Personnel Management in Government, 7th Edition

383

© 2010 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Chapter 9

Diversity in the

Workforce

As noted in Chapter 8 of this book, diversity is the next stage in the evolutionary

process of equal employment opportunity (EEO) and affirmative action. It differs

from EEO and affirmative action in marked ways (see Table 9.1). Here, we begin by

describing the changes in the workforce necessitating attention to the management

of diversity and the subtle ways in which equal opportunity is sometimes limited in

organizations. e chapter then discusses some strategies undertaken by organiza-

tions to provide a more inclusive environment for all segments of the workforce.

Workforce 2020

In 1987, under a contract with the Department of Labor, the Hudson Institute

issued a report entitled Workforce 2000, which forecasted the key trends that would

shape the nature of the American workplace and workforce at the end of the twenti-

eth century. A year later, under contract with the Office of Personnel Management

(OPM), the Hudson Institute produced a similar report, Civil Service 2000, that

described anticipated changes in the federal civil service over the same time period.

ese reports served as a wake-up call to employers by documenting the increasing

diversity of the American workforce. e Institute warned that policies that had

been effective when the workforce was largely young, white, and male might no

longer be effective as women and people of color become a larger share of the labor

force and as the average age of employees rises. Workforce 2000 was later criticized

because it appeared to overstate the extent to which white men would shrink as a

percentage of the labor force. Nevertheless, the reports induced a flurry of activity

384  ◾  Personnel Management in Government, Seventh Edition

© 2010 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

and the development of an industry of consultants, books, and videos designed to

sensitize employers and employees to the different perspectives and needs of a more

diverse workforce.

A decade later, the Hudson Institute published a sequel to Workforce 2000,

entitled Workforce 2020. eir latest study predicts an incremental but continued

diversification of the workforce. e percentage of women in the workforce already

Table 9.1 Comparing Equal Employment Opportunity, Affirmative Action,

and Managing Diversity

EEO Affirmative Action Managing Diversity

Qualitative/quantitative:

Emphasis on preventing

or ending

discrimination

Qualitative/quantitative:

Emphasis on redressing

past discrimination and

achieving diverse,

representative

workforces

Behavioral: Emphasis on

building specific skills

and creating a productive

work environment with

the organization’s human

resources

Legally driven:

Mandated by federal

law

Managerially and legally

driven: Involves voluntarily

developed goals as well

as court-ordered

programs; common law

has defined its legality and

constitutionality

Strategically driven:

Behaviors and policies

seen as contributing to

organizational goals and

objectives such as

productivity

Fairness: Seeks to end

discrimination and

create equal

opportunities

Remedial and

compensatory: Specific

target groups benefit

aspast and present

wrongs are remedied

Pragmatic: Organization

benefits in terms of

morale and increases in

productivity

Access model: Assumes

that protected class

persons will be able to

access organizations

Assimilation model:

Assumes that persons

and groups brought into

the system will adapt to

existing organizational

norms; can result in “sink

or swim” atmosphere/

environment

Synergy model: Seeks to

change organizational

culture to accommodate

diverse groups; assumes

people will develop new

ways of working

together in a pluralistic

environment

Level playing field:

Seeks to ensure equal

opportunity and access

Opens doors: Seeks to

affect hiring and

promotion decisions in

organizations

Opens the system:

Seeks to affect

managerial practices

and policies

Source: Riccucci, Norma M. Managing Diversity in Public Sector Workforces.

Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2002.