diversity works! 2007 summit issue
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DiversityWorks! October 2007 features30 Sempra Energy Takes
Unique Focus On Diversit
34 What Kind of DiversityTraining Really Works?
36 Diversity Me, DiversityYou
38 Is Diversity EducationDiverse Enough?
40 Cultural Audits... WhichProcess Is Right For YourOrganization?
42 Collusion of Confusion:Men and Women
UnknowinglyPerpetuating Stereotypes
44 Coaching White MaleLeaders as Diversity &Inclusion Champions
46 The Impact of NonverbalCommunication onCorporate Diversity
50 Intellectual Property
Protection For SmallBusiness Entreprenuers
4 Publishers Desk6 Editor-in-Chiefs Desk7 Summit Program58 Diversity Partners
departments
CREDITS
President/CEO - Cecil H. SteppePublisher - Maurice D. WilsonEditor-in-Chief - Pamela S. PerkinsManaging Editor - Sheri L. WilliamsResearch & Development Manager - NJ MitchellLayout & Design - Graphics by DesignPhotographer - Mike NorrisCover Design - Graphics by DesignCover Design Concept - Maurice WilsonProgram Book Design (p.7-28) - Carroll EristheeContributing Writers - P.S. Perkins, Gregg Ward,Walter S. Stevens, Diana Pastora Carson, Dennard
Clendenin, William G. Shackelford, David Tulin,
Leslie Jenness
Diversity Works! is an initiative of the Urban League of San Diego County designed to build bridges between communities of color and corporations. TheDiversity Works! Magazine is a quarterly publication complied by the Business & Workforce Development Department of the Urban League of San DiegoCounty. For information on editorial submissions, or display advertising, please call 619-266-6244 or email: diversityworks@sdul.org
About the Urban League of San Diego CountyThe Urban League of San Diego County is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, civil rights and community-based movement that serves over 10,000 people annually,by providing direct services, research and policy advocacy to help individuals and communities reach their fullest potential. Primarily working withAfrican-American and other emerging ethnic communities, its network of professional staff is working to close equality gaps for people at all economiclevels and stages of life, and giving citizens a chance to give back as volunteers. ULSDC is a 501c(3) Non-Profit Agency Established in 1953
Mailing Address: 720 Gateway Center Drive, San Diego, CA 92102 / Ph: 619-263-3110 / Fax: 619-263-3660 / www.ulsdc.org
An affilliate of the National Urban League.
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Diversity Does Work!Welcome to the Fall Edition of the Diversity Works!Magazine - Diversity Summit Edition.
We are very pleased to present this edition of
Diversity Works! in conjunction with the Diversity
Summit - A long-awaited event we have been anticipat-
ing for over three years.
It was three years ago that we formed the DiversityAdvisory Council, a group of San Diego-Based profes-
sionals and companies interested in promoting diversity
and making a difference in our city/county. These are
passionate individuals who operate independently as
diversity promoters carrying unique messages and per-
spectives about diversity. When we met for the first time,
you could feel their energy, passion and desire to make a
difference it was instant love at first sight. We formed a
bond that is as strong today as it was three years ago.
The first task of the council was to provide awareness
training to local employers in the form of Monthly
Employer Diversity Networking Luncheons designed
to build relationships and discover our local resources.
As each council member presented their diversity case
to local employers and community members, it was
obvious that we had some of the best talent in the busi-ness right here in our backyard. It was also apparent
that these were committed individuals who truly
believed in their work and had a vision of equality and
inclusion at all levels in our society. Some of their pre-
sentations were so powerful that many in attendance
came to tears.
The second task introduced the Presidents Award for
Diversity which was initiated in October, 2005 at our
Annual Equal Opportunity Awards Dinner. Under the
I am particularly proud of the great work in plan-ning for the Summit by this year's Diversity
Advisory Council. they put in many long hours planning, meeting, reviewing and preparing forwhat I believe will be a great event. This is anexcellent group of people worthy of yourcontinued support, admiration and respect
from the publishers desk
4 Diversity Summit Issue
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leadership of our Council Chair Sheron Maxwell, we pre-
sented the Presidents Award for Diversity to three outstand-
ing companies: Small Category San Diego Regional Airport
Authority, Medium Category Starbucks Coffee Company
and Large Category Sempra Energy. The focus of the
awards is to recognize the efforts of local companies and
reward them publicly for their efforts. Over the years we dis-
covered that implementing diversity in an organization takes
commitment, dedication, vision, support, sacrifice and
courage. To become a best practice company takes a lot of
planning, practice and patience. We salute all of the nomi-
nees and commend this years winners.
The third task was to implement Annual Diversity
Summits whereby we could bring local and national profes-
sionals together to acknowledge the years accomplish-
ments, review best cases, discuss new trends and celebrate
our unity. We chose October since it is National Diversity
Awareness Month. More specifically it is intended to:
ensure that our sponsors and attendees gain the knowl-
edge, tools, leadership skills, and extensive recognition for
their participation by:
Sharing best practices in achieving diversity in a
competitive market
Equipping employers with essential tools to attract,
promote, and retain a diverse workforce
Reevaluate the strengths of diversity through partici-pation in a number of interactive sessions
Visualize a common goal for the region through dia-
logue
Engage participants in stimulating discussions regard-
ing the impact of globalization on diversity
Added together the above spells SERVE, which is a key
ingredient found in all of the Council Members as well as
the other diversity professionals. To make Diversity Work!
you must have passion, commitment and compassion youmust be willing to SERVE.
Much of the above work could not have been done with-
out the support and encouragement of many people, too
many to list here. However, I want to make two special
acknowledgements, because if it were not for their support,
much of the above could not have been realized.
First, it is with a heavy heart that I acknowledge the loss of
Barbara E. Webb who passed in September. She was my right
hand and the rock of the Urban League. She was the founder
of our Annual Career Fair which remains the largest and best
attended event of its kind in the region. A 20-year Urban
Leaguer, Barbara epitomized the principals of which diversi-
ty is based upon honor, courage and commitment. One of
the most dedicated individuals I have ever met; she com-
manded the love and respect of all who contacted her. I will
truly miss her.
Second, I want to thank my mentor, advisor and friend,
Mr. Cecil H. Steppe: a true gentleman, patron, believer in
people and man of God who will be leaving the League as
President and CEO after six-plus years. I am truly proud to
have been given the opportunity to work with him and value
the lessons I have learned. During his tenure Ive had so
many epiphanies and ah-ha moments which changed me
forever. We shared many laughs, felt a lot of pain and accom-
plished much. He made many sacrifices for the community
and the League is a better place because of him and we owe
him a huge debt.
Finally, I am particularly proud of the great work in plan-
ning for the Summit by this year's Diversity Advisory
Council. Under the helm of Chair Person Sheron Maxwell,
the Summit planning process was handled pro-actively, effi-
ciently, and with much grace. Sherons support of the
Diversity Council has been invaluable and selfless. Pleaseknow the entire committee has put in many long hours plan-
ning, meeting, reviewing and preparing for what I believe
will be a great event. This is an excellent group of people
worthy of your continued support, admiration and respect.
We are also grateful to this year's title sponsor, Sempra
Energy, who has shown tremendous support for the Summit
and in the work of the Diversity Advisory Council.
Particularly I want to acknowledge Carolyn Hollins, a truly
elegant, articulate and honorable woman. She has one of the
sharpest minds Ive ever encountered and Ive learned a lotfrom her thank you Carolyn!
I wish you a great Summit.
Maurice Wilson, VP/Publisher
=
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P S P erkins
Welcome to the fall edition of Diversity Works!
Magazine. This special edition is dedicated to the
First Annual Diversity Summit, Best Practices inDiversity and Inclusion: Ensuring Success in the Global
Market sponsored by the Urban League of San Diego
County. As a member of the Urban League Diversity
Council, it has been a privilege to witness and participate in
the creative inception and incredible synergy of this impor-
tant conference! In addition, October is nationally recognized
as Diversity Month, so we are proud to present articles, part-
ners and visionaries dedicated to the mission of diversity
and inclusion throughout the global marketplace.
