Diversity Journal - May/Jun 2008 by Diversity Journal

Also Featuring…Front-Runner Desiree Dancy—The New York Times Company • Asian Pacific American Heritage Month • Supplier Diversity Experts

Thanks to you, Sam is content in knowing his health insurance covers his extended family – and that has him back in the swing of things.

Volume 10, Number 3 MAY / JUnE 2008 $ 12.95 U.S.

PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL MaY / JUNE 2008 • VOLUME 10 NUMBER 3

The Asian American population honors this tradition in many cities across the country. To support this culture, we offer a range of products and services that work for every family circle, no matter how large it is. Working to better people’s lives is not something you do every day. But it can be – at WellPoint.

Better health care, thanks to you. Visit us online at Contact us at EOE

wellpoint.com/careers and wellpoint.com/diversity

www.diversityjournal.com

At WellPoint, we are addressing tomorrow’s health care issues today. With the growing number of extended families living together in one home, we are making it easier for members to secure coverage for themselves, their children – even their parents.

President and CEO

ANGELa BRaLY, of WellPoint, Inc. sees Diversity Management as a fundamental part of How they Do Business

Don’t ever give up on what you believe in. Not once. Not ever.

My dream is to do extraordinary things every day. Life’s calling. Where to next?

Power On My parents always treated me like any other kid. And when I fell, my mom didn’t always rush to pick me up. “Sarah’s going to pick herself up.” It was a really important lesson for me to learn. For me to keep up, I always had to be tougher than the rest. And I think that’s still true today. – Sarah Reinertsen

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Last is First

James R. Rector PUBLISHER

John Murphy

MANAGING EDITOR

The last thing we put together each issue is the table of contents. It’s very satisfying to look back over what’s been produced and tabulate it all for readers. The “TOC,” as we call it, gives us one last glance backward to make sure we got it all right. And I can tell you that for this issue, we did.

Cheri Morabito

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Damian Johnson

MARKETING DIRECTOR

Laurel L. Fumic

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Let’s start with our cover feature on WellPoint, Inc. Imagine the challenges of running a company of this size—40,000 or so employees, sales of $60 billion—in an industry as fast-changing as health benefits. But Angela Braly is piloting the ship with skill and finesse, and having a grand time doing it.

Alina Dunaeva

Much the same can be said of Desiree Dancy, our Front-Runner in Diversity Leadership at The New York Times Company. In case you haven’t noticed, newspapers are facing the most difficult years in their history. Yet Desiree abounds with optimism. Read her story for some real-life inspiration.

Commentaries or questions should be

We’ve also squeezed two other special focus features into this issue. The first observes Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. You have a chance to meet nine remarkable individuals as they reflect on the people who made a difference in their lives. The second looks at how some companies that are leaders in supplier diversity manage to meet the challenges they face every day, particularly in terms of finding companies with sufficient capacity to meet their needs. We think you’ll find the ideas here interesting and helpful. Finally, our new lineup of Perspectives columns continues to generate interest and excitement as our columnists take on some of the toughest issues facing diversity practitioners today. We hope you’ll enjoy meeting the people in this issue.

O verseas C orrespondent

Jason Bice

WEB MASTER

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

addressed to: Profiles in Diversity Journal, P.O. Box 45605, Cleveland, OH 44145-0605. All correspondence should include author’s full name, address, e-mail and phone number. DISPLAY ADVERTISING

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Pro f i les i n D i ve rsit y Journal

M ay / J u n e 2 0 0 8

Goodstein

Diversity & Inclusion. It’s the foundation of who we are.™

Not only does diversity celebrate our differences, it celebrates our similarities. Diversity and inclusion is more than an aspiration at Bank of America – it’s part of our culture and core values and essential to remaining competitive in today’s global marketplace. We value and welcome diversity of viewpoint, approach and background. In addition to being the right thing to do, encouraging a diverse, inclusive workplace gives us the business advantage of understanding and meeting the needs of our diverse customers, clients and shareholders. At every level of the company, we are committed to ensuring an inclusive work environment where associates can achieve their personal and professional goals so the company – and the communities we serve – can grow and succeed.

Volume 10 • Number 3 May / June 2008

features 16 Special Focus:

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month The theme for this year’s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is “Lighting the Past, Present, and Future.” The nine contributors here touch on all three aspects in ways that are both humbling and inspiring.

Celebrating Asian Pacific American 16 Heritage Month The theme for this year’s Asian Pacific

On the Cover / WellPoint, Inc.

American Heritage Month is“Lighting the Past,

Angela Braly, president and and CEO of WellPoint, Inc., graduated from Southern Methodist University with a passion: to make a difference as a lawyer. Today, she leads nearly 42,000 associates at WellPoint and is living out her dream and her vision.

Present, and Future.” The nine contributors here touch on all three aspects in ways that are both humbling and inspiring. Their personal and professional achievements affirm the wisdom of embracing cultural diversity in our workplace and our communities.

Front-Runner / Desiree Dancy Desiree Dancy is the Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at The New York Times Company. This jazz aficionado works every day to support, retain, and recruit a diverse workforce that will see The New York Times Company well into the 21st century.

76 Special Focus:

Supplier Diversity In a recent survey of a select group of leading organizations, Profiles in Diversity Journal found that many companies still struggle with aspects of their supplier diversity programs. The companies here shared with us their strategies and techniques to improve and advance their own supplier diversity programs.

Strategies from the Experts SUPP

Strategies from the Experts SUPPLIER DIVERSITY

Pro f i les i n D i ve rsit y Journal

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Dell recommends Windows Vista Business TM

A CULTURE AS DIVERSE AS OUR

TECHNOLOGY

Look for the many diverse products that Dell offers, including the Dell Latitude D630 with Intel® Centrino® processor technology at Dell.com.

PARTNER, GROW AND ASPIRE AT DELL

Intel, the Intel logo, Centrino, Centrino Inside, Intel Core and Core Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Dell is an AA/EO employer. Workforce diversity is an essential part of Dell’s commitment to quality and to the future. We encourage you to apply, whatever your race, gender, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Volume 10 â&#x20AC;˘ Number 3 May / June 2008

departments

8 Momentum Diversity Who, What, Where and When

14 Catalyst A nnouncing the Winners of the 2008 Catalyst Award 92 MicroTriggers More Stories from Janet Crenshaw Smith

perspectives 12 From My Perspective by Linda Jimenez, WellPoint, Inc. 60 Viewpoint by Melanie Harrington, AIMD 62 T houghts Through the Office Door â&#x20AC;Ś by Carlton Yearwood, Waste Management, Inc. 64 My Turn by Shirley A. Davis, PhD, SHRM 96 Last Word by Marie Y. Philippe, PhD

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Oct. 27-29, 2008 Atlanta, Ga.

Atlanta Marriott Marquis

Leading, Changing, Transforming SHRM Diversity Conference & Exposition

Keynote Speakers

Join us in Atlanta. Register now! Registration opens June 1, 2008 Early bird price until 8/1/08 SHRM Member: $1,025

08-0298

Nonmember: $1,270

Lisa Ling

Frans Johansson

Bill Strickland

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Author, The Medici Effect

President and CEO, Manchester Bidwell Corporation

Global Diversity and Inclusion Issues in the 21st Century Panel Chief Diversity Officer Speakers: Steve Bucherati

Deborah Dagit

Dr. Rohini Anand

The Coca-Cola Company

Merck & Co. Inc.

Sodexho USA

Please visit www.shrm.org/conferences/diversity for more information or to register.

Three from ComEd Make List of Top Black Technology Executives CHICAGO—U.S. Black Engineer & Information Technology Magazine named three ComEd (NYSE: EXC) executives to its annual list of the 100 Most Important Blacks in Technology: Frank M. Clark, ComEd chairman and CEO; George Williams, senior vice president of operations; and Kevin Brookins, vice president of work management and new business. Clark joined ComEd in 1966 and has overseen a wide variety of corporate and frontline functions including customer service operations; marketing and sales; Clark regulatory, governmental and community affairs; information technology; communications; human resources; labor relations; and distribution services. Williams joined ComEd in 2006 and has 24 years of utility experience. He oversees one of the nation’s largest electrical distribution systems.

Williams

Brookins began his career at ComEd in 1983 as an analyst in corporate planning. He is responsible for the prioritization and scheduling of construction and maintenance activities as well as Brookins 8

Pro f i les i n D ive rsit y Journal

the design and construction of new service connections. Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation, one of the nation’s largest electric utilities with approximately 5.4 million customers.

