1. What’s Behind The Talk about Diversity
Melvin Gravely, Ph.D.
Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Ltd.
© 2008 Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Ltd. ▪ All rights reserved.

2. A new place to drape your ideas
Our Objective
Not stats
Not advocacy
Not even strategy
I offer you…
A hanger
A new place to drape your ideas
© 2008 Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Ltd. ▪ All rights reserved.

3. What’s Behind the Talk The Driving Question
What are we really trying to accomplish ?
Story about working so hard at something you forget why you are doing it.
© 2008 Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Ltd. ▪ All rights reserved.

4. What’s Behind the Talk Not a world where differences don’t matter
Story about working so hard at something you forget why you are doing it.
Not a world where differences don’t matter
but one where differences make us better.
© 2008 Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Ltd. ▪ All rights reserved.

5. What’s Behind The Talk Hurdles to Diversity
Diversity is complex
Legacy has an impact
“People like things like they like”
Diluted for acceptance
Fear has diminished candor
The promise has been tough to prove
Education, opportunity, perception of opportunity, previous strategies like affirmative action, diversity training, etc.
© 2008 Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Ltd. ▪ All rights reserved.

6. What’s Behind the Talk The Circle of Current Conversation
“They” just need
to do more
Unclear about
benefits
No longer sure why
We’ve been doing
it for awhile
Marginally convinced
we should
Story about working so hard at something you forget why you are doing it.
Global perspective
increases complexity
© 2008 Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Ltd. ▪ All rights reserved.

7. The Five Realities of Diversity What’s Behind the Talk
Diversity is happening
It is Not If
but How you respond
Story about something that is inevitible. Cemetary
© 2008 Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Ltd. ▪ All rights reserved.

8. Diversity is Happening What’s Behind The Talk
Growing in persons of color
Over 70, 20%
Under 10, 70%
48% of largest cities are minority
Growth rate of same sex households
80 million boomers set to retire over the next 20 years
© 2008 Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Ltd. ▪ All rights reserved.

9. Diversity is Happening Here Too What’s Behind the Talk in SE Michigan
Growth in ethnic groups
Hispanic 52%
Asian 84%
Net increases in college grads comes from immigrants
Boomers are retiring
Too few X Y to replace them
Southeast michigan.
© 2008 Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Ltd. ▪ All rights reserved.

10. Diversity is Happening What’s Behind the Talk
It is Not If
but How you respond
Fight & Fear
Plan & Prosper
Dump & Deny
Open to opportunity
Story about working so hard at something you forget why you are doing it.
Pursue & Profit
Blame & Bluster
© 2008 Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Ltd. ▪ All rights reserved.

11. The Five Realities of Diversity What’s Behind the Talk
Diversity is happening
Some people are OK with diversity but not actually for it.
© 2008 Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Ltd. ▪ All rights reserved.

12. What’s Behind The Talk The Value of Diversity?
What is the # 1 question in diversity?
“What’s the business case?”
This is the lead in to the next point. The upside is hard to quantify but difficult to ignore.
© 2008 Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Ltd. ▪ All rights reserved.

13. The Five Realities of Diversity What’s Behind the Talk
Diversity is happening
Some people are OK with it but not actually for it.
The upside is hard to quantify, difficult to ignore
© 2008 Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Ltd. ▪ All rights reserved.

14. What’s Behind The Talk The Value of Diversity
More diverse companies do better
Avg. sales 26% higher
63% more customers
More likely to have higher than avg. market share
Diverse groups are more innovative
Simple logic
University Illinois Chicago study
© 2008 Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Ltd. ▪ All rights reserved.

15. The Five Realities of Diversity What Behind the Talk
Diversity is happening
Some people are OK with it but not actually for it.
The upside is hard to quantify, difficult to ignore
Results are slow but perpetuating
© 2008 Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Ltd. ▪ All rights reserved.

16. The Five Realities of Diversity What’s Behind the Talk
Diversity is happening
Some people are OK with it but not actually for it.
The upside is hard to quantify, difficult to ignore
Results are slow but perpetuating
We know “How-to”
© 2008 Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Ltd. ▪ All rights reserved.

17. What’s Behind The Talk We Know “How-to”…or we should
32,417 books on cultural diversity
Over 700 “Cultural Diversity Consultants” and counting
Hundreds of conferences
Thousands of articles
Studies, training, magazines, assessment tools
But isn’t this the same process use when we do anything we really want to happen?
© 2008 Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Ltd. ▪ All rights reserved.

18. What’s Behind The Talk The Basics of “How-to”
Actually be for it
Plan for it to happen
Purpose, goals, strategies, processes
Allocate talent and resources
Measure progress
Improve
Repeat
But isn’t this the same process use when we do anything we really want to happen?
© 2008 Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Ltd. ▪ All rights reserved.

19. How Important is Diversity? What’s Behind the Talk
Cost reduction
On-time delivery
Quality metrics
Exploiting new market
Research & Development
But isn’t this the same process use when we do anything we really want to happen? <maybe this a question for the audience. Where does it fit in the presentation?>
© 2008 Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Ltd. ▪ All rights reserved.

20. The Five Realities of Diversity What’s Behind the Talk
Diversity is happening
Some people are OK with it but not actually for it.
The upside is hard to quantify, difficult to ignore
Results are slow but perpetuating
We know “How-to”
© 2008 Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Ltd. ▪ All rights reserved.

21. What’s Behind Your Talk The Value of Diversity?
Opportunity?
Growth?
A plan?
Action?
Commitment?
This is the lead in to the next point. The upside is hard to quantify but difficult to ignore.
© 2008 Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Ltd. ▪ All rights reserved.

22. What’s Behind The Talk about Diversity
Melvin Gravely, Ph.D.
Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Ltd.
© 2008 Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Ltd. ▪ All rights reserved.