I recently participated in a Sand Ceremony at the wedding
of my brother Tony and his lovely wife, Tresa. They asked ifI would pen a few words to commemorate the ceremony. I
was honored but admitted that I had never heard of or seen
the Sand Ceremony. I decided to see what I could find on the
internet and I was surprised to find a variety of sources and
variations. The primary purpose of the practice is to high-
light the coming together of the couples lives and their two
families exemplified by the blending of the different colored
sand. The ceremony includes family members from both
sides blending the sand into a bottle. It culminates with the
married couple adding their sand to the same bot-
tle as a keep-sake for all times. It is a beautifulmessage of love, loyalty and commitment.
When thinking about my communiqu this
Diversity month, I was reminded of this ceremony
and its poignant message of unity and dedication.
I thought about the level of my commitment to the
principles I hold valuable. And I questioned our
country's commitment to the ideals of inclusion
and equality.
We hold these truths to be self-evident that
ALL men are created equal
I thought about the Jena 6 and the continuing legacy ofracism plaguing the next generation of our young. I thought
about burgeoning prison systems disproportionately filled
with black and brown people while comprising only 13 per-
cent of the U.S. population. I remembered the recent media
disgrace of Imus, Kramer and Isaiah Washington bringing to
the forefront just how far we have not come. I remembered
the refugee label assigned to the victims of Katrina in their
own homeland. I prayed for the families here and abroad
devastated by the Iraq war.
During the 21st century, we have moved into a global mar-
ketplace that requires we see through a global lens when doingbusiness, building relationships and leaving a healthier planet
for our children. Are we up to the challenge? How can we set
an example of inclusion for the world when our own backyard
is so plagued by problems of ethnocentrism and bigotry?
The 1st Annual Diversity Summit presents the Best in
Diversity Practices designed to move those dedicated few to
the frontline of solutions capable of bringing us all to the
table of ingenuity and decision-making. Like the blending of
the sands, unique in color and individuality but brilliantly
combined for the right mix of beauty, distinc-
tion and design - we must purposefullydesign institutions that are distinctive in their
ability to bring together the beauty of the
diversity that is uniquely this great land
called the UNITED States of America.
The Sands of Time
PS Perkins
from the editor-in-chiefs desk ..
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Companies are finding it harder and harder to fill critical jobs
these days. Without a consistent and diverse talent pool,
companies can fall short of their growth objectives. Thats
why diversity is a key part of Sempra Energys success formula.
With 14,000 employees worldwide, San Diego-based Sempra
Energy has been able to recruit, develop and retain top-notch talent.
As a result, the company has received national recognition for its
efforts from Fortune, BusinessWeek and DiversityInc. magazines.
To successfully compete on a global scale, we must be inclu-
sive, says Donald E. Felsinger, chairman and chief executive offi-
cer of Sempra Energy. Diversity is a core value at Sempra Energy
and it is reflected in our workforce, which includes over 50 percent
women and minorities, our supplier diversity program-continually
ranked as one of the best in the nation-and our Office of Diversity,
which is uncommon in most corporations.
Felsinger says that by having a dedication to diversity, the com-
pany is able to create a resource pool of creativity and skill that is
varied and unique in its abilities.
This makes Sempra Energy not only successful, but also a great
place to work, he said.
The Sempra Energy companies develop power and natural gas
infrastructure, operate regulated utilities and provide energy-related
products and services. By diversifying its businesses and seeking
long-term solutions to challenges, Sempra Energy demonstrates that
well-managed, responsible corporations can succeed, even in tough
business environments.
Sempra Energys Office of Corporate Diversity Affairs manages
workplace diversity at the company. This special department suc-
cessfully creates an environment in which employees of all races
and ethnic backgrounds are valued and can use their unique per-
spectives to contribute to the business goals of the company, Sempra
Energy officials said.
We go beyond diversity practices as they relate to age, race, sexu-
al orientation and gender, says Shawn Farrar, director of diversi-
ty affairs for Sempra Energy. Our employees innovative ideas,
Sempra Energy Takes Unique Focus On Diversity
Sempra Energy has been recognized with the following awards:
Fortune Magazines 2007 Americas Most Admired Companies list
The BusinesssWeek 50, ranking 21st on the magazines 2007 list of tperformers
DiversityInc magazine's 2007 Top 50 Companies for Diversity
ranking second in supplier diversity, and 29th for overall diversity
Council for Supplier Diversity's 2007 Corporation of the Year
Hispanic Business magazine's 2006 Top 50 Companies for Hispanic
ranking fifth
Disabled Veterans Business Enterprise Network's 2006 Corporati
of the Year
Minority Corporate Counsel Association's Employer of Choice,
Western Region
2006 Odyssey Award from the Asian Business Association for
supplier-diversity efforts to help develop and expand many Asian-own
businesses (Southern California Gas Co.)
California Public Utilities Commissioner Timothy Simon, California Utility Diversity Council Board Member Peter Ramirez and
Sempra Energy Executive Vice President Jessie Knight Jr. attend Sempra Energy's Diversity Champions luncheon
California Public Utilities Commissioner Timothy Simon (center) stands with some of the 140 Sempra Energy Employees
recognized for their outstanding efforts at the Diversity Champions luncheon.
30 Diversity Summit Issue
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creative problem-solving and enhanced productivity are the result of
our diverse workforce.
Supplier Diversity
Developing a network of suppliers to meet Sempra Energys high
standards also is an important part of the companys strategy. A
dedicated Diverse Business Enterprises Strategy Team enables the
company and its affiliates to use diverse suppliers who meet these
standards. The team conducts outreach programs and mentors
minority-, woman- and service-disabled-veteran-owned businesses,
helping Sempra Energy spark innovation and provide customers
with the best products and services at competitive prices.
As a corporate strategy, this has brought great benefits to Sempra
Energy companies. In 2006, almost one-quarter of total purchases
were made with women-, minority-, service disabled-, and veteran-
owned businesses - or a record $250 million in spending.
Sempra Energy annually honors its employees whose contribu-
tions are vital to helping the company achieve supplier- and employ-
ee-diversity goals. At this years event event, the company
announced enhanced diversity goals for the coming year.
The new plan sets a goal of 30 percent of annual procurement of
goods and services with diverse suppliers by 2015, substantially
exceeding the current requirement of 21.5 percent by the California
Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Additionally, the company pro-poses to contribute 1 percent of their pretax operating income to char-
itable contributions, with 60 percent of those dollars invested in under-
served communities by 2011, and as much as 65 percent by 2015.
During the awards lunch, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E)
and Southern California Gas Company, Sempra Energys two regu-
lated utilities, announced they will become the first California utili-
ties to donate $200,000 as seed money to fund the California Aspire
Achieve Lead Pipeline Project. The project is aimed at encouraging
children from underserved communities to seek careers in law, finan-
cial services and information technology. The project is focused on
closing the achievement gap among California students and prepar-
ing them for professional careers within the utility industry.
Our long-standing philosophy that our diverse suppliers mustprovide high-quality goods and services at competitive prices adds
great value to our business, says Debra L. Reed, president and
chief executive officer of Southern California Gas Co. and SDG&E.
With the support and dedication from employees at every level of
the company, weve been successful in expanding supplier diversi-
ty in many areas, including traditionally challenging areas such as
construction services, legal and professional services.
CPUC Commissioner Timothy Simon attended the Diversity
Champions awards and congratulated Sempra Energy for its efforts.
Sempra Energy and its utilities, SDG&E and SoCalGas, are
leaders in the area of diversity and serve as a model for other utili-
ties in California and across the U.S, said Simon.