Grace Killelea Named VP of Talent and Leadership Initiatives PHILADELPHIA —Comcast Cable (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK) announced the promotion of Grace Killelea Killelea to vice president of talent and leadership initiatives, a newly created position. Killelea will focus on creating, integrating, and leading the talent management and executive development function throughout Comcast. She will continue to oversee Comcast’s Emma L. Bowen Foundation internship program, which involves minority high school and college students in media and communications through a multiyear work/study program. For 10 years, Killelea, who has more than 25 years of experience in human resources, has been a leader in Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT), the oldest and largest organization serving women professionals in cable and telecommunications. She also has served for six years as sole facilitator of the Betsy Magness Leadership Institute program, developing more than 300 female cable industry executives across the country.

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Killelea joined Comcast in 2003 as the vice president of human resources for Comcast’s advertising division. She has a master’s degree from the Kogod School of Business at American University and is a graduate of the Betsy Magness Leadership Institute. Comcast Corporation (www.comcast.com) is the nation’s leading provider of entertainment, information and communications products and services.

Farmers Insurance Names Ruggiero Vice President, Legislative and Regulatory Affairs LOS ANGELES— Denise Ruggiero has joined Farmers Insurance Group as vice president of legislative and regulatory affairs. Ruggiero She will be a key player in the company’s key states, said officials. Ruggiero was managing attorney for State Farm in Sacramento, California, where she was responsible for legislative, regulatory, and initiative activity in 11 states. Before that she was State Farm counsel for Texas and also served as divisional claims superintendent for litigation and auto claims. A member of the Texas and California state bar associations, Ruggiero is a certified public accountant. She has a JD from St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, Texas, and a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Houston. She is a native of Texas.

Farmers Group Inc. is headquartered in Los Angeles and does business in 41 states. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Zurich Financial Services, an insurance-based financial services provider with a global network.

Bingham Names Ralph Martin as Boston Office Managing Partner BOSTON— Bingham McCutchen has named partner and former Suffolk County District Attorney Ralph C. Martin Martin II as the first managing partner of its Boston office. Martin, co-chair of Bingham’s Diversity Committee, joined Bingham in 2002 after 10 years as the Commonwealth’s first elected black district attorney. As a litigation partner at Bingham, Martin has built a successful private practice in the areas of corporate investigations and white-collar defense. He has served as managing principal of Bingham Consulting Group, a subsidiary business of the firm that guides companies through public policy challenges at the local, state, and national levels. Bingham McCutchen LLP (www. bingham.com) is a national law firm with global capabilities, representing clients in cross-border restructurings and insolvencies, high-stakes litigation, complex financing and regulatory matters, government affairs, and a wide variety of sophisticated corporate and technology transactions.

Cargill’s Law Department Honored for Diversity Leadership CHICAGO—Cargill’s law department was one of two corporate legal departments to capture 2008 Employer of Choice awards at the Midwest Region Diversity Dinner of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA). MCCA honored Cargill for its role in Twin Cities Diversity in Practice, a communitywide effort to recruit and retain minority lawyers in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. As the first corporate law department to join the organization, Cargill helped to recruit additional corporate members, who now number 14. Cargill also was honored for its companywide employee affinity groups, including the Ebony Council, the Hispanic-Latino Council, the Women’s Council, and the Rainbow Alliance (for lesbiangay-transgender employees).

Grand Valley State University Names First VP for Inclusion and Equity Thomas J. Haas, president of Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, announced the apArnold pointment of Dr. Jeanne Arnold from the University of Pennsylvania as the university’s first vice president for inclusion and equity. Arnold reports directly to the president and is part of the senior management team. Grand Valley is one of the first regional four-year

public universities to hire a person at this senior leadership level, according to Greenwood & Associates Inc., the firm that assisted in the search. Arnold was the executive director in the office of affirmative action and equal opportunity programs at the University of Pennsylvania, where she had worked since 1995. Arnold earned a master’s degree and her EdD in higher education management from the Ivy League university. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University. Grand Valley State University, established in 1960, is a four-year public university that offers 69 undergraduate and 26 graduate degree programs.

Ted Mathas Named CEO-elect of New York Life NEW YORK— Ted Mathas has been named chief executive officerelect by the Board of Directors of New York Mathas Life Insurance Company. Beginning July 1, he will succeed Sy Sternberg, 64, who has been CEO for more than a decade, as the 18th chief executive in the company’s 163-year history. Sternberg will remain chairman of the board of directors in a nonexecutive capacity for a transition period. Mathas, 40, currently is president and chief operating officer, responsible for overseeing all domestic and international business operations including life insurance, retirement income, investments, long-term care insurance and related businesses, as

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well as the company’s career agency system. He will retain the president’s title upon assuming the chief executive’s role in July. Mathas graduated with distinction with a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University in 1989. He received a JD in 1992 from the University of Virginia, where he was a member of the Virginia Law Review and the Order of the Coif. Mathas joined New York Life in June 1995 as an officer in the asset management department. Founded in 1845, New York Life Insurance Company (www.newyorklife.com), a Fortune 100 company, is the largest mutual life insurance company in the United States and one of the largest life insurers in the world.

MetLife Appoints Thomas Stephens as Vice President of Northeast Agency Group NEW YORK— MetLife Inc. (NYSE: MET) named Thomas Stephens vice president for the company’s Northeast Stephens Agency Group. In his new role, Stephens is responsible for growing the MetLife field force, retention of top producers, sales, productivity, and profitability. He oversees sales offices that span from upstate New York to New England and Eastern Pennsylvania. Since 2002, Stephens was territorial director of annuity sales at MetLife where his team led the company in sales for the last four consecutive 10

Pro f i les i n Dive rsit y Journal

years. Before that, he spent several years as a financial advisor with New England Financial, where he was honored in 2001 with the Edward E. Phillips Award for his outstanding work in the field and recognized for his community outreach efforts. For the past 17 years he has volunteered as a mentor and board member of the Paul Robeson Institute, a leadership academy for youth. He also serves on the boards of Newbury College in Brookline, Massachusetts, and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. Stephens holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in mathematics from Hampton University and Northeastern University respectively. He currently resides in Boston. MetLife Inc. (www.metlife.com) is a leading provider of insurance and financial services with operations throughout the United States, Latin America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region.

Keith Wyche of Pitney Bowes Among First Inductees to International Board of Renaissance Leaders STAMFORD, Conn.—Keith Wyche, president of U.S. Operations for Pitney Bowes Management Services, Inc. Wyche (PBMS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI), today has been inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. International Board of Renaissance Leaders, established by Morehouse

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College of Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Wyche is among the first class of inductees to the Board. Among the inductees are luminaries in their respective fields, including Congressman Charles Rangel, actor Blair Underwood, and sports agent Bill Duffy. In his current role at PBMS, Wyche is responsible for managing operations at the company’s customer sites throughout the United States and its Document Solutions Centers. Wyche is currently on the board of directors of both the Executive Leadership Council, a professional organization comprised of the top African American senior corporate executives America, and the National Black MBA Association. He is also the author of the upcoming book, Good is Not Enough: And Other Unwritten Rules for Minority Professionals, published by Portfolio. In 2007, he was named a “Man of Distinction” by the National Urban League and one of the “Top 50 Under 50” corporate executives by Diversity MBA magazine. Recognized for leadership by both Black Enterprise and Ebony magazines, Wyche received his BBA degree from Cleveland State University and MBA from BaldwinWallace College. Pitney Bowes Management Services provides on-site and off-site outsourced mail, print and document management solutions to the Fortune 1000, American Legal 200 and Federal Government agencies. The company was founded in 1920 and annual revenues now total $6.1 billion. More information is available at www.pb.com.

Takasugi Honored by Mexican Bar Association with Lifetime Achievement Award LOS ANGELES—The Honorable Robert M. Takasugi of the Central District of California has received the Frank E. Munoz Lifetime Achievement Award from the Mexican American Bar Association. The award celebrates and honors Judge Takasugi’s commitment to justice and expanding opportunities for Mexican Americans and other minority and marginalized groups. For more than 40 years, he has provided a pro bono bar review course to assist and tutor unsuccessful applicants to the California State Bar examination who are in financial need. Interned with 130,000 other Japanese Americans during World War II, Takasugi became the first Japanese American appointed to the federal bench in 1976. During his 32 years on the bench, he has been widely honored by numerous lawyer and community groups. The Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area saluted Takasugi for these awards and his commitment and dedication to the courts and legal community.

