The Diversity Index
The Alarming Truth About Diversity in Corporate America...and What Can Be Done About It
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- $3.99
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- $3.99
Publisher Description
Are we better off today than we were 50 years ago? Nearly 50 years after the Civil Rights Movement, there is a new crisis of opportunity in corporate America. Based on the author's groundbreaking study of Fortune 100 companies, The Diversity Index identifies a barrier that has formed as white women have outpaced people of color and, along with white male executives, have wound up creating a persistent racial ceiling. In addition, the quest for global profits has created worldwide competition for the corporate suite, and U.S.-born minorities and whites are losing out. This isn't only a civil rights issue, as studies have shown that businesses with a strong commitment to diversity outperform their peers. The book takes an in-depth look at companies that have struggled to find the perfect leadership mix. Detailing the stories of executives of General Electric, Hewlett Packard, Merck, and PepsiCo, The Diversity Index distills into 10 clear steps the methods that the most successful companies used to develop integration, keep it growing, and empower their employees to develop new products and markets
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In her first book, journalist Reed examines the changing profile of corporate diversity and its bumpy history in America, admitting that diversity has become "yesterday's topic." Though readers hoping for an informative how-to manual will be disappointed, the book's strength is its rich review of diversity programs in corporate America. In particular, Reed praises Merck's early compliance under former CEO Roy Vagelos, while also highlighting an ugly period in 1963 when black college students were repeatedly refused service at Walgreen's lunch counters. Reed supplements these company profiles with studies she conducted in 2005 and 2009 to determine the race and gender of executives from Fortune 100 firms. In 2009, 90% of those corporations employed white women as executive officers, but 40% had no executives of color. While today's firms are more diverse, Reed laments that this is the result of the integration of multinationals, rather than firms promoting U.S.-born minorities. Despite the solutions promised by the title, only 20 pages are dedicated to a "New Plan for Progress," which includes ten steps for more integrated leadership.
