Asking the White Guys: Don't Try This at Home, by DiversityInc Partner and Cofounder Luke Visconti, continues to spark a heated debate about how white men should be included in diversity management. Today, Visconti responds to a reader who calls him a fascist for advising against holding a diversity summit that included a panel called "Ask the White Guys."
"Diversity management is a disciplined business subject that, properly implemented, drives productivity, innovation, profitability and sustainability. It does not mean that people have an open license to sound off on their opinions."
Celebrating all the so-called wonderful attributes of diversity without free opinion, thought or speech.
Freaking fascists!
In a business setting, which is what the original question is about, I absolutely stand by those words. Employees do not have the "right" to express disruptive opinions or values that are contrary to the values of the leadership of the company. Diversity does not mean forced equivalencies; for example, because you have a Black/African-American employee-resource group, a company is not compelled to have a KKK employee-resource group.
Most of the boneheaded things I hear at diversity conferences concern confusion on this topic. See our Nov./Dec. 2007 issue for several examples of how corporate leaders strategically manage corporate culture and values.
By the way, in my opinion, this extends to your "private" life as well. I don't think it's a good management practice to tell people to "check it at the door." If you want to fly a Confederate flag over your house and march around with a sheet on your head, that's your right. But it doesn't mean you have a right to be employed by a company that doesn't share your views.
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