Adrienne Arsht Delivers Keynote Speech Ending Women’s History Month at Burger King MIAMI—Burger King Corp. (NYSE:BKC) ended Women’s History Month with a keynote speech by successful businesswoman and prominent philanthropist

Adrienne Arsht. Entitled “Life’s Lessons,” Arsht’s address featured proverbs, quotations, and stories for BKC employees and key executives at a special luncheon at company headquarters. A community-minded power broker, Arsht has taken a leading role in cultural, business, and civic efforts promoting the growth and development of the arts and commerce in her adopted hometown of Miami. She recently made a $30 million donation to Miami’s Performing Arts Center, one of the largest financial contributions to the arts in the United States. With this contribution, the newly renamed Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of MiamiDade County secured its financial footing and ensured the future of quality cultural programming. Arsht is chairman emerita of TotalBank, where she served as chairman of the board for 11 years. Under her leadership, TotalBank grew to 14 locations, more than $1.4 billion in assets, and earned a solid reputation for highly personalized service and a strong commitment to the community. In November 2007, Arsht sold the bank to Banco Popular Español, the third largest banking group in Spain. The Burger King (www.bk.com) system operates more than 11,300 restaurants in all 50 states and in 69 countries and U.S. territories worldwide. Approximately 90 percent of Burger King restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees. PDJ

Pictured (L to R): Sherry Ulsh, Burger King Director and President of Women’s Leadership Forum, Adrienne Arsht, National Business Leader and Philanthropist, Anne Chwat, Executive Vice President, Robert Perkins, VP of Inclusion and Talent Management.

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from my perspective…

Champions of Hope—Not Pity By Linda Jimenez

Chief Diversity Officer & Staff Vice President—Diversity & Culture WellPoint, Inc.

Recently I attended a dinner where CAREERS & the disABLED magazine recognized individuals with their Employee of the Year awards. One of WellPoint’s associates, Tom Foran, was receiving an award, and I was delighted to be sharing in this special moment with him, his wife Candace, several of his co-workers, and his manager. I wasn’t prepared for how inspirational and truly moving the evening turned out to be for me. Initially, I am sure there were those in the room who felt a pang of sadness that these individuals had been dealt a difficult blow. But by the end of the evening there likely wasn’t one person who didn’t feel moved to be in the presence of such “Champions of Hope —not pity.” One by one award recipients were introduced by a representative from their companies. Their personal accomplishments at work and their volunteerism and community service were highlighted. The stories the honorees told weren’t so much about their disability but about opportunity. They relished the opportunity to simply compete and to compete equally. One reason people with disabilities are not gaining employment is because of pity. Pity is the equivalent of bias or prejudice and leads to one thing: exclusion. In the workplace, that means unemployment or underemployment. People with disabilities want neither pity-ridden paternalism nor overblown admiration. What I heard from the award recipients was a desire to be fully accepted participants in everyday life.

“

President George Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1991, and it became one of the most compassionate pieces of legislation enacted. During the congressional debate, advocates pointed out that there were some 35-43 million disabled Americans. Even the lower estimate made the disabled the country’s largest minority. The ranks of the disabled are growing daily with the graying of America. Disability is the one minority anyone can join at any time, as a result of a sudden automobile accident, a fall down a flight of stairs, cancer, or disease. It took a president with polio (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

”

Pity is the equivalent of bias or prejudice and leads to one thing: exclusion.

and the severely injured veterans of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam to make Americans aware that being disabled wasn’t something to be ashamed of. Then it took demonstrations and lobbying to force the federal government to recognize that people with disabilities ought to be included under the big umbrella of civil rights. It took me listening to the words of each of these “Champions of Hope” to hear a call to action. I am a person with a hidden disability, Type II diabetes and degenerative osteoarthritis, which necessitated a total knee replacement over 16 years ago. I cannot bend my knee more than 45 degrees. I cannot climb stairs or ride a bike. But I can do something. I can make a difference by working to expand my company’s disability outreach efforts and enhance our diversity training to dispel misperceptions about people with disabilities in the workplace. What can you do? PDJ

Linda Jimenez is a native of San Antonio, Texas, and attended the University of Texas at Austin where she received her BA with honors. She is also a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law and has spent 20 years specializing in labor and employment law. 12

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Summit and Awards Luncheon October 14, 2008 Atlanta, Georgia Speakers and Sponsors Reception Evening of October 13, 2008 Atlanta, Georgia For more information, please visit www.aimd.org or contact AIMD at 404-575-2131.

Save the date

Two Companies Earn the

2008 Catalyst Award

T By Catalyst

The Catalyst Award annually honors innovative approaches with proven results taken by organizations to address the recruitment, development, and advancement of all managerial women, including women of color. Catalyst’s rigorous, year-long examination of initiatives and their measurable results culminates in intensive on-site reviews at finalist organizations. By celebrating successful initiatives, Catalyst provides organizations with replicable models to help them create initiatives that are good for women and good for business. On April 9, 2008, we presented the Catalyst Award to two complex and original initiatives from very different companies. ING U.S. Financial Services (ING USFS) has created a culture that spans the entire organization. Their initiative, Beyond Diversity: Building One ING Culture, recognizes diversity and inclusion as a business imperative and makes all employees— women and men—responsible for achieving it. ING USFS’s people have responded to great success. Women in the Driver’s Seat: Gender Diversity as a Lever in Japan, from Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., recognizes the role women play in car-buying decisions and sets out to increase the participation of women throughout its organization. Making change in a culture like Japan’s, however, requires significant changes in the mindset of male employees. With senior leaders as models, this is occurring, and the results are impressive. Beyond Diversity: Building One ING Culture ING USFS’ initiative, Beyond Diversity: Building One ING Culture, has created a unifying culture that identifies diversity and inclusion as a business imperative, increased female managers at the top-most level, and has become a model for the global organization. In 2001, recognizing the need for change, the company used a transition period of rapid acquisitions and subsequent consolidation to identify the necessary levers for culture change. ING USFS then capitalized on different talents, perspectives, and ideas to increase diversity and inclusion across

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all of its business locations. The resulting “One ING” culture benefits all employees, with a strategic focus to include women and other diverse groups. The components of the initiative, which overlap and leverage one another, include: • A strong branding effort and rewarding employee experience. • An “acceleration” or “deceleration” of up to 10 percent of each business unit’s bonus pool that is linked specifically to performance on diversity measures, judged quantitatively and qualitatively by the CEO. In addition, managers’ personal performance plans include human capital management (HCM) metrics. • HCM metrics, such as the number of women “managers of managers” and high-performer retention rates, as well as career development and overall employee satisfaction scores, are closely tracked. • A comprehensive project to uncover employee needs that has led to skill-building initiatives, targeted recruitment, and mentoring programs. • Business-focused employee network groups. • Best-practice sharing through annual events, such as a Diversity Symposium. • Diversity-related employee volunteer activities through the ING Foundation. Since the initiative’s inception in 2003, ING USFS has increased women’s representation on the senior management team from 25 percent to 50 percent and, currently, two executive women in profit-and-loss roles manage 80 percent of ING USFS business. Two out of three people in the succession pipeline to CEO are women, and the percentage of women in people-manager positions has increased from 45.7 percent in 2003 to 47.9 percent in 2007.

“

Catalyst provides organizations with replicable models to help them create initiatives that are good for women and good for business.

”

Women in the Driver’s Seat: Gender Diversity as a Lever in Japan Nissan Motor’s Japan-only initiative, Women in the Driver’s Seat: Gender Diversity as a Lever in Japan, uses diversity to secure business success by increasing women’s participation and contribution in all areas of the business. The business case for having women as decision-makers and in positions of influence within the company was developed in response to research identifying women as influencers of two-thirds of all car purchases. With the support of many senior leaders and champions, the resulting diversity strategy focuses on three areas: engagement, education, and advancement of women. The components of the initiative include: • The Nissan Way, the principles and values—including diversity—encouraged and expected in the organization. • Career advancement support through specialized “Career Advisors,” for women only, and “Career Coaches,” for all high-potential employees. • Strategies for increasing the visibility of women role models, such as networking events and diversity forums. • Education and awareness-building through mandatory manager training and a robust diversity intranet site. • A variety of work-life programs and policies, including flextime, family leave for women and men, and programs to reduce overtime work.

• Ergonomic adjustments to equipment and other improvements in facilities and working conditions at plants that allow women to contribute fully. • Strong accountability mechanisms, such as the Global HR scorecard, Employee Surveys, and the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), which are linked with managers’ targets for promoting and developing women leaders. The initiative showcases solid increases for women in positions of influence in Japan. Since 2004, representation of women in management positions has increased from two percent (36 women) to four percent (101 women). The percentage of women managers in the design, planning, and product planning function has doubled from four percent to eight percent. In the pipeline to management, women assistant managers have increased from two percent to four percent and women team leaders from four percent to seven percent. The percentage of sales people (Car Life Advisors) at Nissan-owned dealerships who are women has increased from four percent to six percent, while the percentage of women in manufacturing plants more than doubled. Organizations around the world self-nominate for the annual Catalyst Award. For more information, or to download application materials, visit http://www.catalyst.org/award/apply.shtml. PDJ

About Catalyst Founded in 1962, Catalyst is the leading nonprofit corporate membership research and advisory organization working globally with businesses and the professions to build inclusive environments and expand opportunities for women and business. To download free copies of Catalyst research reports, visit www.catalyst.org. You may also sign up to receive our monthly email updates at news@catalyst.org.