Jessie Knight Jr., executive vice president of external affairs forSempra Energy, also spoke during the event and congratulated the
group.
We believe that having employees and suppliers that reflect the
communities we serve is not only the right thing to do, but its a
smart business strategy that makes us a stronger competitor and
more in tune with our customers, said Knight.
Sempra Energy in the Community:
Sempra Energy also is a major supporter of the Urban League
among other organizations. Knight will be the opening speaker at
the first Urban League of San Diego County Diversity Summit in
San Diego, of which Sempra Energy is the title sponsor. The com-
pany is also hosting a reception immediately following the close of
the event on October 12 at Market Creek Plaza, located in the
Diamond District area of San Diego at the corner of Market and
Euclid avenues.
This is an exciting event to be a part of, said Knight. Those
that attend this two-day conference will receive important informa-
tion about diversity in todays global market.
Sempra Energy is committed to supporting the communities
where it does business. The company recently awarded 13 students
from Baja California scholarships to San Diego State Universitys
International Business Leadership Program. With projects in Baja
California, Sempra Energy saw this innovative program as a way to
support and possibly recruit Baja Californias future business lead-
ers as they pursue business opportunities in their local communities
Employees are encouraged to give back to the communities
where they work and live through personal contributions and volun-
teer hours. Because the company makes giving back a priority they
have been able to attract, develop and retain some of the best peo-
ple in the energy industry.
The company actively supports its employees involvement in the
community through a variety of programs. Through the 2006
Matching Gifts program, the company matched employee contribu-
tions to nearly 400 organizations. Through their Volunteer Incentiveprogram, nearly 1,000 employees generously contributed their time
to more than 500 charities.
Sempra Energys own Energy for Life program encourages
employees to live safe and healthy lifestyles by educating them with
at-work health and wellness programs that motivate them to make
positive behavior changes and focus on disease and injury preven-
tion. The company also offers professional development classes
that teach a foreign language or encourage employees to pursue
career-development skills.
Sempra Energy employees created a non-profit giving program
called Energy for Others. It is run by employees and is designed
to provide an opportunity through which employees can donate to
charitable organizations. The Energy for Others program empow-ers employees to get involved and take leadership positions within
this organization, and other organizations where they are committed
to making a difference.
For more information on Sempra Energy visit www.sempra.com.
About Sempra Energy Companies:
Sempra Energy is the parent company of the following six companies.
San Diego Gas & Electric is a public utility supplying natural gas and ele
tric service to the San Diego region since 1881 and serves over 3 million cu
tomers from Orange County to the Mexican border.
Southern California Gas Co has delivered clean, safe and reliable natural g
to its customers for nearly 140 years. It's the nation's largest natural gas d
tribution utility service close to 20 million customers.
Sempra Generation develops, owns and operates power plants serving whosale electricity markets in North America. These natural gas-powered pla
are among the cleanest and most advanced in the western United States. T
company also develops renewable-energy-generation projects.
Sempra LNG develops, builds and operates liquefied natural gas receivi
terminals in North America. The company's two receipt terminals under co
struction and one in development will have the capacity to process a total
5.5 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas.
Sempra Pipelines & Storage acquires, builds and operates natural g
pipelines and storage facilities in Latin America and the United States. T
company and its affiliates operate and/or own 500 miles of pipelines.
Sempra Commodities is a marketing and trading company with financial ri
management expertise that serves customers in natural gas, power, petroleu
base metals and other energy products.
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What Kind ofDiversity
Training ReallyWorks?
By Gregg Ward, CMC
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There are all kinds of diversity training methods out there:
lectures, slideshows, videos, interactive games, online
learning, role-play, group hugs, you name it. So how the
heck do you know which ones are any good and which ones will
be right for your company?
You could rely on the recommendations of professional organ-
izations like SHRM (the Society of Human Resource
Management) or big money diversity consulting/training organi-
zations. But I would argue that they will strongly recommend
their own in-house programs, rather than what will really make a
difference in your companys training room. (A quick disclaimer -
I too am biased because Im a trainer who specializes in using live,
professional theater as a diversity training tool. Im convinced
this methodology is the most powerful and effective methodology
available - bar none.)
But, if we were to set some standards for corporate diversity
training, what would they be? Here are Ten Expectations of a
Good Diversity Training Program:
1. The Business Case: Any good diversity training program has
got to make the business case for why diversity is good for
the company. There are plenty of programs out there that talk
about diversity from the moral and politically correct point of
view; far fewer make a solid business case for how diversity is
directly linked to the bottom line.
2. Diversity Defined Broadly: If a diversity training program is
still focusing on race and gender differences - although these
are very important - then it is out of date. Diversity includes all
kinds of uniqueness and differences, not just race and gender.
3. Powerful Impact: The program must touch the participant in a
deep way. Diversity is a highly loaded topic and people
come to it with all sorts of biases and pre-conceptions. A
good diversity program will challenge participants assump-
tions and biases and cause them to be introspective. The way
to do this is to get through someones intellect and into their
heart, where they really live. If you can touch them there, you
can generate a dialogue which can be extremely powerful.
4. Blame Free: The program must not blame straight white men for
all the evils of the world. White guys walk into diversity train-
ing ready to be attacked and may be very defensive. A gooddiversity program will put diversity into perspective and help
them see that they are not the enemy and that they too are just
as diverse and play a role in valuing and leveraging diversity.
5. Occasionally Humorous: Obviously, diversity is a serious,
loaded subject. Some diversity programs - especially those
relating to affirmative action and quotas, etc - can be so seri-
ous and suffocating the participants just shut down and tune
out. A good facilitator/trainer will be able to use humor to
lighten the mood occasionally and do it so that no one i
offended.
6. Realistic. Everyone hates a training program that is divorce
from reality; like the diversity program that avoids any dis
cussion of the likelihood that 95 percent of the members o
the Board of Directors of your company are straight, whit
males. You cant do diversity training without stating wha
is so in your organization. If you try, people will dismiss
as irrelevant and a waste of time and money. If leadershi
doesnt want you to talk about certain touchy subjects i
your diversity training; you might as well just cancel the train
ing and save your money.
7. Sparks An Ongoing Dialogue. Diversity training is not an en
unto itself, a box to be checked off once its done. Instead,
should be a beginning of a powerful internal dialogue withi
your company and lead everyone toward new perspectives
actions and initiatives. I believe the study and practice o
diversity management goes on throughout ones life an
career - it never ends.8. Suits the Audience and Raises the Bar. A diversity trainin
program for a seasoned group of HR professionals shoul
look and feel radically different than one for line employee
in a warehouse. The program should not be dumbed down
but instead should lift its audience up to new levels of aware
ness about the issue.
9. Engages the Audience. We are all saturated with images from
the TV every day. Any diversity program of value will con
sist of more than a lecture by an expert. It will be engagin
on many levels of learning; it will be interactive, allowing th
audience to participate, ask questions, engage in activities an
discussion; it will leave room for dissent and debate.
10. Leaves You In A Different Place. Perhaps most important
ly, when they come out of a diversity program, your audienc
should be in a different place in terms of attitude and under
standing of diversity. If not, youve wasted your time an
money.
Gregg Ward, CMC is the acknowl-
edged national expert in the use of
live, professional theater, interactivefacilitation and experiential learning
as diversity training tools. His clients
include Bristol-Myers Squibb, Kraft
Foods and Qualcomm. He is also the
author of the best-selling business
bookBad Behavior, People Problems
& Sticky Situations: a toolbook for
managers.
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During the interview process, it is important that you, the
prospective employee, impress your interviewer. It is
important that you answer questions and exude
confidence. Sometimes as we are being interviewed, we fail to
realize that we get a chance to ask questions of the company.
Especially, as it relates to diversity.
When its your turn, you can indicate how important diversity
is to you. What percentage of women and people of color make up
the company? Of that percentage, how many are in middle and
upper management? What is the company policy, as it relates to rec-
ognizing and celebrating cultural differences? What community
ties does the company maintain?
