awareness and understanding of the impact of culture

and diversity increase, there will always be more to do. Diversity is not static; a

commitment to continuous learning and challenging previously unexamined beliefs

and biases remains important.

SUPP ORT ING EMPLO YERS EMBR ACING DIVERSITY S.E.E.D.)

TOOL KIT

With funding from the C anada-British Columbia Labour Market Development Agree-

ment in 2009, a community service provider partnered with a private consulting firm

to develop the S.E.E.D. tool kit (S.U.C.C.E.S.S., 2009); it is now freely available to

the public at www.embracingdiversity.ca. The purpose of the project was to compile

and organize existing relevant resources, make them accessible to employers and

human resource management professionals, and provide guidance to support employ-

ers in creating and maintaining a diverse workforce.

The first step in developing the tool kit was to conduct an environmental scan (i.e.,

to review existing tools and identify local and global practices supporting employers

to embrace workplace diversity). As a result of the scan, and a subsequent focus group

with an employer advisory committee supporting the project, a decision was made to

embrace the broad definition of diversity as previously introduced in this article, rather

than the more narrow focus of supporting immigrants within the workplace (which had

been the original intent of the project). The research team and the employer advisory

comm ittee unanimously agreed that, to make a significant difference in the workplace,

the tool kit to be developed must support employers with all types of diversity rep-

resented within their organizations. Although facilitating immigrant employment was

one important priority, it was not recognized as the only priority.

One component of the S.E.E.D. project was to develop a virtual tool kit of resources

(i.e.,

to make the tools identified through the environmental scan more useful to

employers). The acronym ROI was chosen for the tool kit, partly because of its tra-

ditional meaning within the business community: Return on Investment. ROI within

the S.E.E.D. tool kit, however, stands for Recruitment, Orientation, and Inclusion.

Diversity-related articles, guides, tool kits, and websites were organized into these

three topical areas so that employers who needed support at each of these distinct

stages could easily find the specific help they needed.

As the project progressed, it became clear that diversity needed a champion within

organizations committed to embracing diversity—someone who would be tasked with

being familiar with diversity resources (e.g., the S.E.E.D. tool kit), increasing diver-

sity awareness within the organization, and being an advocate for change as needs

emerged. To support this champion, another piece of the tool kit was developed— the


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as well as resources for creating diversity posters; a calendar within the Yearbook

identifies diversity-related dates and special events. During the pilot stages of the

project, a web-based network was established as a place for diversity champions to

meet and encourage each other. Unfortunately, however, funding for a facilitator did

not continue after the end of the pilot stage.

The S.E.E.D. tool kit is just one of many tools available to support workplace di-

versity. However, tools alone will not stimulate change; it takes a champion to move

things forward. Employment counselors can directly serve as diversity champions

or, through counseling, coaching, or consulting, can support in-house champions

within a variety of organizations. Regardless of approach, employment counselors

can be instrumental in a variety of short- and long-term interventions to support

workplace diversity. The following section identifies 10 specific roles that employ-

ment counselors can play.

EMERGING ROLES FOR EMPLOYMENT OUNSELORS

Employment counselors typically support unemployed job seekers. However, there

has been an increasing recognition that support for career development is a lifelong

necessity (Watts, 2010). Therefore, as employment counselors expand their roles

to include workplace initiatives (i.e., supporting employees and their employers),

consulting, and advocacy, there are many specific ways for them to influence and

support workplace diversity. Following is a description of 10 possible roles that

employment counselors can play in this endeavor.

Preparing lients for Interviews or Work Placements

Although this is a fairly traditional role for many employment counselors, it is tak-

ing on a new complexity as political and societal views shift about who should be

working. Employment counselors are increasingly expected to support clients with

a variety of employm ent barriers . Definitions of employm ent ready vary between

service providers; clients with limited work ex perience , communication challenges,

or self-confidence issues may need extensive coaching.

Supporting Inclusive Employee Selection Practices

Supporting employee selection is more typically the realm of recruiters, HR man-

agement professionals, or consultants. However, many employment counselors play

a role as community partners in addressing the shortage of skilled workers that

local employers are experiencing. Employment counselors may support HR profes-

sionals or hiring managers through prescreened referrals of suitable candidates,

recommendations of culture-fair assessment tools, or increasing their awareness of

an untapped source of workers currently underrepresented in the workplace (e.g.,


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Facilitating New mployee Orientation

Many employers overlook the importance of orienting new employees; others simply

do not do it well. However, employees who do not feel welcomed by managers and

coworkers or supported in getting started in their new job are more likely to quit,

and employee turnover is a costly problem for many organizations (Hacker, 2004).

Employment counselors have an intimate understanding of the issues that their

diverse clients face as they enter the workforce.

Preparing Incumbent mployees to Welcome Newcom ers

Typically the focus of orientation sessions is on assimilating new employees to an

existing workplace culture. However, if a diversity-embracing culture is to be es-

tablished, work may be needed to prepare the incumbent workforce for the diverse

colleagues who are about to begin work. This is especially true if several new em-

ployees are similar to each other but different from the dominant populations in the

workplace as is the case when employers choose to recruit internationally or bring

in a younger cohort directly from an educational institution.