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Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month The theme for this year’s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is “Lighting the Past, Present, and Future.” The nine contributors

here

touch

all

three

aspects in ways that are both humbling and

inspiring.

professional

Their

personal

achievements

affirm

and the

wisdom of embracing cultural diversity in our workplace and our communities.

Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month The theme for this year’s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is “Lighting the Past, Present, and Future.” The nine contributors

here

touch

all

three

aspects in ways that are both humbling and

inspiring.

professional

Their

personal

achievements

affirm

and the

wisdom of embracing cultural diversity in our workplace and our communities.

For the diversity leaders featured here, the past was lit by mothers and fathers, many of whom made serious sacrifices to give their children a better future. All contributors expressed gratitude for their parents and deep appreciation for the sacrifices made on their behalf. Now successful leaders in their own right, they understand that their past is inseparable from the person they have become. Their comments exude a refreshing enthusiasm for the present. To a person, they are more than willing to give back, grateful for what they have received. Like their parents, they are willing to sacrifice and to help others. They willingly embrace the difficult challenge for the chance it gives them to grow. They not only share their successes, but also their failures to guide others around the places they stumbled. The ideas they share reveal their optimism for the future. Respect others. Work for world peace. Always be ready to give. Always be ready to help. These are just a few of the convictions that give direction to their days. We are proud to feature their thoughts in this special segment celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

Lighting the Wayâ&#x20AC;Ś

ChEN WEi China Site Manager

ACS (AFFiLiaTEd COmPuTER SERVicE CO. LTd)

Who are/were your mentors? What lessons did you learn from them?

hindrance to our progress, but they help make us stronger, wiser, and more sympathetic human beings.

will high, the director of Motorola university, gave me the opportunity to work at Motorola in 1994. while learning to fit into the new culture environment, he always encouraged me and helped me to improve myself. Cindy Frie, senior vice president of sales at aCs, shares her suggestions and advice. she gives me opportunity, helps me enhance my skills, and cares about me and my family.

How are you involved with your community?

Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

as a leader, my responsibilities are to train and develop staff. i am very happy to teach, share, and influence my staff. i myself have benefited from my mentors’ coaching. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

First, my parents gave me everything—my life, my education, and most importantly my character. Their love is too profound to express. in my second phase of professional and family life, my husband, Mr. Yang, plays a critical role. he is a teacher who continuously teaches me and influences me. What are your favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by stephen Covey, changed my life. The seven habits are a paradigm shift for me. They guide me both in career and personal life. another book that had a great impact on me is Journey to Self-Realization, by paramahansa Yogananda. it is a highly motivational book that teaches that obstacles and difficulties are not a 18

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at the moment, China is in a very developing phase in every aspect and offering more opportunity for students to study in vocational schools, colleges, and universities. i use my spare time to share my experience and provide career development guidance to local colleges and university students. If you were to have lunch with the president of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

i am very interested in world peace, environmental protection, and culture exchange. To enhance people’s understanding across nations, it is very important that we exchange and communicate with each other. with these efforts, we get to know other nations’ cultures and appreciate our own culture and heritage. we do not live in an isolated world but an open world. What is your philosophy of life?

Treat people with respect and always be ethical. offer help to others. live by example, be harmonious, save natural resources, and live the green life. What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

i feel very proud that i am one of the members to establish an aCs China team. aCs established its business presence in China in June 2003. i was very happy to join the company with other employees as the initial staff.

Chen Wei attending Gartner Summit.

Who are/were your mentors? What lessons did you learn from them?

How are you involved with your community?

when i was a local television news reporter and anchor, Connie Chung, as the only asian woman on network television, was my role model. later, when i co-founded a public relations agency, Yu-sai Kan, a new York-based entrepreneur, became my role model. ron rhody, corporate vice president of Kaiser aluminum and Chemical Corporation, became my mentor after hiring me in 1980. Years later, i turned to ron again for mentoring when i took my current position. From observing my role models, i learned to be persistent, determined, and to never give up. From my mentor, i learned to surround myself with people smarter than me, solicit their opinions, act decisively, and to remember that the good guys always win.

i am a lutheran church lady. we make dinners for the homeless shelter. we make joyful noise. we pray.

Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

i tell people who ask for my advice to do what they really enjoy doing. it’s about making a life, after all. also, if you can’t change your situation, change the way you look at your situation. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

My mother was a silent supporter. My father was my biggest fan. he let me know by the way he talked about me to my older brothers. “watch out for your sister,” he would say. “she’s going to run circles around you two.”

If you were to have lunch with the president of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

i’d ask him to tell me about his day and what was the most important thing he accomplished. What is your philosophy of life?

RObERTa WONG MuRRaY senior vice president, corporate communications Manager

i would have to refer to Mahatma BaNK OF ThE WEsT gandhi, who said, “Your beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions. Your actions become your habits. Your habits become your values. Your values become your destiny.” What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

My son Marshall, 26, and daughter Mei-ling, 22. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

i would have started a yoga practice in my 30s instead of in my 40s.

What are your favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

in the book In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, author Bette Bao lord recounts her life growing up as an immigrant in new York. in Her Legacies, A Chinese Mosaic, she remembers Beijing in the late ’80s when her husband, winston lord, was u.s. ambassador to China. i subscribe to the The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, by Deepak Chopra. i used to read the laws aloud to my kids every day, one for every day of the week. every single one of them is true.

Roberta accepts awards for two communications endeavors by Bank of the West; for the bank’s 2006 corporate annual report (left) and for developing and staging elder financial abuse prevention programs. Prof iles in Div er s it y Jou r na l

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Simply stated, diversity means difference.

> AT ROHM AND HAAS,

WWW.ROHMHAAS.COM

we believe that understanding, valuing and managing diversity will result in a dynamic, more enriched workforce, maximized profitable growth and sustained competitive advantage. Leading the way since 1909, Rohm and Haas is a global pioneer in the creation and development of innovative technologies and solutions for the specialty materials industry. We pair creativity with sound knowledge, making it possible for our customers to meet ever-changing market demands. With operations in 27 countries on five continents, Rohm and Haas’ 16,500 employees are proud to offer specialty and performance materials that help our customers succeed. The company, which is based in Philadelphia, PA, generated annual sales of approximately $8.9 billion in 2007 and is dedicated to helping customers, communities and partners imagine the possibilities™ around the world.

imagine the possibilities™

Who are/were your mentors? What lessons did you learn from them?

My parents gave me the confidence to pursue my dreams and a sense of optimism to see the world without limits. Vincent Benitez was my boss at paul revere life insurance Company and the first person outside of my family who believed in me and helped me see potential beyond my wildest dreams. he helped me become the first woman salesperson in our department and nationally. The greatest lesson i learned from him was to never forget where we come from. our past is what prepares us for the future. Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

san Francisco in 2007. i am currently a candidate for the national board for girl scouts of america. If you were to have lunch with the president of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

how can we better leverage our diverse population to strengthen our position as the no. 1 economy in the world? What is your philosophy of life?

BaRbaRa Adachi cluster Leader, Human capital advisory services

DELOiTTE CONsuLTiNG

i have learned more from my failures than my successes, so i encourage people to follow their hearts and their passion, embrace change, have the courage to take risks, and not be afraid to fail.

To live life to the fullest, enjoy LLP the journey, and not worry about the destination. i also believe that helping others is one of the most important contributions we can make.

Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

Both of my parents were instrumental in my life. i was always closest to my mother, who passed away six years ago. My mother worked two jobs to help pay for my college education, and her work ethic was inspirational to me. she gave me my positive outlook on life. since my mother passed away, i have seen my father in a different light. he is nearly 90 and is still reinventing himself. it’s truly inspiring.

raising a happy child and seeing her follow her dream. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

i would have joined Deloitte earlier in my career. i am a values-based person, and finding an organization where my personal values are aligned with my employer’s has been tremendous.

What are your favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

Samurai’s Garden, by gail Tsukiyama, reminded me of my father’s quiet strength and how the little things in life are so important. on the business side, Play Like a Man, Win Like a Woman, by gail evans, helped me see the barriers we impose on ourselves as businesswomen. How are you involved with your community?

i am very involved with the american heart association, with the go red for women, events and chaired the inaugural go red luncheon in

As a successful human capital consultant and leader of Deloitte’s Women’s Initiative, Barbara Adachi is a role model to women aspiring to leadership.