These are legitimate questions that can be asked and are not out
of line. It is especially germane when the company is projecting
the image of celebrating and appreciating diversity. So, dont be
shy, ask the question(s).
As a potential employee of a company, it seems as if the onus
as it relates to diversity is always on you the new employee. They
expect you to conduct yourself in a manner that is free of any
racial or sexual harassment. They give you a handbook clearly
spelling out the companys position and in many instances has a
mission statement as it relates to diversity.
During the interview process, they ask you all kinds of ques-
tions as it relates to your education, experience, and what moti-
vates you. They seldom ask you about issues of diversity. They
seldom ask about your experiences as it relates to diversity. There is
an automatic assumption that youre on board. Perhaps you
chaired a committee on diversity or are experienced in conducting
workshops/seminars. That is valuable information.
Given how important diversity is in the Global Marketplace,
should they not be asked to convince you of how committed they
are to diversity? How many plaques or certificates are on the
walls? What kind of art work is displayed in the halls and rooms?
Do you ever hear different languages being spoken? How diverse
is the office that you will be working in? How many racial and
sexual harassment cases have been filed and litigated? How many
workshops have been conducted in the past twelve months
addressing diversity issues?
These are tough, intense questions, but dont forget you are
being asked tough questions. Your answers will greatly influence
the decision to hire you. Remember you can also make a choice as
to whether or not this is a company that you want to work for.
Dennard Clendenin, Dennard Clendenin & Associates
Dennard Clendenin
has been a diversity
consultant for over
two decades. His
client list includes,
Disney World,
McDonalds, Sears,
the national Security
Agency, and many
educational institu-
tions, non profit, and
public entities across
the United States.
Diversity Me, Diversity YouDennard Clendenin, Dennard Clendenin & Associates
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Weve heard it from the mouths of our own children,
Youre such a retard! Thats so lame! Are you deaf,
or what? All these expressions formed in a past
when people with disabilities were viewed as objects of pity, void
of any value. However, even in a transforming society, we stillhear these phrases spoken without any understanding of the origin
or the devastating impact of perpetuating these images in our
modern culture.
Weve come a long way with diversity education. Ask any third
grader about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. or Cesar Chavez and you
will probably get the complete story behind each mans sacrifice
and impact on our society. Beginning in elementary school, our
students learn about the many nationalities, religions, and cultures
that make up our countrys patchwork quilt. They learn the history
of how each one has contributed to this countrys experience, this
countrys development as a uniquely unified entity. They under-
stand the immorality of slavery and racism as well as many forms
of discrimination. Yet we have neglected to educate our children
about the largest minority group in the United States: People who
experience disability.
Who was Ed Roberts? He was a man who, due to discrimination
based on his physical disabilities, had to fight to receive a public
education. He ultimately became Californias Director of the
Department of Rehabilitation, and he is now hailed as the Father
of Disability Rights. Who is I. King Jordan? He was the first Deaf
president of Gallaudet University, a university for Deaf people.
Until a widely publicized student protest brought Jordan to thepresidency, Gallaudet had been led exclusively by hearing presi-
dents for over one hundred years. These individuals compare to the
countless heroes who
created an apprecia-
tion for diversity
among Americans.
They represent a civil
rights movement long
ignored by main-
stream historians.
Students not only
need to know about
these men and many
other disabled
American heroes, but
they also need to get
to know the people
Is Diversity Education Diverse Enough?
Diana Pastora Carson, M.Ed.,Ability Awareness in Action
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they see each day who experience disability. Why?
Disability isnt what happens when someone is born with legs
that dont walk, or a brain that functions differently than most, or
ears that dont hear. Disability happens when a persons communi-
ty does not allow for equal opportunities. For instance, a person
who uses a wheelchair is not disabled by the need to use a wheel-
chair. However, they become disabled by obstacles in the commu-
nity such as curbs, steps, heavy doors, narrow aisles in department
stores, and inaccessible parking and restrooms, to name a few. A
person with an intellectual or psychiatric disability may not neces-
sarily be disabled by their minds abilities as much as they are dis-
abled by inadequate and non-dignifying educational and vocational
opportunities, educational and social segregation, and other attitudi-
nal barriers to life quality. A person who is Deaf isnt necessarily
disabled by his or her deafness. However, a person who is Deaf
becomes disabled when there is no closed captioning provided on
television, no assistive technology to allow access for telephone
use, or when others in their community havent learned to value andspeak their language. And of course, disabling occurs when insen-
sitive language and dehumanizing stereotypes are perpetuated in the
media and in general. Disability is a result of societal ignorance,
attitudes and discrimination.
Children need to understand that their attitudes, their words,
and their actions can either make a positive difference or a nega-
tive difference in the lives of their neighbors who experience dis-
ability. We need to learn that it is okay to be different and that
there are many different ways to be different. All of those differ-
ences are worthy of respect and appreciation.
By educating children about disability from a perspective of
diversity appreciation, we powerfully replace the inherited atti-
tudes of fear and pity which have been reinforced by the media.
By regularly exposing children to dignifying encounters with
classmates and community members who experience disability
they become more connected members of society and actively
promote ability appreciation themselves. Not only does this con-
sciousness bring about empowerment for today, but also for a
future when many of us will join the most inclusive of all minor-
ity groups: People who experience disability.
Given our current culture, it is wise to proactively include abil-
ity awareness as a component of diversity education, both for chil-
dren and for adults. If we want our children to grow up and be
enlightened citizens who appreciate their connections to their
diverse communities, then we must teach them to appreciate the
experiences of others. If we, as adults, want to make a differencefor today, then we must expand our definition of diversity to
include not only the physical, intellectual, psychiatric, and senso-
ry differences of our fellow humans, but also to include the histor-
ical and current cultural experiences of people who have disabili-
ties. We then, can pass this awareness on to our children and our
communities. It is when we begin to understand our role in dis-
abling others that we can truly begin to empower us all.
Beginning in elementary school, our students learnabout the many nationalities, religions, and cultures that
make up our country's patchwork quilt.
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Your organization has decided to have a cultural audit con-
ducted. However, as you begin to talk with vendors, you
learn that the term cultural audit has vastly different
meanings for different people. Where one vendor offers to
administer an off-the-shelf employee survey, another tells you that
only a customized survey should be used. Still another says a sur-
vey alone is insufficient. They insist that it be supplemented by
focus groups and other activities.You also learn that the cost of having a cultural audit conducted
can range from tens of thousands of dollars to several hundred
thousand dollars. With such great variance in services and cost, it
is difficult to determine what process would be best for your organ-
ization.
To make the decision making process easier, organizations
should: 1) develop a clear understanding of the differences
between the various cultural audit processes; 2) develop clear
objectives for their audit; and 3) match their objectives to the
appropriate cultural audit process.
Different Objectives Require Different Processes
Cultural audits can be divided into three levels: employee satisfac-
tion surveys, general cultural audits and detailed cultural audits.
Level 1 - Employee Satisfaction Survey
An employee satisfaction survey is the most basic of the
cultural audit processes. It entails administering a standard or
customized survey to the employees of the organization.
Depending on the process employed, it may be administered
to all employees, a randomly selected group of employees or
a self-selected group. Surveys range in cost from $15K to
$45K.
The employee survey is a process that takes the "temperature"
or "pulse" of the organization. Surveys are used to develop
an understanding of employee attitudes and perceptions about
the organization. Also, they are useful tools to gauge employ-
ee reactions to recent changes in the organization or its busi-ness.
The survey has several advantages over other audit process-
es. First, it is generally the least expensive way to assess an
organization. Second, it can engage every employee in the
assessment process -- thus increasing awareness and buy-in.
