Exploring Diversity and Inclusion Leadership in Complex Organizations

Introduction

Affirmative action planning began in 1965 to help companies to realize deficiencies in areas where there was underrepresentation of minorities and women (Renner & Moore, 2004). Over the decades American culture has changed. Affirmative action planning regulations, however, have remained the same. These regulations have excluded the need for a diverse and inclusive workplace. Companies that recognize the need for maximum diversity stand to gain a competitive advantage over companies that fail to see the benefit of a diverse workforce. This dissertation reviews the categories that formed affirmative action, defines the needs of the modern workplace, and explores best practices to creating a diverse and inclusive 21st-century workplace.

The United States has struggled with the term equality ever since its inception. In 1865, the 13th Amendment came into force, eliminating slavery (Carter, 2016). In 1896, with Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court established the separate but equal principle, which led to segregation in schools and public places such as restaurants (Hutchison, 2015). In 1954, Brown v. Board of Education determined that separate but equal was unconstitutional (Ford & King, 2014). However, in 1964, only 25% of Blacks above the age of 25 had graduated with a high-school diploma (Wolf, 2014). After World War II ended, only 10% of married women with children under the age of six had jobs or were looking for jobs (Guilder, 1986).

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law Executive Order 11246, which prohibited federal contractors from discriminating based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin (Thompson & Morris, 2013). Additionally, Executive Order 11246 mandated that all government contractors with $50,000 or more in business with the government and 50 or more employees must complete a written affirmative action plan (Department of Labor, 2011). Based on the findings of the affirmative action plan, employers then make goals based on the areas where they have deficiencies of minorities and women (Fugère, Cathey, Beetham, Haynes, & Schaedler, 2016). Although representation of minorities and women is important, the culture has evolved, with social labels other than race and gender defining who employees are.

Table 1 outlines the 1997, 2007, and 2017 numbers of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission discrimination claims (EEOC, 2018). Table 1 shows the social segregation categories and the number of discrimination claims for each listed year. Despite laws preventing discrimination, people in most categories are still experiencing hardships due to exclusion from the workplace. The culture has evolved, and organizations need diversity and inclusion in the workplace to go beyond race and gender.