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She co anything she w uld be ants at Sodex

Sodexo is Being Recognized as a Leader 2008: Top Company for Diversity (#12) • Top Company for Recruitment and Retention • Top Ten Companies for African Americans • Top Ten Companies for Latinos • Top Ten Companies for People with Disabilities – Diversity Inc. • Top 50 Entry Level Employers – CollegeGrad.com • Top 200 Intern Employer – CollegeGrad.com 2007: Top 15 Best Companies for Workforce Diversity – Black Enterprise Magazine • 2007 Best Places for Minorities to Work – Atlanta Tribune • 2007 Innovations in Diversity – Profiles in Diversity Journal • 50 Best Companies for Latinas in 2007 – LATINA Style • Top Companies for Hispanics – Hispanic Business • 2007 Best Companies for Multicultural Women – Working Mother Media • Top 50 Entry Level Employers – CollegeGrad.com • Top 20 Companies for Asian Paciﬁc Americans – Asian Enterprise Magazine • Top 50 Corporations for Supplier Diversity – Hispanic Trends Magazine • Five Star Employer – U.S. Department of Defense

Who are/were your mentors? What lessons did you learn from them?

i am very fortunate to have had several great mentors since i started to work for Ford Motor Company seven years ago, including Darryl hazel, executive vice president and president of Ford Customer service Division; Dave prystash, controller of global product Development; and Jim gwaltney and Tom Cunningham, retired Ford executives. words cannot express my gratitude for their wisdom, support, and willingness to guide me through my professional journey. They taught me that being a great leader is more than being a good manager. it’s the ability to inspire others to be the best they can be. Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

Because i was born and raised in Beijing, China, and started my career at Ford Motor Company relatively late in life, i have been able to share my personal and professional stories and the lessons i learned. one thing i stress is that you don’t need to give up your own identity to become successful.

years alone because she believed it would be in the best interest of her children’s future. i learned from my mom the importance of being strong and independent. What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

Besides the fantastic journey i have had at Ford Motor Company, my most rewarding accomplishment is guiding my two beautiful, talentROsE PENG ed, and kind-hearted daughters in Manager, revenue their education and the pursuit of Management and Global their dreams. My 18-year-old is a Lifecycle analytics Department sophomore at new York university, (GLaD) pursuing a double major in comFORd MOTOR COmPaNY puter science and economics. My 14-year-old is attending the Kirov academy of Ballet in washington, D.C., one of the 65 students accepted worldwide.

What is your philosophy of life?

My philosophy of life is to always be ready to give, serve, and contribute, whether it involves work, family, or friends. i also stress humbleness and humility. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

Both my parents have had a great impact on my upbringing and success. My dad was a chief economist and deputy director at the China Machinery industrial Ministry before he retired in the 1990s. he suffered a great deal during the so-called “culture revolution” in China. however, he never complained. My dad taught me the importance of integrity, dignity, patience, never giving up, and staying positive. My mom is an educator and an extraordinarily strong woman who raised four kids by herself while managing to excel in her career at the same time. she wanted her children to have the best education possible, so she chose to stay in Beijing when my dad was sent to the countryside to be “re-educated” by the farmers. My mom sacrificed, spending 10

Rose Peng receives the Ford Trade Secret Award, presented internally for an extraordinary invention representing innovative problem solving, an exceptional competitive advantage to Ford, and valuable intellectual property that can be used without divulging the secret. Ms. Peng has received seven of these awards in the past, with two more pending. She receives the award from Dave Prystash, then Executive Director of Remarketing Operations (now Global Product Development Controller). Ms. Peng received her current award for a state-of-the-art business model development for Ford’s Remarketing Revenue Management organization. Prof iles in Div er s it y Jou r na l

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At UnitedHealth Group, unique is everywhere. In our approach to health care. In each segment of our business. In every professional. In the career opportunities we offer. As a global leader in health care, UnitedHealth Group is committed to creating a workforce of unique individuals. Their unique perspectives bring about innovative ideas. It is the unique backgrounds, lifestyles and beliefs our professionals bring to their work that fuels innovation, creates a healthy environment and drives us towards our goal of creating a better health care system. Founded in 1974, UnitedHealth Group has since grown into a Fortune 100 company. Our family of businesses work tirelessly to advance the quality and access to care while making services more affordable and easier to use for everyone. Our work impacts the lives of nearly 55 million people and helps coordinate care for more than 20 million more. As unique as the many businesses that unite to form UnitedHealth Group, are the career opportunities they offer. From accounting to marketing, clinical to claims, the employment experience at UnitedHealth Group is second to none. Regardless of their unique talents, our professionals are united to improve health care for everyone.

Let us hear your unique voice in these careers available nationwide throughout our family of businesses.

• Business Analysts • Customer Care Professionals • Financial Analysts • Information Technology • Inside & Field Sales • Product Associates • Underwriting Analysts Through innovative leadership in health care, UnitedHealth Group provides ongoing career opportunities for diverse individuals, enriching the employment experience and creating a healthier atmosphere for all. UnitedHealth Group is an equal opportunity employer and employs individuals based on job-related qualifications regardless of race, religion, sex, national origin, age, or other protected characteristics. M/F/D/V.

To view current career opportunities, and to apply online, visit our CAREERS page at www.unitedhealthgroup.com.

Who are/were your mentors? What lessons did you learn from them?

i have had several mentors at different stages of my education and career. while success comes with hard work and achievement, it is equally important to have sponsors who recognize your achievements and support your career development. Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

it is important to build lasting relationships with colleagues you can trust. These colleagues can be your touchstone when you try new ideas or take risks in your career. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

My mother. Young and recently widowed, she emigrated from hong Kong to the united states to raise my sister and me as americans. in doing so, she gave us opportunities that she never had and ultimately raised us to be strong, independent women. i marvel at her strength and courage. What are your favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

one of my favorite books is The Good Earth, by pearl Buck. i first read this book in high school, and it inspired me to learn more about my ethnic background as a Chinese american. as a result, i minored in east asian studies in college and eventually studied abroad in China. i am also a huge fan of agatha Christie. i often turn to her mysteries when i need to relax and unwind.

not agree with some of the president’s policies and decisions, i cannot presume to understand the pressures and considerations he must face at each critical decision point. i would ask him to describe how he balanced those considerations for some of his most critical policy decisions. What is your philosophy of life?

ChRisTY RuPERT ShibATA

work hard and play hard. For all of the effort that i put into my work, i try to put equal effort into my personal life.

executive vice president & chief financial Officer

UNiVERsAL STudiOs, part of NBC Universal, a division of GE

What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

i am proud of the fact that i have achieved a position of leadership responsibility in my business and industry, and i am fulfilled with the new challenges that i face every day. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

nothing. i believe that we should learn from our mistakes. Though i have made professional and personal decisions that i occasionally regret, i have taken away valuable lessons from each of my experiences. Shibata receives the Asian Women in Business (AWIB) 2007 Leadership Award from Mark Hoffman, President of CNBC.

How are you involved with your community?

i recently moved to los angeles and have had the opportunity to become involved with a public elementary school in Chinatown, where there is a large immigrant population. i plan to support the school with fund-raising and other activities to provide the students with unique educational opportunities.

Acting as “Principal for a Day” at Castelar Elementary in Los Angeles’ Chinatown.

If you were to have lunch with the president of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

i would like to learn more about the president’s decision-making process and priorities. while i may Prof iles in Div er s it y Jou r na l

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Born and raised in the Philippines. Speaks multiple languages. Is a CPA and has an MBA in Management Information Systems.

Wan Ling Martello Senior Vice President Chief Financial Officer & Strategy Wal-Mart International

Our Differences Make the Difference Different backgrounds. Different experiences. Different perspectives. A diverse workforce is more than age, gender, religion or race. We recognize that. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why we pride ourselves in recruiting people with unique individual skills and backgrounds. That includes our more than 44,000 Asian and Pacific Islander associates. Together we tackle challenges and create solutions.

Who are/were your mentors? What lessons did you learn from them?

loren noren was an american Baptist missionary who devoted more than half of his life in China helping local nationals know Christ. he was imprisoned in solitary confinement by the Chinese red army during the Mao era. Through his Christian faith and perseverance, he survived the imprisonment and was released eventually after more than two years. second, Jess alton was one of my former supervisors at hallmark. he demonstrated that he sincerely cared about my career development by showing me the ropes and helping me in a big corporation. Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

i share the same learning i gained from my two mentors with people i mentor. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

My mother instilled in me a sense of respect for all peoples. as a Chinese proverb puts it, “when you drink water, remember the source.” she also taught me that i needed to remember how i started my career, so that i could be a source of support for others. What are your favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

The Chinese in America: A Narrative History, by iris Chang (2004), made a huge impact on my personal life. This book helped me appreciate the Chinese immigrants in the past 150 years who overcame great obstacles finding success in a foreign land. My second favorite book is Minority Rules: Turn Your Ethnicity Into a Competitive Edge, by Kenneth arroyo roldan and gary M. stern (2006). i learned that i am accountable for developing my own career plan and taking necessary actions to succeed as a minority in the workplace.

i’m the chair of the asian american resource Community at hallmark, an employee resource group. i’m also a member of the operations Diversity & inclusion Council, representing the global procurement division. If you were to have lunch with the president of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

i would like to know if the president has any concept of how america is perceived overseas. i find that others see us far differently than we see ourselves.