Third, the length of time required to complete a survey (from
survey administration to reporting results) can be as short as
a few months. Finally, the survey is a great benchmarking
tool. It provides a "snapshot" of the organization that can be
compared to future snapshots taken at designated intervals.
The survey process also has its limitations. Survey instru-
ments are designed to assess a fixed set of issues. However
there may be other issues impacting employees in an organi-
zation that are not included on the survey instrument and thus
may go undetected. Also, the survey can identify employee
perceptions about the organization but, does not allow the
organization to inquire about why groups hold fast to those
perceptions.
Cultural Audits... Which Process Is
Right For Your Organization?William G. Shackelford
40 Diversity Summit Issue
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Level 2 - General Cultural AuditThe general cultural audit addresses many of the shortcom-
ings of the employee survey process by combining the survey
with: 1) a review of organizational policies, procedures,
workforce studies, and organizational demographics; and 2)
focus groups that explore the perceptions identified by the
survey.
In a general cultural audit, discussions are held during the sur-
vey design and/or customization phase to identify the major
demographic groups within the organization (e.g., race, gen-
der, age, job classification/function) that may have differing
perceptions of the issues explored through the audit. This
demographic data is collected when the employees complete
the survey. Then, the survey data is analyzed by demograph-
ic group -- thus making it possible to measure differences in
perceptions between groups.
After the survey data is collected and analyzed, focus groups
are conducted for each of the major demographic groups.
Differences in perceptions are explored through a series of
carefully developed questions. Factors contributing to the
perceptions are identified and documented. All of the data
collected during the various steps of the cultural audit are ana-lyzed together to develop findings and recommendations for
the final report.
The general cultural audit provides a more detailed analysis
of the organization than the employee survey process.
However, it also requires more commitment (time and
money) by the organization. The typical general cultural
audit takes about 6-12 months to complete at costs ranging
from $50K to $150K.
Level 3 - Detailed Cultural Audit
The detailed cultural audit is the most comprehensive of the
audit processes. It includes all of the activities contained in
the general cultural audit plus, a much more in-depth assess-
ment of the policies, procedures, workplace demographics,
management practices, and culture of the organization.
A detailed cultural audit is generally conducted in response to
pressing legal questions about employee issues in the work-
place. For example, it may be conducted:
To gather data to defend the organization against a
discrimination or bias lawsuit; To document fair and equitable treatment of all employees --
especially in a union or merit employment environment; or
During a merger or major re-organization to provide the data
required to properly restructure the organization.
The detailed cultural audit team generally includes experienced
labor relations lawyers or senior human resources managers
with expertise in assessing employee-related policies, proce-
dures and systems of complex organizations. Because of the
unique expertise required of the team and the depth of the
review, the detailed cultural audit is time consuming and fairly
expensive. The typical detailed audit takes 12 months or more
to complete -- at costs ranging from $150K to $500K or more.
Selecting the Right Process
When selecting between the employee satisfaction survey, gener-
al cultural audit and the detailed cultural audit, organizations
should choose the process that provides the depth of data required
to address the objectives of their audit. Therefore, the most obvi-
ous first step in selecting a process is to develop clear objectives.
When the objectives are clear, the right process to achieve the
objectives usually becomes clear as well. When developing the
objectives, make sure there is broad input from key stakeholders
in the organization. Most organizations report that more involve-ment up front leads to more buy-in at the end
Conclusion
The cultural audit is a very powerful tool in the battle to create an
organizational culture that serves all employees fairly. If it has
been more than a year since your organization conducted its last
audit, its time to start planning the next audit.
About the Author
Mr. William G. Shackelford is
president of IEC Enterprises,
Inc., a multicultural human
resources consulting and
training firm located in
Decatur, Georgia. For more
information on this topic, Mr.
Shackelford can be reached at
wshackelford@iecenterpris-
es.com or at his web site
www.iecenterprises.com.
Cultural audits can be divided into three levels:employee satisfaction surveys, general cultural audits
and detailed cultural audits.
DiversityWorks! 41
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Problem: RADICAL SOCIAL SHIFT BACKWARDS!
When will we start practicing what we speak? Men andwomen talk about equity, wanting to be partners with equal
power, but what we do is consistently perpetuate stereotypes
about one another without even knowing we are doing so. I call
this "collusion of confusion" i.e. men and women unknowingly
perpetuating stereotypes, without malice/without intent just sim-
ple unconsciousness.
Women and Men have both believed that if we give people
enough education then everything will be OK and we can all live
in harmony and peace with greater understanding and respect.
not truein fact it is getting worse and if we dont consciously
change what is coming out of our mouths and landing in print and
in the air waves, there will never be equity/harmony/respect in the
USA culture for all people (men and women). It is pretty scary
because there is a radical shift backwards---look at the tremen-
dous increase in numbers of sexual harassment from kindergarten
to old age, continuous use in the media of masculine terminology,
women moving into positions of authority and power and going
along, physical abuse and the need for more shelters for abused
women.
Solution: Begin to talk our walk.by changing our language
to match the culture we desiremedia pay attentionreaders
help them pay attentionmen and women pay attentionmedia
help them pay attention. It is quite amazingwhen I founded the
National Association of Gender Diversity Training 13 years ago to
help improve issues around gender in the workplace, I calledtogether several people that were interested in being on the com-
pany advisory committee. The committee was comprised of peo-
ple that were extremely interested in furthering equity for all men
and women in the workplace.
One member of the committee was an articulate business
woman and college professor, well educated, etc. and also wife of
a medical doctor. The committee met several times and worked on
formulating the objectives and goals of the Association. On this
special day, we were having a meeting to wrap up our plans, and
this woman announced that she had invited her husband to attend
to just observe and share his perspective. I was delighted because
it was my objective to get more men involved - we had only one
man on our committee at that time. So, here we are meeting, talk-ing, planning, generating ideas, etc. and in walks the husband (30
minutes late). The change in the wife was astounding; she imme-
diately stopped her own dialogue turned to him and introduced
him as DOCTOR. We were all talking on first name basis before
he arrived, no titles, even though several of us had doctorate
degrees. We lost the woman; she had zoned out. She turned her
entire body towards him and away from the rest of the committee
asked him questions and never went back to her original proposal
that she was in the midst of presenting before he walked in and
she kept calling him Doctor! In your next workplace meetings,
watch how many times women and some men will immediately
give power over to the men in the group without them even ask-
ing for it.
Here is another backward movement. Two weeks ago, I had a
business lunch meeting at a restaurant that caters to the 20 to 40
age group. On each table they place cards with quotes from
whomever. The one by my plate was:
"A woman in love will do almost anything for a man, except
give up the desire to improve him" Nathaniel Brandon
In this case it was the restaurant management perpetuating stereo-
types. Who owns this restaurant I wondered? Whether a man or a
woman, it doesnt matter. It is perpetuating stereotypes.
Heres another example: There was an Arizona Republic article
about a well-known legislator in Arizona for 46 years, Polly
Rosenbaum. She is 102, sharp, outspoken, and knows her stuffThe article about her was fascinating and written in a question
answer approach. As I said, it was great until the question," What
can people learn from history?" Her answer was, "Theres an old
saying Wise men who refuse to take part in government suffer the
penalty of living under unwise men. I think the one-man; one-
vote ruling took away politics from the people." She referred to
men and not to women, perpetuating male as the term for all peo-
ple. What can I say?
A female minister drawing an analogy as to how we all need
to take turns heading committees, used the analogy of geese fly-
ing in a "V" formation and how the goose at the head creates a
Collusion of Confusion: Men and WomenUnknowingly Perpetuating Stereotypes
42 Diversity Summit Issue
??
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draft so the other geese do not have to exert so much energy.
Every now and then, the head goose changed positions and moved
back into the "V" to rest and be carried along. It was a great anal-
ogy but she lost me because all of the geese were he the head
goose he. the other goose, he moved up. are all geese he? I
thought you had to have him and her to make little geese! I could
be wrong.
