Discussing the automobile industry as a multicultural organization.

1. Diversity in the Automobile Industry
By Madeleine Cherney

2. Article Review
My articles are all on the topic of women and minorities working in
the automobile industry today. A few of the articles used in this
presentation are right from the automobile company websites; this was
helpful to gain insight on how the actual companies view the women
and minorities working for them.

3. Concept
The focus of this presentation will be on the content in chapter 12 in the Miller
textbook Organizational Communication Approaches and Processes. I will be
relating the concept of a multicultural organization to the modern automobile
industry.

4. Definition of Diversity in a Workplace
Definition:
A Multicultural Organization as defined
by the Miller textbook:
“According to Cox (1991), a
multicultural organization is marked by
the full structural integration of women
and people of color.”
Three phases of workplace development
in the area of cultural and gender
diversity:
1. First-generation affirmative action: Company is
only concerned about meeting legal requirements in
hiring for gender and ethnic diversity.
2. Second-generation affirmative action: Company is
past hiring stage of diversity and is regulating shift
requirements for minorities and women.
3. Multicultural Organization: Past the concept of
supporting minority members and are creating
policies that “capitalize on cultural and gender
diversity.”

5. Benefits of a Diverse Workforce in any Industry
It is not a question of whether large
industries nowadays would like diversity
in their workforce; by law it is required
to allow diversity. However, the question
is: to what extent are industries actively
going through the three phases of
workplace development in the area of
cultural and gender diversity?

6. Question
What are some of the automobile companies that are taking the biggest
steps in implementing a multicultural organization?

7. Answer
Automobile companies that are
diligently implementing the
concept of a multicultural
organization
Ford
GM
Toyota
Fiat-Chrysler

8. Diversity at Ford
 “Of our 16-member board of directors, two are women and two are members of
minority groups. Of our 42 corporate officers, six are women and eight identify
themselves as minorities.” (corporate.ford.com)
 Ford strongly believes that including all cultural opinions in their company is
important for building a strong workforce.

9. Continuation of Diversity at Ford
“For the third time, Ford Motor Company has been named one of the top five
companies for diversity by the business magazine and Web site DiversityInc. It's the
seventh year in a row that the publication has recognized Ford as one of the top 50
companies in the United States.” (reliableplant.com)

10. Diversity at General Motors
 General Motors, in the year 2000, moved from second-generation affirmative
action to a multicultural organization by adding to its values “individual respect
and responsibility.” (gmheritagecenter.com)
 “GM’s Diversity Initiatives provides a comprehensive set of tools and resources
while driving the strategy to enhance business success and ensure a culture of
inclusion.” (gmheritagecenter.com)

11. Diversity at Toyota
 Unlike the American big three (Ford, GM, and Fiat-Chrysler), Toyota has not had
to deal with diversity in the same way as American companies have. As a result,
the three phases to a multicultural organization came easier to Toyota.
 “Supplier Diversity: 40.6% higher than the Top 10 and 33% higher than the Top
50 on prime suppliers who are women owned.” (diversityinc.com)

12. Diversity in Fiat-Chrysler
 Fiat-Chrysler claims that securing a completely diverse workforce in gender and
ethnics has been a longstanding goal of theirs.
 “FCA US is extremely proud of its recent success in increasing the number of our
minority-owned dealers across the country. Since 2012, the number of minority
dealers in our network has increased from 140 to 185, representing a 32%
increase in less than two years.” (fcagroupcareers.com)

13. Multicultural Success
Concerning the automobile industry as a whole, we now know that at least four large
automobile companies have successfully completed the Three Phases of Workplace Development
in the area of cultural and gender diversity (first-generation affirmative action, second-generation
affirmative action, and multicultural organization.) This leads us to the next question:
Now that it is clear that Ford, Gm, Toyota, and Fiat-Chrysler are indeed proclaimed multicultural
organizations, to what extent is this the case for the automobile industry as a whole?

14. Women as a Gender Minority in the Automobile Industry
“Although women represent about half of the US workforce, they represent only about one quarter of the automotive
workforce.” (catalyst.org)

15. Women as a Gender Minority in the Automobile
Industry Continued: A few Countries Explored
Women’s inclusion rates in Canada:
 Automobile dealers: 21.5%
 Motor vehicle manufacturing: 17.7%
 Automotive repair and maintenance: 13.1%
Women’s inclusion rates in Europe, manufacture of
automobiles:
 European Union: 24%
 Germany: 18%
 France: 17%
 Italy: 21%
 Sweden: 22%
 United Kingdom: 16%
Women’s inclusion rates in the United States:
 Manufacturing industry: 26.7%
 Automobile dealers: 21.2%
 Automotive repair and maintenance: 7.3%

16. Racial Minorities in the Automobile Industry
Racial minorities in the automobile industry are growing in number on a whole,
however, there is still much work to be done to promote complete equality in the
industry.

17. Racial Minorities in the Automobile Industry
Continued: A Few Ethnic Groups Explored
Motor vehicle and motor vehicle
parts and supplies merchant
wholesalers:
Black:15.5%
Asian: 6.4%
Hispanic or Latino: 13.3%
Automobile dealers:
Black: 9.5%
Asian: 3.4%
Hispanic or Latino: 16.5%

18. Additional
Questions
 What are some innovative ideas or
steps to getting the automobile
industry as a whole to be a
completely multicultural
organization?
 How many years will it take for
complete diversification in gender
and ethnicity in the automobile
industry and in general, all
industries around the world?

19. Thoughts for
Solutions
 Making sure that all employees are
paid based solely on their ability to
perform well on their work in the
automobile industry, and not paid
founded on any basis of their cultural
background or gender will result in a
more equal and multicultural
organization.
 Would not it be a wonderful world if
people were not judged even in a
miniscule way on their gender or
ethnicity?

20. Works Cited
 Our Diversity Performance. (n.d.). In Ford Go Further. Retrieved from https://corporate.ford.com/microsites/sustainability-report-2014-
15/people-employees-diversity-performance.html
 Diversity and Inclusion. (n.d.). In Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Retrieved from
http://www.fcagroupcareers.com/OurCulture/DAI/Pages/home.aspx
 Noria Corporation. (n.d.). Ford Motor Company recognized for diversity progress. In Reliable Plant. Retrieved from
http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/6054/ford-motor-company-recognized-for-diversity-progress
 No. 34 | Toyota Motor North America | DiversityInc Top 50. (n.d.). In Diversity Inc. Retrieved from http://www.diversityinc.com/toyota-
motor-north-america/
 DeCuir-DiNicola, K. (n.d.). Diversity: GM Past, GM Present and GMnext. In Heritage Center. Retrieved from
https://history.gmheritagecenter.com/wiki/index.php/Diversity:_GM_Past,_GM_Present_and_GMnext
 Women in the Automotive Industry. (2016 , May 9). In Catalyst. Retrieved from http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/women-automotive-
industry
 HOUSEHOLD DATAANNUAL AVERAGES 18. Employed persons by detailed industry, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino
ethnicity. (2016 ). In Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat18.htm