JOEL MA

product procurement Manager

HALLMARK CARds, INc.

What is your philosophy of life?

all peoples are equal; diverse views are valued; being inclusive starts with me. Treat others with respect. life is as short/long as you want to make it—enjoy and be happy. What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

Being able to help mentor our overseas staff during my four-year assignment as an expatriate in asia. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

i would be more proactive and aggressive in developing my career plan by seeking out feedback and guidance from mentors across various divisions.

How are you involved with your community?

i have served on the board of trustees for ottawa university since 2006. i’m also a co-chair of the staff relations and personnel Committee for my church.

Joel Ma (left) is a member of the steering committee for the Asian American Resource Community at Hallmark (AARCH), which is open to all employees, but focuses on Asian American employees and community.

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Who are/were your mentors? What lessons did you learn from them?

CYNThiA MuN executive Director, Business insights and strategy

MGM MIRAGE

My parents and my elementary school teachers provided the foundation of who i am today. My parents provided a wealth of knowledge for practical life skills and instilled the love for learning. My teachers allowed me to ask questions and fostered my curiosity. They also taught me that it’s oK to ask the questions but that there may not always be answers; that the unknown is an area of opportunity.

Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

Mentoring to me is individual, so what i share is tailored to the individual. i have never taken a general approach. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

My parents. They taught me that it did not matter what i did in life as long as i knew how to make the task interesting and to think innovatively about a problem. if i were able to do this with any task, then my job would never feel like work. My job would feel like a rewarding engagement. What are your favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

i love children’s books because they are simple but beautiful and thought provoking in their messages. My two favorites are The Giving Tree, by shel silverstein, and The Little Prince, by antoine de saint-exupéry. i think both of these books reinforce the need for creativity and innovation when resources are scarce. Businesses have resource issues all the time. having multiple perspectives provides ways to solving the problem that may seem unsolvable. 28

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How are you involved with your community?

in the past, i’ve been a board member for several nonprofit organizations that help children. i’ve also been an active member for my college in recruiting high school seniors. If you were to have lunch with the president of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

There are so many questions that i would like to ask—it’s hard to choose! What is your philosophy of life?

i enjoy all of the unpredictability that life provides. i don’t second-guess it, and believe that life works itself out. What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

i think my most rewarding accomplishment is still in my future. i would, however, like to write a book one day. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

i would have had children sooner rather than later. we have one son who is 3, and i wonder if i would be a more energetic mother if i were 10 years younger.

Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

My parents have influenced me the most in my life. My mother grew up in a poor family but was rich in care and love. i learned from her how to overcome scarcity with generosity. My father was always busy at work and did not have many opportunities to share long talks with us. he showed me with his exemplary career in public service the importance of being a person of integrity and principles, even at the cost of resisting overwhelming peer pressure or giving up personal benefits. What are your favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

one of the books that has had a lasting impact on me was What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School, by Mark h. McCormack, the founder of international Management group. although i read it when i was in college in Taiwan, many of its messages still pop up in my mind today when i face challenges at work or at home. i was deeply impressed by how Mr. McCormack handled negotiations, sales, and decision-making. one thing that i got from the book and have not forgotten after so many years is the importance of integrity. i am lucky enough to work for a company that also emphasizes this ideal as one of its core values. i strive to excel in honesty and trustworthiness in my service to our agents in the field and our clients in the community.

at work, i participate in the asian network group as a committee member and serve as a mentor to a new employee in the mentorship program. Because i still remember my struggles as a newcomer in the united states and the challenges i experienced as a new employee in a big company, i am willing to share my knowledge and growth with those facing the same challenges. in short, i see my job as a way i can give back to others. What is your philosophy of life?

ShEiLA ChEN assistant vice president and Market Manager of chinese and vietnamese Markets

NEw YORK LiFE

My philosophy of life is that being needed gives meaning to life. and my greatest accomplishments are the many little things i do that help others.

How are you involved with your community?

i am actively involved in my church and faithfully committed to my work because i am convinced that by doing so i contribute to the well-being of my community. as a sunday school teacher, i try to help students discover the surprising joy of life’s journey. as the coordinator of a prayer fellowship, i encourage members to lean on each other and the almighty during their darkest hours.

Sheila Chen speaking at a World Journal Event called “Youth Math Contest”, sponsored by New York Life. Her speech stressed the importance of life insurance and how New York Life Insurance Company can provide services to the community.

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[ BANK OF THE WEST ]

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AT BANK OF THE WEST, WE BELIEVE OUR CUSTOMERS ARE WELL SERVED BY EMPLOYEES WHO ARE WELL SERVED. Different perspectives generate fresh ideas. That’s why at Bank of the West, we value diversity and equal opportunity for all our employees. Year after year, we continue to grow stronger thanks to our unique blend of people. After all, in today’s competitive banking environment, it is our employees with innovative ideas that keep us a step ahead of the rest.

www.bankofthewest.com

Bank of the West and its subsidiaries are equal opportunity/affirmative action employers. M/F/D/V

Who are/were your mentors? What lessons did you learn from them?

i’ve had many mentors who have been instrumental in my life. philippe Taillet, global Cio for sodexo, taught me the value of constructive engagement and collaboration with my peers. rick Brockland, Coo of our education market, has impressed on me the importance of balance and personal sanity. rohini anand, sodexo’s global CDo, inspires me every day with her energy and her commitment to make change happen by being a personal example. The values of friendship, family, and perseverance of my trusted friend and colleague Mohamood Bhatia, CFo for our education market, have had a profound influence on my life. Do you teach anything different to those you mentor? If so, what is it?

i stress the importance of being aware of the cultural values we bring to the table and the impact they have on mainstream colleagues. Who in your family had the most impact on your upbringing and success?

My father. his commitment to family, his work ethic, and his personal values have had a profound impact on my life. What are your favorite books/authors and what impact have they had on your career and personal life?

of the national association of asian american professionals (naaap). If you were to have lunch with the president of the United States, what would you ask or suggest?

i would ask that we take a long, hard look at the history of the united states and recognize that the greatness of our nation depends on the immigrant.

VijAY K. ShARMA

What is your philosophy of life?

senior vice president, Marketing

we are born with everything SOdEXO we need to be happy: love, compassion, patience, understanding, kindness, mercy, and forgiveness. all we need is a desire to call them forth in our daily life. What is your most rewarding accomplishment?

My daughter Cavya, whose grace and patience i admire, and my son Kartheek, whose strength and conviction inspire me. If given the chance, what would you do differently?

spend more time with family and in contemplation, meditation, and prayer.

The Way of the Peaceful Warrior, by Dan Millman, taught me that “You must cleanse your body of tension, free your mind of stagnant knowledge, and open your heart to the energy of true emotion.” From a career perspective, sun Tzu’s The Art of War has helped me to understand that problems can be solved systematically and that it’s better to beat the competition without fighting. How are you involved with your community?

i am the founding chair of sodexo’s pan asian network group and continue to be actively involved. i am also on the Board of Directors of the asian pacific islander american scholarship Fund. i have served in the past as an advisor to the Chicago chapter

Vijay Sharma, Suvir Saran, and Rohini Anand at the 2006 API Conference.

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PepsiCo Celebrates the Life of Edward F. Boyd 1914 – 2007 Edward F. Boyd helped place Pepsi in the hearts and hands of many Americans. And in doing so, he became an innovative leader and true pioneer in marketing. It’s been 60 years since Ed was hired to form the very first team of African-American marketers, opening up African-American communities across the nation. He defined target marketing — the way many businesses today meet consumer needs with products and services. Brave, distinguished and endearing, Ed Boyd helped move America and business to greater racial equality. Today, his spirit still inspires us. To learn more about Ed Boyd and all his accomplishments, read The Real Pepsi Challenge by Stephanie Capparell or visit careerjournal.com, go to the left column under Article Search and type in: Ed Boyd.

SpeciAL FeATURe WellPoint, inc.

Meet

ANGELa BRaLY President and CEO, WellPoint, inc. Angela Braly came out of Southern Methodist University Law School determined to make a difference in the world as a lawyer. IT WOuLD Be an unDeRSTaTeMenT TO Say SHe SuCCeeDeD.

36 Leadership 42 A Culture of Wellness 44 Diversity: Innovation, Creativity, Success 56 Supplier Diversity

Wellpointâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s corporate headquarters on Monument circle in indianapolis, ind.

Diversity Reflections from the C-Suite Meet Angela Braly President and CEO, WellPoint, Inc.