There are hundreds of examples every day in media of all kinds
- magazines, newspapers, TV, radio, etc. that continue to refer tothe world and to who is making decisions as He, in text and pic-
tures. Did you know women play golf? You would not know that
if you were to only look at the ads for golf equipment and cours-
es; all you see are men and boys. How about baseball ads? Same
story. President Bush declared to win the war on terrorism we
need more man power. Excuse me; lots of women are out there
too. Are women manpower? Not in my book! They are people
with power.
In a recent report on the fires up north in Showlow, Arizona, the
fire fighters were referred to as firemen. There were women fire
fighters as well. My Microsoft spell check tells me firemen is
wrong; this is a beginning. It says to use firefightersthank you
Bill Gates!
Does it matter? Yes, it does matter; because what we say cre-
ates pictures in the mind and those pictures create our
culturethe culture does not create the pictures. Until we change
the language, gender equity (I did not say equality, I said equity)
will never occur. We are just kidding ourselves if we think this is
getting better There is more sexual harassment in the workplace,
spousal abuse (mainly women), more sexual harassment in grade
school from kindergarten up than we have ever seen. Why?
Because we talk one story and perpetuate another story. We need
to get our mouths in alignment with the beliefs in our heads.
Look what we did with hurricanes. For years all hurricanes
were named feminine names generally associated with women
then there was an up-roar great enough that a conscious change
was made. Now we have male and female hurricanestrue equi-
ty for all.
Simple solution to this problem:
1. Make a conscious effort in your own speech to use words
inclusive of both women and men and quit using pronouns
when it is not necessarythe goose moved up in line not the
goose he/she moved up in line
2. Media pay attentionwhen you edit become conscious of
what picture you are creatingremembering that language
creates culture!
Language Creates Cultures
Cultures do not create Language -
Change the languageChange the
culture.
Leslie Jenness
President & Founder,
National Gender Institute
www.gendertraining.com
leslie@gendertraining.com
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To help me frame my perhaps unique approach as a whiteman
who is engaged in diversity executive coaching of leaders,
more than 80 percent of whom have been white men, here
are four actual experiences and some relevant lessons I've picked up
in the vineyards of Diversity consulting and coaching:
1. More than 10 years ago, when I was riding up the company
elevator with my business client's white male executive spon-
sor of my upcoming Diversity Leadership program, another
white man who was his close associate, got on before our stop
to the boardroom, and not realizing that I was the facilitator of
the program, he was about to attend, confided to his friend, "I
can't believe that with our heavy load of really important busi-ness priorities, we are about to waste our valuable time on this
P.C. junk!" My host's awkward and unsuccessful attempts to
subtly alert his friend to my true identity were thankfully inter-
rupted by our arrival at the 10th floor. (You can imagine how
shocked the man was a few minutes later when he saw me
walk into the boardroom and be introduced as the leader for
that day's program!)
2. A day after I completed some quite positive diversity consulting
work with leaders of a west coast biotech firm, I prepared for
the start of my day-long diversity training workshop for the
company's sales leaders. The Senior VP of HR met with me just
before the program was set to begin and confided, "David," he
hesitated, "some of us were concerned about how resistant oursales folks would be to having to sit in on a program with the
word 'diversity' in it, so we took the liberty of changing the
wording of the workbook's title page of your workbook from
'diversity skills' to 'objectivity skills." When I had completed
that day's session, a number of the predominantly white male
participants asked me why the front page did not have the word
"diversity" in it although the other pages had headers with the
original title. "I bet they (HR) thought we'd get all upset if you
titled it for what it was. What are we, children?"
3. I was brought in to coach a general manager of a chain of
stores. After I met with her to listen, learn, guide and then
mutually agree on a coaching strategy, I returned to my hotel
with a message to call back the executive who had originallycomplained about this manager's performance and attitude.
"Look David," he firmly stated, "I don't give this coaching
thing with her any real shot at success, but I guess we ought
to try it and see." I probed him a bit about his perception and
some of the issues that needed to be dealt with, and he fin-
ished by saying, "I bet 80-20 this won't work, but give it your
best shot." I then heard myself say to him, "Mr. , if you want
me to coach her and support positive change in her perform-
ance, I cannot do that until you are ready to say to me that IF
she does develop and demonstrate the kind of change that you
just described you have little hope in seeing, you will be open-
minded and honest enough to recognize that change and support
her success. If you cannot make that commitment to be support-
ive, then you are wasting your money, deceiving her, and poten-
tially causing greater performance problems down the road with
whoever might replace her."
4. A New York City-based manufacturing company executive
who accompanied me to South Carolina, warned me that my
diversity program in that plant would be much more difficult
than those I've conducted for corporate headquarters in the
northeast area of the country. "You know, you've got to be
careful here. You see that big old foreman over there," as he
subtly pointed to a burly white man in his late 50's. He's a
good example of the problems you're gonna find here - Angryabout having to be here probably a bad educationstuck in
his waysyou know, raised in the sticks of South Carolina
with all the racism that goes along with that, and get this his
name is actually Bubba!
During the 2nd day of that program Bubba spoke up. Some of the
other supervisors seemed nervous - as though he would somehow
make some "politically incorrect" remarks. "When I was a young
kid around here," he started, "many of us white kids were friends
with some Black kids until our folks decided we were getting too
chummy and tried to separate us. Well, me and this colored kid, I
mean Black kid Jack, were real good friends and loved to go fish-
ing and hiking together. I guess we were around 10 years old whenhe and I set out for the nearby quarry to find some cool rocks. As
the day was getting on, we started to pack up our stuff before it
got dark, and Jack said he'd be right back after he collected just a
few more of those special stones he loved to collect. In but a few
seconds I heard a scream, looked up, and just caught a glimpse of
Jack as he fell and hit the bottom of the quarry. I ran to him - he
was gasping for air, mumbling and crying. I said, 'Don't worry
Jack, you'll be OK I'll take care of you and you'll get patched
up as good as new.' I picked him up in my arms and carried him
I guess he was in and out of being conscious to the nearby hos-
pital. As I carried him inside to the emergency room they stopped
me and said that they don't take none of "them" here you
know they used the 'N' word. They told me to take him to the'N' hospital just a few miles down the road. They helped lift Jack
back into my arms as he continued to groan, and I was sent back
down the road with me again carrying Jack as I kept trying to calm
him. My arms were almost numb by the time I got him to the
"Black Hospital," and when the nurses took him from me, they
looked at me and said, 'He's gone, son. He must've died in your
arms on the way here'."
Yes - Some white men are and have been scared, resistant or
uncomfortable about diversity, not unlike my elevator friends
Some well meaning leaders and colleagues think that white men
Coaching White Male Leaders asDiversity & Inclusion Champions
By David Tulin, Principal Global Lead Management Consulting
Continued on p. 54
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www.ulsdcjobs.net
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N
onverbal Communication within the corporate culture is
often overlooked and/or undervalued in its impact upon the
health of the organization. Communication Practitioners
often cite that Nonverbal Communication accounts for as much as
93 percent of an individuals believability. This 93
percent can be broken down into 55 percent visual and 38 percent
vocal (not to be confused with verbal). In other words, the old
saying actions speak louder than words is just as true today as
when it was coined centuries ago. Lets take a closer look at the
impact this area of communication has on the organizational culture.
What is Nonverbal Communication? As a Communication
Practitioner, I define nonverbal communication as the unspoken
messages transmitted and received that we are aware of and those
we are not aware of. Yes, there are times we intentionally trans-mit messages such as when we dress for a certain occasion and
there are times when we are not aware of messages we send as
when we exhibit a nervous body tic like fidgeting. Often times
when we think of Nonverbal Communication (NVC), we immedi-
ately focus on body language or facial expressions. And whereas
NVC does include these elements, they are only a small part of a
vast area of behavioral study. One of the first things we must be
aware of is that NVC is culturally bound. This means that as
language symbols differ from culture to culture, so do nonverbal
symbols differ from culture to culture.
