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There was a time when anyone who had the slightest shade of brown or black would be classed as black. At least they would struggle to be accepted as white. The situation has changed slightly but will hopefully change to a much greater extent as in the future. The debate has been given a real kick up its backside by one Barack Obama’s election. The event is so momentous and recent that I can’t actually believe it has happened!
I wonder how they would answer if Obama were to pose the question to his entourage (disciples!): Who do they say I am? Although I have been watching his campaign from the start, the first Blog entry I made was 42 weeks and 3 days ago. From those early days many people, including those on his campaign team, have been presenting Obama as an African American. I don’t think he came out to challenge this.
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Submitted by karamat on Thu, 2008-11-06 10:19.
As America is about to have its Mandela moment, I thought it might be an idea to catch up with bits and pieces that I have come across on their election.
There are people who are saying that race could still undo Obama’s achievements thus far. This is referred to as the the Bradley Effect and the Bradley Effect in reverse i.e. where people say one thing to pollsters and do another in the ballot box.
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Submitted by karamat on Sun, 2008-11-02 23:23.
While I have never met Martin Tiplady, my impression of him has been that he is someone who knows a little about equality and diversity and about using offensive language. So I am willing to give him the benefit of doubt over his use of the words ’you people’; lets accept that he meant no offence especially as he has said as much. There are many more serious issues which deserve our energies.
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Submitted by karamat on Wed, 2008-10-15 18:41.
Diversity practitioners, us included, have often said that commitment to diversity from the top leadership is critical to its success within organisations. Now there is comprehensive research which backs this claim.
The report, written by Gillian Shapiro, points out that companies with the most successful record on diversity have the following in common:
• Their statement of values specifically includes diversity and inclusion
• The CEO is held accountable for progress on diversity
• The Board is diverse in its make-up
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Submitted by karamat on Tue, 2008-10-07 16:53.
A recent report on the impact of flexible working has been summarised at Diversity Link’s website. It points out that there is a positive relationship between flexible working practices and employee performance.
Also, here are some best practice recommendations from Opportunity Now. And if this misses anything then this excellent what not to do list will make up for it.
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Submitted by karamat on Tue, 2008-10-07 16:52.
Sometime ago I came across an excellent article on diversity which led me to Fareed Zakaria. Here he is talking about the need for a new leadership from his adopted country, the US. He says, the new leadership needs to move on from the old days of top-down hierarchy where America made the decisions and imposed them on other countries. Instead, he says, there is a need for a more collaborative world leadership which has consultation, co-operation and even compromise as essential ingredients.
I wonder whether this is more likely to be achieved at the hands of Barack Obama rather than John McCain.
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Submitted by karamat on Tue, 2008-10-07 16:50.
The debate continues and will carry on for some time why women stumble in the race to the top of organisations. Having caring responsibilities and finding it difficult to manage work-life balance are often cited as causes. To counter this, according to Sunday Times article, many top companies are promoting flexible working, coaching to support women returning to work and part-time working. For example, Deloitte are promoting a women-in-leadership programme while Citigroup have the initiative, Maternity Matters that aims to retain female employees embarking on motherhood.
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Submitted by karamat on Sun, 2008-08-24 19:02.
While The Apprentice may be popular with viewers it may be worth reminding ourselves that the kind of management style Sir Alan practices could get an employer into trouble as it might be seen as bullying. The issue is explored, in detail, by Personnel Today.
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Submitted by karamat on Sun, 2008-05-11 19:14.
There has been quite a bit of press about women in the workplace. One article focussed on Natasha Kaplinsky announcing that she was pregnant. People were commenting that she had held the news back for fear that it might affect her chances of getting a new contract. Maybe she had a reason bearing in mind the indication from the Equality and Human Rights Commission that 70% of recruitment agencies had been asked by their clients to avoid hiring women who were pregnant.
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Submitted by karamat on Fri, 2008-05-09 18:04.
Reading about racism in the Houses of Parliament made me realise that this place of government was no different from many other workplaces where the majority (men, white staff etc) are not used to dealing with minorities. Perhaps the MPs could be provided diversity workshops, like a number of the Cabinet Office units were a few years ago. I know 10 Downing St were included in this training; not sure whether MPs were.
Some of the issues are elaborated in the paper from Fawcett Society
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Submitted by karamat on Sun, 2008-05-04 16:04.
