If someone says “diversity,” what is your initial reaction?
Carl Camden thinks he has a pretty good idea.
“If you did a poll, I’m certain it would be racial background, ethnicity, gender, maybe lifestyles if you’re more enlightened,” he says. “When you talk about diversity, people tend to go into a little bit of a dazed-eye look. They’ve been there, they’ve heard many presentations on diversity and all the things you’re supposed to do.”
Camden, the president and CEO of $5.7-billion staffing and recruiting giant Kelly Services Inc., has seen firsthand through decades in business how companies can cross over from diversity awareness to diversity overkill. And he wants to change it by changing the way people in business think about diversity.
More specifically, he wants to write a new definition for diversity as it pertains to business. In a company, diversity shouldn’t simply pertain to employing people of varying skin colors or ethnic backgrounds. He says that the true meaning of diversity is employing people with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
In a society where people from various ethnic backgrounds now frequently share the same experiences during their formative years, it’s no longer enough to assume that people from different races, ethnicities or genders will bring different perspectives to the table.
“Just because we don’t look alike doesn’t mean we don’t think alike,” Camden says. “It used to be easy to assume that you were guaranteeing the company diversity of thinking or background if you achieve apparent diversity in age, ethnic origin and gender makeup of the staff. Now, we’re arguing that just because you achieve that doesn’t mean that you have the wide range of background and thought that you’re looking for.”
Camden says diversity shouldn’t be viewed as a buzzword or a goal you set simply to make your company look socially progressive. It’s a real issue with real consequences for your balance sheet, and it takes serious thought and planning to address.