Our NVC language is often the biggest cultural barrier. As a
result, even though the corporate environment may include work-
ers that attempt to speak the same verbal language, many are def-
initely not speaking the same nonverbal language. As many
diverse cultures attempt to acculturate to the Eurocentric language
patterns of the organization, they DO NOT acculturate to the non-
verbal language patterns of the organization UNLESS advised or
forced to do so. Often this coercion takes place as a result of some
infringement that can no longer be tolerated by the dominant cul-
ture co-workers. I bring up the dominant culture here because it is
the entity that determines what the acceptable patterns of NVC
within the organization are just as it does the verbal patterns of the
organization.Now lets take a look at some of the areas of NVC that affect
the organizational communication environment. The following
NVC issues often create a substantial amount of miscommunica-
tion and misunderstanding between cultures. NVC includes are-
nas such as: silence, appearance, space, time, touching, gestures
facial expressions, smell, paralanguage and rituals. These arenas
of NVC communication greatly impact issues of negotiation, con-
flict, boss/worker expectation, deadlines, promotion and EVERY
area of organizational progress. So in other words, the culturally
Did You HearWhat I think I
Said? ...The Impact of Nonverbal Communication on Corporate Diversity
P.S. Perkins, Founder & CEO, Human Communication Institute, LLC
46 Diversity Summit Issue
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bound nonverbal communication of each employee is added to the
mix of all organizational interaction. An individual may think they
are saying or transmitting one message and the message is being
received by the listener in a totally different way. Or they may not
be trying to transmit any specific message but their nonverbal man-
ner is being interpreted in a certain way that impacts the co-worker
relationship and context. Just think about how much miscommuni-
cation exists between people of the same culture, then add to the
mix differing world views and NVC patterns of communicating.
Yes, it is a lot to absorb into the organzational culture!
Lets examine a few NVC arenas in an effort to understand just
how great its impact is on the organizational setting. First, we will
examine paralanguage. Paralanguage can be defined as how you
say what you say; the noise surrounding your words. It includes
variables such as tone, pacing, accent, dialect, emphasis, stress
and so on. These tend to be regional and ethnic markers identify-
ing where a person is raised. However, many cultures have tran-
scended these basic areas of identity to include measurements
such as: class, education, intelligence and viability. Yes, we often
label people by how they sound. An example of this might be
how the Southern accent often carries with it a stereotype of
slow or dim witted. We see this
in the television spoofs such as
the Dukes of Hazard, Hee Haw,
and other caricatures of Southern
identity. We never tend to hear
southern accents on National
News Broadcasts. We generally
must tune into the BBC to hear
any accent other than the GeneralAmerican accent. Understand
how different this must be for
individuals that live in much more
globally aware countries.
Some individuals immediately
distinguish between Black and
White culture vocal patterns when
determining an individuals worth
to the situation. I have an acquain-
tance who is an African American
female professional that recently
experienced a very traumatic dis-
missal from a post she held for
well over eight years in spite of
glowing appraisals and awards
she received during her tenure.
She shared with me and others
who were surprised by her situa-
tion, that several of her European
American colleagues stated that
she scared them with what they deemed abrasive communica-
tion patterns. They particularly cited her vocal aggression and
excessive use of gestures during communication exchange. There
were of course other variables used to substantiate her dismissal but
the aforementioned factors were included in the determination.
It is a substantiated fact that African Americans tend to be more
nonverbally expressive in their paralanguage and kinesics (body lan-
guage). It is interesting how this issue surfaces in many areas of col-
lective behavior such as sports and politics. Just think of how many
rules and regulations are mandated by the NBA and NFL in their
attempt to curtail what is often considered inappropriate behavior
or apparel based mainly on the cultural contributions of African
Americans. Notice the attention given to political activist Al
Sharptons manner of speaking and cultural hairstyle. Remember
how Howard Dean lost the Democratic presidential nomination
when he was caught acting un-presidential while on the campaign
trail? This is only one variable of NVC import impacting the work-
place; just think of the infusion of multiple variables.
We experience this same phenomenon when distinguishing male
and female voices and the fact that male voices and their speaking
patterns are most often equated with power and dominance. So who
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is more likely to be promoted and given positions of authority?
Time or chronemics is another NVC arena that impacts the
organizational culture. Think about the vast amount of attention
paid to meetings, deadlines, schedules, and other mandates of
worker time and bottom-line results. Remember that NVC is cul-
turally bound. U.S. American culture is extremely time conscious.
We are futuristic in our focus on time and consistently looking to
the future as a measurement of security and attainment. Thisdrives our economy and our global relationships. We expect the
world to adhere to and follow our rush towards technological and
scientific achievement. Everything and I mean EVERYTHING is
done according to a schedule, the clock. We punish individuals
who do not adhere to the perceived prescription of time. When we
travel and do business, we often find it hard to deal with the slow
pace at which negotiations take place or the lack of punctuality
exhibited by others not on our schedule. We can look at structured
time in two ways: activity driven (monochronic) and relationship
driven (polychronic). This is a very basic way to explain a com-
plex social behavior. The United States and most of the technolog-
ically developed countries operate on monochronic time.
Everything is based on the importance of the activity. The meet-
ing starts promptly at ___. The deadline is hard and fast. We live
our lives by the clock. As a result, we experience a highly stressed
culture. Many of our dis-eases are the result of stress bought on by
mandates on our time. Cultures that are polychronic tend to base
their lives on harmony of relationships and to nature as witnessed
in Native American cultures. We travel south of the border or to
Spain and experience a siesta in the middle of the working day.
We visit the Caribbean and are encouraged to slow down - no
problem man.
I remember growing up and being aware of the cultural mark-er of CP Time - Colored Peoples Time. As I became knowledge-
able about time as a NVC code, this cultural assignment began
to take shape. After slavery, people of African descent in the U.S.
became the victims of negative caricatures and stereotypes. One
of these caricatures was Step & Fetchit. These distortions were
built on the stereotype that Black people were slow and lazy.
They required consistent oversight in order to get things done in a
timely and proficient manner. Hmm Could coming from poly-
chronic cultures and being forced into monochronic patterns have
anything to do with the clashing between the two ideologies con-
cerning relationship to self, others and nature? As cited earlier
there are many cultures that have a more polychronic perception
of time. I will never forget listening to a sportcasters commen-
tary on a talented young Dominican athlete who was recruited to
play minor league baseball here in the U.S. He sang his praises
concerning his skills and accolades while in the Dominican
Republic. Unfortunately, the young player could not seem to cutthe mustard here in the U.S. His behavior was unprofessional
and he lacked discipline. Why? Well according to the commen-
tator, he just could not seem to get to practice ON TIME! It
appeared his family obligations kept getting in the way. Hmm
What about the impact appearance has on the organizational
dynamic? We have young workers in urban apparel. Devout
Islamic women wearing head to floor coverings for modesty. We
experience young women intermingling social and business wear.
Many businesses establish dress codes to deal with the cultural
variations, but this is not always easy to adjust as in the case of cul-
tural/religious mandates. Lastly, ponder the impact on space when
adjusting to accommodate the worker experiencing disability. How
about trying to create ergonomically correct office space?
The organizational culture thrives positively or negatively
based on the Communication environment and its ability to move
the company forward in its mission. And yes, while the mission
should be the connecting factor of the organizational culture, but
it is important to remember that we all bring ourselves to the table
Hopefully, this brief insight into the realm of Nonverbal
Communication will assist you in determining the type of training
tools you want to incorporate into your Orientation, Professional
Development and Educational Training Programs. We can all
learn how to get along, but first we must acknowledge that our dif-ferences exist and instead of mandating that everyone become
yellow pencils or assimilate, lets move towards Organizational
Acculturation (reference fall 2006 article) and understand the
behaviors that make us unique and similar. I hope you understood
what I think I said! Otherwise, theres always the future of robot-
ics, but you did see Will Smith inI, Robotdidnt you? Scary!
