MBA 525
September 29, 2011
The Greatest Leaders are Made, Not Born
Workforce diversity should be a necessity and not a luxury. Diverse working groups present different ideas and perspectives which can enable a company to grow larger, stronger, become more productive and profitable. Morrison (1996) suggests that effective diversity programs can reduce certain types of personnel costs by reducing headcount and maintaining acceptable retention levels. In addition, a diverse workforce can bring innovative ideas that match its customer and increase its customer base. In turn, the workforce experiences job satisfaction and continue to support the business through high performance because they are being recognized for individual differences.
To reach the highest level of success, organizations must abandon tactical approaches to recruiting and utilize a strategic approach that links activities together for sustained success through five components: culture shift, outreach, recruiting, retention and management infrastructure. The culture shift component requires organizations to examine how transformation needs to occur so employees embrace diversity as a business imperative. An outside assessment of an organization can yield recommendations to implement a culture shift. The outreach component builds a positive and consistent image of the organization that is projected to the public to entice potential recruits and build key contacts with future recruitment entities such as colleges/universities, community outreach programs and professional organizations. The recruiting component is to attract talent from a diverse pool of candidates and ensure fair treatment through the hiring process. It is the duty of the recruiting manager to ensure diverse candidates have a rewarding experience with their organization. To retain the candidates, it is important the recruiting manager to ensure mentoring, employee development and career
References: Anonymous (November 2005). Good Leaders are Made, Not Born, Says Colin Powell. Stanford GSB News. Stanford, CA: Standford University. Retrieved from http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/news/headlines/vftt_powell.shtml Varghese, Sangeeth (November 29, 2007). Are Leaders Really Born? Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/2007/11/29/leaders-born-fordism-lead-ceo-cx_sv_1129varghese.html