Affirmative Action and Full Spectrum Diversity
Affirmative Action is a government program designed to correct past discrimination against minority groups. It requires employers and educational institutions legally to provide equal opportunities, so that everyone, regardless of their race or ethnic origins, has a chance to develop their abilities. Businesses cannot discriminate in their hiring practices, wages and pay, promotion, training, or firing of employees. The law also allows government agencies to favor women and minorities when they award contracts and not award contracts to businesses that do not make genuine efforts to hire minority owned businesses for subcontracting work. Although Affirmative Action has helped women and other minorities (we see women in police work and the military now, for example), opposition to the program has been great since its inception -- on the basis that it discriminates unintentionally (makes a "disparate impact") against white males.
Full spectrum diversity responds to the problems of Affirmative Action with a more multicultural approach -- one that recognizes the advantages and enrichment of diversity. It seeks to enhance group diversity and individualism in the workplace and in educational institutions. The emphasis is shifted. Instead meeting compulsory affirmative action principles and strategies, the full spectrum diversity approach focuses on creative ways to achieve more diversity.
Instead of being driven by something external (as Affirmative Action was by the government), the new system uses internally-based incentives to accomplish full spectrum diversity. Companies that are committed to full spectrum diversity change their organizational structure in order to encourage minority success. They try to eliminate the weaknesses in affirmative action practices and to view diversity, not as an unpleasant requirement the company must comply with minimally (the "token" black receptionist, for example), but as an asset to business that should be enhanced and developed for the benefit of all. Programs, policies, orientation, and corporate culture all reflect this change in attitude and approach.