We are futuristic in our focus on time and consistently looking to
the future as a measurement of security and attainment. This drivesour economy and our global relationships.
PS Perkins
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2007
Fallinto
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I. Introduction
Most minority business entrepreneurs own and operatesmall businesses. However, some minority small busi-ness entrepreneurs are unaware of the need to protecttheir intellectual property assets in the same manner asother assets used in their businesses.
II. Definition of Intellectual Property
Intellectual property is a creation of the mind. For
example, intellectual property may be any useful, newand nonobvious apparatus, process, article of manufac-ture, chemical composition, product design or biologi-cal plant. These forms of intellectual property are pro-tected by the patent law. In addition, useful, new andnonobvious improvements to existing apparatus,processes, articles of manufacture, chemical composi-tions, product designs and plants are also protected bythe patent law. Patent law permits the owner of thepatent to exclude all others from making, using, offer-ing for sale, selling or importing what is patented.
Intellectual property may also be books, magazine articles,music and other works of authorship. These forms of intel-lectual property are protected by copyright law. Copyrightlaw protects the owner of the copyrighted work withrespect to unauthorized copying of the copyrighted work
by others.
Furthermore, intellectual property may be a product name,product color, company logo, or other identifier of thesource of a product or service. These forms of intellectualproperty are protected by trademark law. Trademark law
protects the owner of the trademark with respect to unau-thorized commercial use of the trademark, or a confusinglysimilar trademark, by others.
Yet another form of intellectual property pertains to tradesecrets. A trade secret is any confidential formula, patternprocess, device, information, or compilation of informationthat is used in one's business and that gives the businessowner an advantage over competitors who do not know or
use the trade secret. Trade secret law allows the owner of thetrade secret to take action against anyone who steals the tradesecret.
III. Identifying Intellectual Property Assets: The
Intellectual Property Audit
An intellectual property audit is a process by which anintellectual property attorney identifies intellectuaproperty assets owned or licensed by a business andassesses potential infringement liability to which the
business may be exposed. The audit also examines pro-
cedures for perfecting intellectual property rights andidentifies improvements to those procedures.
Identifying strengths and weaknesses of intellectuaproperty assets and potential infringement risks canenhance the financial health of the business.
IV. Intellectual Property Assets
A. Patents:If patent protection is desired, a "patentability search"
Dr. Walter S. Stevens practices intellectualproperty law in San Diego, California.
INTELLECTUALPROPERTY PROTECTION FOR SMALL
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should be performed to determine whether or not theinvention is new and nonobvious, so as to qualify forpatent protection. The search should be performedeither by an intellectual property attorney or a profes-sional search firm that specializes in patentabilitysearches.
Also, under U.S. patent law, an inventor has one year tofile a patent application after the first public disclosure,
public use, offer for sale or sale of a product embody-ing the invention. An inventor who does not file forpatent protection within this one year window maylose all rights to obtain patent protection covering theinvention.
Total costs to obtain and maintain patent protection can bea significant investment for the small business entrepre-
neur. Nonetheless, a patent creates a barrier to marketentry by competitors and may well be worth the cost.Therefore, a patent can serve as a useful tool to protect mar-ket share or create a dominant position in the marketplace
because a patent acts as a "monopoly." Also, a patent can bea useful tool for raising venture capital because the finan-cial risk to the venture capitalist is reduced due to the mar-ket "monopoly" the patent provides. In addition, banks
may be willing to lend credit using intellectual property ascollateral.
B. Copyrights:
Copyright law protects a creator of an "original work"of authorship from unauthorized copying of the origi-nal work of authorship. Examples of copyrightableworks include books, magazine articles, newsletters,marketing materials, engineering drawings, music, pic-tures, Internet web pages, etc.
A copyright to an original work of authorship is auto-
matically perfected the instant the work is written onpaper, saved on computer disk, completed as a sculp-ture, completed as music recorded on tape, etc.Although a copyright notice on the work is not requiredin order to give the work copyright protection, a propercopyright notice nonetheless obtains legal advantagesduring litigation. A proper copyright notice allowable
by statute is the word "Copyright" followed by the yearof first publication of the work and then the name of theowner of the work. For example, a hypothetical copy-right notice might read as follows: "Copyright 2007 JohnDoe". Other acceptable forms of copyright notice are
provided in the copyright statute.
Moreover, the words "All Rights Reserved", such as in"Copyright 2007 John Doe. All Rights Reserved", are nolonger required for works first published in the UnitedStates and practically all foreign countries. However,due to the intricacies of various treaties with foreigngovernments, the few countries where the words "AllRights Reserved" are still required are Honduras,
Bolivia and Nicaragua for works published in thosecountries.
C. Trademarks:
Trademarks may be in the form of distinctive packag-ing, color combinations, product designs, sounds andother indicia of the source of goods or servicesTrademark rights prevent others from using a mark
that is the same or confusingly similar.
A service mark is the same as a trademark except that itdistinguishes the source of a service rather than a prod-uct. The terminology "trademark" or "mark" is common-ly used to refer both to trademarks and service marks.Trademarks which are used in interstate or foreign com-merce may be registered with the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office. Trademarks may also be registered inindividual states if the trademark is predominately usedwithin the state. However, many trademarks and serv-ice marks are not registered either federally or at thestate level.
Before the small business entrepreneur decides to use amark to distinguish his goods or services, he shouldfirst perform a trademark search to see if the exact orconfusingly similar mark is being used by another busi-ness or individual. However, because searching forregistered and unregistered marks can be complicated
and time consuming, the small business entrepreneurmay want to engage the services of an intellectual prop-erty attorney or commercial search firm to perform thetrademark search.
D. Trade Secrets:
Trade secrets are also referred to as "confidential infor-mation." In this regard, trade secret law protects theowner of the trade secret with respect to theft of thetrade secret. Trade secrets are not protected by patent,trademark or copyright law. Rather, trade secrets areonly protected by trade secret law. Trade secret protec-
This article provides small business entrepreneurs with helpful
suggestions for protecting their intellectual property assets whilesimultaneously shielding their businesses from liability due to ...
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tion lasts forever, as long as the information is keptsecret. With regard to maintaining secrecy, a tradesecret should be kept under lock and key or otherwisekept from public scrutiny. However, a competitor is notprevented from independently obtaining, such as byreverse engineering, and using the secret information.
Examples of trade secrets include customer lists, product
pricing, marketing strategies, unpublished company profitand loss statements, manufacturing processes, an inventionfor which a patent application has not been filed, and chem-ical formulae.
However, what should a small business entrepreneur do if
he or she needs to disclose the trade secret to others in orderto obtain venture capital or sales? In this case, he or she canask the other party to sign a confidential disclosure agree-ment (CDA), also known as a nondisclosure agreement,confidential information agreement or secrecy agreement.Under the CDA, the parties agree not to disclose informa-tion covered by the CDA. In fact, the CDA may state thatthe existence of the CDA itself cannot be disclosed.
V. Infringement of Intellectual Property Rights
A. Patent Infringement:
The small business entrepreneur can avoid infringinganother's patent by asking an intellectual property attor-ney to perform a "clearance" study as early as possible,such as during the product development stage. Thepurpose of the clearance study would be to discoverissued patents that cover the product the business plansto market. Early identification of a patent issued toanother and that covers the business' product may pro-vide an opportunity to design-around the patent andavoid infringement. If it is not feasible to design-aroundthe patent, then a clearance study might alert the busi-ness owner as to whom to approach for a license.
B. Copyright Infringement:The small business entrepreneur should seek permis-sion to copy a copyrighted work before copying thework. If it is not clear from the copyright notice (if thereis one) as to whom sho
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