It is not uncotnmon for employment counselors to find that their carefully

crafted placements do not work, despite the best intentions of senior managers, if

the newcomers are isolated, marginalized, bullied, or mobbed by coworkers with

unexamined biases. Sadly, research has demonstrated that one-off initiatives (e.g.,

diversity training workshops) may not be effective in eliminating deeply rooted

stereotypes or beliefs about others (Johnstone & Kanitsaki, 2008; Takeuchi Cullen,

2007). Employment counselors may be able to play an ongoing role in support-

ing diversity awa reness, facilitating workshops or lun ch -an d-le arn session s,

and individually coaching employees or managers who are struggling to embrace

diversity. To do this well, however, employment counselors need to examine their

own beliefs, biase s, and stereotypes as they take a culture-infused (Arthur & Col-

lins, 2010) approach to their work.

Johnstone and Kanitsaki (2008) addressed the importance of

a

systemic approach

(i.e.,

emphasizing and enhancing cultural competence at all levels of the organiza-

tion). The S.E.E.D. tool kit, as previously discussed, equips diversity champions

with strategies for keeping the benefits of diversity at the top of an organization's

agenda mind through posters, quotes, facilitated discussions, and cultural events

throughout the year.

Strengthening Teams

Employment counselors may be able to provide additional support through facilitat-

ing teambuilding/team strengthening activities, focusing on project or departmental


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will be established throughout the organization. There are many approaches to team

strengthening, from workshops based on personality assessments such as Personality

Dimensions http://www.personalitydimensions.com) or the Myers-Briggs Type Indi-

cator http://www.cpp.com/Products/mbti_info.appx) to more experiential activities

such as ropes courses or kayaking.

Resolving Conflict

As employment counselors build relationships with employers in the community,

they may be called upon to contribute their counseling or coaching skills when in-

dividual employees, project teams, or groups of employees and their supervisors find

themselves in unproductive conflict. Interventions may include psychoeducational

workshops, individual counseling or coaching, or facilitated mediation processes

such as healing circles or restorative justice interventions. If a conflict is rooted in

deep-seated prejudice, it may be necessary to address underlying beliefs, fears, or

stereotypes before the conflict can be resolved.

Writing:

Blogs Newsletters Articles Curricula

Resources or Books

Many employment counselors have significant ex perience in developing workshop presen ta-

tions, psychoeducational resources, and curricula; some are also published authors. Local

employers may welcome diversity-related contributions to employee newsletters, blogs, or

bulletin boards. Human resource professionals and training managers may be interested

in partnering with community-based service providers or subcontracting to independent

consultants to develop customized diversity-related workshops, programs, or courses.

Conducting and Debriefing Exit Interviews

Inevitably, employees do leave organizations, sometimes under challenging circum-

stances. Employment counselors frequently hear about how bad the last supervisor,

team, or organization

was;

however, this information is shared in confidence and there

is no mechanism to use it to facilitate organizational change. Perhaps employment

counselors could be contracted by organizations to use very similar skills to conduct

exit interviews with employees who were fired or quit. Systematic data collection and

analysis might surface patterns and themes that could, in turn, be used to support

organizations to more effectively embrace diversity.

Tracking and Measuring Outcomes

As in all areas of counseling and human resource management, there is an increas-

ing focus on evidence-based prac tice i.e.. How can we prove that an initiative or


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mate, intergroup relations, education (e.g., diversity-related courses, diverse case

examples, culturally competent instructors), and organizational vitality and viability

(e.g., diversity of staff equity, public perceptions).

Documenting evidence does not have to be onerous. Neault and Glendinning

(2008) wrote a brief guide for career practitioners with tips for conducting research

through activities that each take less than 30 minutes (e.g., choosing a topic, method,

or appropriate tools; setting up a survey; analyzing data; com municating resu lts).

Stimulating Change Through dvocacy

Neault (2008) wrote about the ethics of advocacy, citing the National Career Devel-

opment Association's (2007) Code of Ethics. This role for employment counselors

is especially relevant in relation to advocacy for local, national, and international

policies that facilitate access to meaningful work and safe, respectful workplaces

for all people, not just the privileged. Employment counselors could contribute to

focus groups, speak to employer or sector associations, and consult to politicians

and policy makers, raising awareness of workplace inequities and the benefits to

individuals and the global economy of supporting employers embracing diversity

(Mor Barak, 2000; S.U.C.C.E.S.S., 2009).

CONCLUSION

To be effective, the focus for workplace diversity initiatives and interventions

needs to be inclusive (i.e., addressing the uniqueness of all individuals). Initia-

tives that focus exclusively on one or two aspects of diversity (e.g., gender, race)

risk reinforcing stereotypes and ignoring the challenges experienced by members

of other nondominant groups. Targeted initiatives also tend to minimize the com-

plexity of diversity. All people have countless cultural influences; they do not

neatly fit into separate categories (e.g., one employee may concurrently be in a

position of privilege as a manager, but a target of mobbing as a gay male or, as an

older worker, be overlooked for a promotion). Workplaces that embrace diversity

create environments in which employees do not need to hide or disguise aspects

of who they are in order to be respected and appreciated by their colleagues and

managers. Employment counselors can make a significant difference in support-

ing workplace diversity, through working with individuals, their employers, or

the larger institutional systems that have an impact on policies and standards.

Workplaces that embrace diversity have the potential to recruit, retain, and fully

engage individuals who have much to contribute.

REFERENCES

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Doyle, R., & George, U. (2008). Achieving and measuring diversity: An organizational change approac h.

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Egodigwe, L. (2009). Staying focused on best practices.

Black

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(2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ:

Prentice Hall.

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National Career Development Association. (2007). Code of ethics. Retrieved from http://www.ncda.org/

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