Leadership in Action: Issues and Observations - Bridging the Identity Gap

Issues & Observations

Bridging the Identity Gap

Michael H. Hoppe

Mergers and acquisitions, rapidly changing demographics and technologies, and an increasingly global marketplace have created a workforce that is more diverse than ever before. As a result, leaders are increasingly called on to develop skills that allow them to work productively with people who are significantly different from themselves. Today's leaders are being asked to create work environments in which bridging differences across a wide range of social identities—including gender, race, religion, age, culture, and ethnicity—becomes a core competency for everyone in the organization. This challenge is more than a moral or legal problem. As an organization's people are increasingly ...