ANGELa BRaLY leads nearly 42,000 associates at WellPoint, Inc., insurer of 35 million Americans. With a single-minded passion for her work, Angela is driving the diversity efforts at WellPoint, and keeping the momentum of success going through strategic initiatives, collaboration with a variety of stakeholders inside and outside of the company, and through a diversity education process that benefits everyone in the organization. It is tough work in an industry that is grappling with environmental, social, ethical and legal pressures from every corner. Our take is that Angela is fully up to the task.

Leadership

Special Feature :: WellPoint, inc.

Questions Answers wi th We l l P o i nt

Most company leaders say diversity drives business results. What part did diversity and inclusion play in your company’s 2007 growth/earnings?

at wellpoint we see diversity management as more than just a strategy; it’s a fundamental part of how we do business. Focusing on diversity helps us to better understand and meet the health care needs of the unique communities we serve. strategic diversity management also drives associate engagement and trust, which increases productivity and operational effectiveness. GLOBAL / MARKET ISSUES In order to put your company into a context, please describe WellPoint’s global presence. How big a company is it?

we currently have nearly 42,000 employees. we are the parent company of 14 Blue Cross and/or Blue Cross and Blue shield plans across the country. one in nine americans receive their health benefits through one of wellpoint’s affiliated health plans. additionally, wellpoint recently entered into a collaboration with premera, Blue Cross of idaho health service, inc. and Combined Benefits Management inc. that enables our companies to establish a leading position in the growing private health insurance market in China. The joint venture, entitled wpMi, llC, will provide third-party administration (“back office”) services to Chinese companies currently offering health insurance to employers. How does a company in an industry as fast-changing as yours keep up with diversity development throughout the organization?

we recognize that diversity is a “shared responsibility” among all associates in the organization. we have a dedicated core team of associates who serve as subject matter experts and catalysts for transformation and engagement, led by the chief diversity officer. we have more than 200 ambassadors who volunteer to infuse the corporate diver 36

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CoRpoRatE PRoFiLE Company Name WellPoint, inc. Headquarters: indianapolis, indiana Web Site: www.wellpoint.com Primary Business: Health benefits. 2007 Revenues: $60 billion

sity strategy in their unique work locations throughout the company. They implement events and activities in their areas that resonate with their peers and colleagues. we have six associate resource groups that engage in two-way communication, not only for their personal and professional development, but also in support of the company’s overall business strategies. we utilize a Customer insights Team to develop a link with our multicultural customers. additionally, we have a team dedicated to understanding and addressing health care disparities from a multicultural and multigenerational perspective. we also remain active in various diversity organizations in order to stay abreast of changes and best practices. Are there unique opportunities in your particular industry for implementing diversity programs?

There are always opportunities in health care to address health care disparities, which often fall along cultural lines. our internal focus on understanding cultural diversity helps us better understand the differences and similarities among our customers so we are able to provide unique solutions to broader health care issues. LEADERSHIP What resources are allocated to diversity?

we have a dedicated Diversity leadership Team managed by wellpoint’s chief diversity officer. The team includes a diversity program manager, an eeo compliance consultant, an affirmative action plan consultant, and three workplace culture consultants.

Leadership

Special Feature :: WellPoint, inc.

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Our diversity vision is to be the catalyst for transformation throughout our organization by providing opportunities for

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engagement within our workforce, workplace, and marketplace.

we also have more than 200 diversity and workplace culture ambassadors deployed enterprise-wide, 66 internal workplace culture facilitators, and six wellpoint associate resource groups. a supplier diversity director has a team dedicated to outreach to minority and women business enterprises (MwBes), veteran MwBes, MwBes with disabilities, and gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgendered (glBT) MwBes. we engage in collaborative efforts with our talent management branding director to ensure our diversity efforts are branded internally and externally. we also work collaboratively with the wellpoint Foundation and wellpoint’s community relations team to identify and support philanthropic and community based initiatives in line with our mission and our communities’ needs. How do you believe diversity affects your company’s bottom line?

Diversity is essential to our success, and we deliver on this commitment by: • Recruiting and retaining the best talent from all walks of life; • Developing products and marketing initiatives that resonate with and appeal to a diverse consumer base; • Cultivating a culturally competent workforce that understands what drives our consumers’ buying decisions, and the needs of the diverse underinsured and uninsured market; and • Understanding and communicating that diversity management is not just race, gender, age, sexual orientation or disability, but rather a comprehensive strategy for business success. we believe in the power of diversity, the role it plays in enhancing our competitive advantage, and its ability to help ensure a brighter future and better health care for all.

—angela Braly

How does WellPoint deal with/train for cross-cultural competencies for its leadership? What accountability do you employ to meet objectives? Linked with compensation?

at the core of wellpoint’s diversity initiative is our diversity awareness training program. In partnership with Roosevelt Thomas Consulting & Training (RTCT), the nation’s leading consultancy/training organization on the subject of diversity management, wellpoint provides training for all members of our management team, including executive officers. our initial program is designed to ensure that all wellpoint leaders understand the company’s commitment to diversity and utilize the tools designed to assist them in managing and supporting this commitment in their daily business practices. Do you create and maintain management continuity rosters for promotable individuals? How do you ensure diversity candidates are included?

succession planning is an integral part of our strategic diversity management. Racial and gender diversity are components of all our talent calibration sessions. our chief diversity officer is responsible for sustaining or exceeding workforce representation numbers each year, and each executive leadership team member has a goal to improve workforce representation at the staff vice president level and above. The senior leadership team annually reports its progress on goals to the wellpoint board of directors. How are decisions about diversity made at WellPoint? What teams are brought together?

The chief diversity officer reports to the talent management vice president, who reports to the executive vice president, human resources, who reports to the president/Ceo. The president/Ceo, along with her executive leadership team, approves the diversity strategies identified by the chief diversity officer and her team.

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Leadership

Special Feature :: WellPoint, inc.

WellnessHealth Action Item: Help your state

Choose Better Fitness Challenge achieve victory in the WellPoint July 6 by engaging in beginning April 14 through logging your activity. Also, cardiovascular exercise and Walk@Lunch Day to be sure to participate in National WellPoint is committed to show our community that improving health.

Compliance the Ethics and – not a privilege. Access only

Privacy is a right a part of your job information that is specifically associates must not look up responsibility, which means to themselves, relatives, health information pertaining friends or other associates.

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What factors make you confident that you and your team have developed momentum for WellPoint in the right direction? What is the vision for the company in five years?

our diversity vision is to be the catalyst for transformation throughout our organization by providing opportunities for engagement within our workforce, workplace, and marketplace. our diversity mission is to work collaboratively as subject matter experts who educate, develop, and address aspects of diversity and inclusion in support of wellpoint’s corporate strategies. Under our workplace diversity strategy we seek to create and sustain a culture of inclusion that leverages our collective ideas and experiences for overall organizational effectiveness. Under our marketplace diversity strategy, we seek to grow our business within our multicultural markets through business strategies that develop sustainable relationships in our communities. our diversity index score on our annual associate engagement survey continues to improve year to year. we’re also working on a collaborative effort with other departments (wellness, ethics and compliance) to develop a comprehensive 2008 wellpoint associate Calendar. several of our associates have been honored recently for their diversity efforts, including: • Dr. Alena Baquet-Simpson was named one of the Top 25 Most influential Black women in Business;

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Did You Know?

When sharing member details with our business associate vendors: • Be sure a business associate agreemen t is in place • Do not share Social Security numbers unless necessary and approved • Remember to collect/di sclose only what is needed to perform your job

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The 2008 WellPoint Associate Calendar is a collaborative effort between the Wellness, Ethics and Compliance, and Diversity departments.

The 2008 Annual Stand training is ards of Ethic rolling out al Business this within the first 30 days month and must be Conduct completed WorkNet – of assignmen Quick Links > Reporting t. Access through Complianc e Issues > Ethics and Education Wide Educ Programs ation Progr > Enterprise ams.

The goal of Ethics and Compliance is to promote and compliant behaviors ethical and support integrity we do day to day. Look in what for members of the Ethics and Compliance and Privacy teams in your location month during the week next of June 2–6. We want to meet you! Bring your questions , comments and feedback receive helpful informatio and n.

Did You Know?

Sunday

Diversity

This month we honor those who have brought the East and the West closer together. 80% of the Asian American Five groups represent population: Chinese (the largest), Filipino, Asian Indian, Vietname se, and Korean. The other 20% is made up of Japanese Cambodian, Hmong, , Thai, Nepalese or Tibetan. These all represent distinct cultures, histories, religious groups expression, and languages .

