1. Diversity Management - An essential craft for leaders
Objective :
The report presents the growing need to broaden and inculcate the principles of "Diversity
Management" as an important ingredient for an effective leadership. The report highlights the
enormous impact it will have on the success of future leaders and the expectations for the future of
diversity management.
Need for Diversity Management :
 The practices that were being followed till now have been outdated and there are certain
expectations from the future leaders to take it more seriously in their efforts to create more
effective organization rather than simply muddle through.
 Diversity Management is concerned with a lot many things rather than just "representation"
and "relationships". It has achieved an entire new dimension altogether. There is a lot more to
diversity than "counting" and "getting along"
 It's high time that the organizational leaders and diversity professionals do not remain content
with the basic practices and rise to this very important challenge.
Expectations from the future :
Representation vs Diversity-
 A need to differentiate between representation and diversity need to be realized. While
representation is just about the presence of people from diverse backgrounds, diversity is
more concerned with behavioural differences, similarities and tensions that can exist between
them.
 There is need to address these differences and tensions, in absence of which the leaders will
tend to lose the representations gains while if it is realized it will surely aid them in gaining
the competitive edge.
Diversity management as a craft-
 Diversity management needs to be viewed as a craft and not as an extension of a civil rights
movement which merely focuses on race and gender. It can be applied to any diverse mixture
of people in the workplace to increase efficiency through collaborative performance.
 It can be used to match the different task environments of people in such a way as to
effectively integrate a cohesive, purpose driven task.

2. Tackling differences and tensions-
 Diversity management is concerned with "making quality decisions in the midst of
differences, similarities and tensions". It can also assist in unravelling and creatively
conceptualizing complex situations.
 This craft would come in very useful in complex situations such as one created by customers,
mergers and acquisitions and different business locations.
Change in mindset-
 Stereotyping all racially inappropriate behaviour to be caused due to racism needs to be
avoided. Leaders need to recognize that people can have differences and tensions for reasons
other than racial bias.
Realization of difficulties faced-
 Future leaders need to be true to admit the difficulty that they might face in making decisions
amidst the diversities. They need to reflect upon specific ways in which the difficulties can be
tackled.
 Difficulty with diversity need not to be looked at as a moral offense.
Components of Diversity Management-
Concepts: The definitions that provide the craft's foundation
Fundamental dynamics: The principles that along with the concepts constitute the craft's basics
Prerequisites for mastery: Acquisition of diversity management skills, achievement of diversity
maturity, and practice in applying the craft
The concepts of diversity management are very easy to learn compared to task of achievement and
application of the same. The necessary diversity management skills that need to be inculcated in order
to achieve the same include :-
 The ability to recognize and analyze diversity mixtures
 The ability to determine if action is required with respect to a particular mixture
 The ability to respond appropriately to the issue in question
Adaptability-
 Leaders armed with this craft will be more comfortable with the differences and tensions that
exist among the people and will be in a far better position to deal with it.
 Keeping the thing simple (attempt to evade diversity) might appear to reduce the tension but it
would result in distortion and ineffectiveness.

3. Global Outlook-
 Leaders need to make it a global craft rather than confining it to a particular region. It needs
not to be seen as something related to country's unique struggle with race and slavery.
 Decoupling diversity from civil rights movement will help generate clarity about its true
nature.
Strategic Approach-
 This craft will aid leaders to be more strategic in their approach to utilize to the optimum the
diversity that is present in the organization. Organization's mission, vision and strategy will
guide the responses.
Social Impact-
 This will also have a social impact as the understanding of diversity management craft will
provide an approach that leaders and rank-and-file citizenry can use to work through diversity
challenges.
 It will enhance the likelihood of achieving a naturally cohesive, purpose-driven unity in spite
of divisions that exist.
Conclusion :
We are progressing but still there is a lot needed to be done to meet these expectations. The
oppositions are bound to be there, particularly when an attempt to decouple diversity management
from civil rights movement is made but the objective needs to be clearly kept in vision. Slowly, but
surely, the diversity focus will tend to move from a social agenda to a craft for making quality
decisions amidst the differences and tensions that exist. Adding to this, adoption of this craft will also
enhance the probability of achieving social justice goals.
Bibliography :
Leader to Leader journal – by R. Roosevelt Thomas Jr.
Journal No : Leader To Leader, No.41, Summer 2006
Link : http://www.leadertoleader.org/knowledgecenter/journal.aspx?ArticleID=94