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MAKING DIVERSITY REAL

April 5, 2002By

Linda S. GreeneEvjue-Bascom Professor of Law

Associate Vice ChancellorUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison

©Linda Greene 2002

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How do you define the diversity required for

excellence in your endeavors?

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Examples of Diversity: Intellectual Diversity Experiential Diversity Emotional Diversity Creative Diversity Language and Cultural Diversity Racial and Ethnic Diversity

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Define diversity in terms broad enough to insure excellence

in all of your endeavors.

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How can we make diversity real?

What are our

options?

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A Legal Approach? Concern about discrimination law Concern about affirmative action law Concerns about institutional hiring

procedures and regulations

All are important considerations!

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Limitations: Narrow Procedural Bureaucratic Defensive

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The Alternatives…

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A Normative Approach: Send clear messages about a Diversity

and Inclusion Vision. Clarify Expectations. Reconstruct the dialogue -- Link

diversity to excellence.

DIVERSITY EXCELLENCE

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The Emotional Approach: Examine your own assumptions How do you feel about a more diverse

environment? How do you react emotionally in the

presence of difference? How do these emotions affect your

interaction with others and your behaviors?

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The Experiential Approach: Examine your own experience Do you have diversity…

In your staff? In your circle of confidants? Among your mentors? Among your mentees? Among your associates and friends?

Do you publicly recognize and meaningfully reward those who act to value diversity?

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The Environmental/Climate Approach: Examine your workplace environment. Is the environment/climate positive and

nurturing? Do you have institutionalized mechanisms to

assess and improve the work environment for all people in your community?

Would your climate be a positive for token individuals?

In other words, does your climate nourish diversity?

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The Integrative Approach: Examine the role/place of diversity in your

work and life. Is diversity in the mainstream of your

concerns? Are diversity concerns integrated or

separated? Are diversity concerns at the margins or at

the center? In other words, is diversity central to your

vision of excellence?

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The Sustainable Approach: Sustain means:

To keep in existence; maintain. To supply with necessities or

nourishment; provide for. To support from below; prop. To support the spirits, vitality, or

resolution of; encourage.

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The Sustainable Approach cont… For example:

Are new employees an integral part of the enterprise?

Are institutionalized support mechanisms in place to reap the benefits of a diverse work or learning environment?

Are there accountability mechanisms to monitor and reward diversity efforts?

Are diversity concerns and efforts an integral factor in all activities?

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Main Messages…

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Move beyond diversity as a slogan or mere legal/policy mandate.

Make diversity a normative value. Acknowledge and address the emotional content

of diversity in our lives. Live diversity in your life. Create a nurturing, rich climate for diversity in

your environment. Make diversity efforts sustainable. Embrace a wholistic vision of excellence through

diversity.