Month. Each one of us has April is National Volunteer – to make a positive the capacity – directly or indirectly WellPoint will April 26 impact in someone’s life. On of Community Service. launch the first WellPoint Day mobilize Associates from all Our goal is to engage and thousands of communities levels of the organization in gift of service to others enterprise-wide to give the and services. through a variety of programs 1 March 2008 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 29 23 24 25 26 27 28 30 31

Choose Bette YOUniversi r Health Action Item ty is an onlin : The Healt h e wellness without an program for onsit associates and includes: e wellness center. Membersh individual ip is free of fitness, nutrition, smokhealth coaching in the areas wellness as ing cessation well as lifest Membersh yle manageme and general ip is free. nt programs. Find more under Welln inform ess > Physi ation on My cal Activity HR and Fitness. Diversity + Equality = Community environme nt for all our and a healt hier work recognizes associates . WellPoint Gay, Lesbi an, proud Pride Mont h and celeb Bisexual and Transgend ly rates the talen of our GLBT ered Associates, ts and succe Partners. sses By providing Business and Comm unity domestic include vision partn to our assoc , dental and dependen er benefits that iates, we are t medical insured and coverage closing the uninsured in the GLBT gap between the community.

Choose Better Health Action Item: WellPoint offers programs that can help associates and their family members manage chronic conditions like asthma diabetes. WellPoint and also offers pregnant associates information on healthy pregnancies through the maternity managem ent program. Call the customer service number on your medical ID card to determine eligibility and find out more.

DiversityInc.com are the DiversityInc magazine and about diversity. To take leading sources of information sponsored subscription, go advantage of your WellPoint com/WellPointHealthcare. to https://www.DiversityInc.

April 2008

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wellpoint celebrates and embraces an inclusive, diverse work environment through the work of its diversity ambassadors, located throughout the United States. More than 200 associates volunteer to support diversity-related activities, such as women’s history Month in March. Their passion and dedication is carried out through activities like lunch-and-learn sessions, monthly communications, and attendance at community events to represent the company. How are employees more involved in the company than they were two years ago?

employees continue to increase their involvement as evidenced by several enterprise-wide initiatives. associate resource groups were launched in late 2007. Currently six groups are developing their business plans: african americans, women, veterans, people with disabilities, hispanics, glBTs. More importantly, interest and involvement continues to increase in the Diversity & workplace Culture ambassador program. How are the opinions of employees valued? How do you solicit and respond to questions?

we conduct an annual survey and also conduct periodic surveys throughout the year, to gauge what we are doing well and where there is room for improvement. we also have a confidential ethics and Compliance helpline that we encourage associates to call if they would like to report possible breaches of the company’s standards of conduct.

Leadership

Special Feature :: WellPoint, inc.

Thanks to you,

WellPoint women continue to make history and help shape an America in which all citizens, regardless of gender, are free to live out their dreams.

in addition, we also utilize diversity@wellpoint.com, which allows associates to post questions to the chief diversity officer. The questions are then answered and posted on the diversity and workplace culture intranet link. in 2007 we also conducted minority focus groups with approximately 50 associates, director level and above, to assess wellpoint’s efforts around diversity and inclusion, wellness, and personal and professional development of all associates. How do you deal with those who perceive inclusion programs for underrepresented groups as being exclusionary for others?

our definition of diversity is all-encompassing and embodies racial and gender diversity along with age, religion, disability, work/life experiences, military status, etc., just to name a few. so this attitude does not seem to surface at wellpoint. additionally, wellpoint’s associate resource groups are all inclusive and cannot be closed to any wellpoint associate. and our mandatory cultureshaping workshops include a component of diversity within the curriculum. we weave a measure of education and understanding within our new leader orientation as well as attempt to reinforce a “leadership shadow” during new hire orientation. Can you name specific ways WellPoint supports upward development toward management positions?

we offer mentoring and networking programs, online career development resources, fellowship programs, and substantial education assistance to our associates. and we have a strong succession-management process that helps us identify the most talented people in our company for advancement.

Angela Braly

Dijuana Lewis

Dr. Alena Baquet-Simpson

Lisa Moriyama

Shamla Naidoo

WellPoint celebrates Women's History Month and applauds the achievements and contributions of women everywhere. As the only woman leading a Fortune 50 company, Angela Braly leads many talented and motivated women at WellPoint who make meaningful contributions to our customers and our industry. • Angela Braly recognized as The Wall Street Journal’s Number One Woman to Watch; ranked by FORTUNE as one of the Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Business; ranked by FORBES as one of The World’s Most Powerful Women; ranked by MODERN HEALTHCARE as one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare • Dijuana Lewis named as one of the Top 15 Women in Business – “The Innovators” by PINK magazine • Dr. Alena Baquet-Simpson named as one of the Top 25 Most Influential Black Women in Business by The Network Journal • Lisa Moriyama named in Women Worth Watching®by Profiles in Diversity Journal • Shamla Naidoo named in Women Worth Watching®by Profiles in Diversity Journal Working to better people's lives is something you do every day at WellPoint.

Better health care, thanks to you. EOE

the majority of our associates (77 percent of our associates are women, as are 58 percent of our managers). wellpoint’s workforce is also 34 percent minority, including 17 percent of our managers and 11 percent of our executive team. we strive to maintain a working environment that suits all associates’ lifestyles, including family-friendly and work-life balance benefits that keep our associates fulfilled personally and professionally. Four years ago, we developed the health insurance professional program (hipp), an accelerated talent management program designed, in part, to advance women working in health care insurance. hipp identifies high-potential employees viewed by their managers as emerging leaders, cross-trains them in key functions of the company’s operations, and allows them to learn from top regional and national leaders to build their knowledge of wellpoint’s business. The wellpoint associate resource groups help identify and address barriers and challenges for their membership with regards to personal and professional development.

How does WellPoint bring women and minority employees into the fabric of the organization? What programs are in place or on the drawing board to advance women and minorities?

wellpoint is a leader in providing opportunities for women and is also a leader in diversity. women make up

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Leadership

Angela Braly :: Chief Executive Officer

CEO PROFILE Where does your personal belief in diversity and inclusion come from: who were your role models, or was there a pivotal experience that helped shape your view?

ANGELa BRaLY :: Personal Profile COMPANY: WellPoint, inc. TITLE: President and CEO YEARS IN CURRENT POSITION: One year EDUCATION: Undergraduate degree from Texas Tech University; Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University School of Law. PHILOSOPHY: Do the right thing. Do it right the first time. Do it for the customer. FAMILY: i have a wonderful husband who is a life partner with me in helping to raise our family of three beautiful children. INTERESTS: i love spending time with my family, and i am very diligent in setting aside time to make sure that i am with my husband and children for all the events that are important in their lives. When i’m with my family, i try to really be with them, whether we’re riding bikes or taking a walk. if i’m distracted and thinking about work, they notice and they call me on it.

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As a first-year law student at Southern Methodist University, I learned on the first day of orientation that my class was 50 percent female. however, i was also told that it would be another 40 years before women would make up half of the legal profession. That prediction inspired me, and i committed myself to making a difference within the legal profession. Today, approximately 25 percent of all lawyers are women, and i’m glad to see that women are making substantial progress in law and across all professional fields. Who has shaped your thinking as a business leader? What about their business skill or style influenced you?

i have had so many wonderful mentors over the years. in addition to the men and women who have served as business role models, i have always been inspired by women who are able to balance their careers with their family lives. it is extremely encouraging to see how these women who are so successful in their careers never seem to miss a step when it comes to raising their children. How did you get to your present position? What was your career path?

when i was growing up, i was sure that i would spend my life practicing law. after attending law school, i worked for the St. Louis law firm of Lewis, Rice & Fingersh, where I spent 10 great years as a partner. i then joined Blue Cross and Blue shield in Missouri as its outside legal counsel. at the time, BCBs Missouri was facing some pretty difficult challenges, and my role was to help their management navigate those challenges, including a complex transition from not-for-profit to for-profit status. in January 1999, i became general counsel for the Missouri plan and also oversaw its government relations efforts. in 2003, i was named president and Ceo of the Missouri plan. i joined wellpoint with the merger of our companies in 2004 and was honored to be named president and Ceo of wellpoint in June of 2007.

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Leadership

Special Feature :: WellPoint, inc.

CEO PROFILE (continued)

What business books or journals do you read regularly or recommend for aspiring leaders?

i love quotes, and one of my favorites comes from the book Good to Great, by Jim Collins: “The kind of commitment i find among the best performers across virtually every field is a single-minded passion for what they do, an unwavering desire for excellence in the way they think and the way they work.” i think that’s a pretty good definition of success. How would you describe your concept and style of leadership?

good leaders are honest, straightforward, and always learning. every day a leader is faced with important choices, some small and some large, and the best leaders focus on always doing the right thing and making the fair decision.

it is also important to learn from these decisions going forward—just because you reach a leadership position doesn’t mean you stop growing professionally. a good leader always seeks opportunities to improve at what he or she does. Any words of advice to anyone who wants to rise in their organization?

My advice is to enjoy what you are doing, be yourself, focus on your principles, and always strive for balance between your career and your home life. it is important for everyone to invest in themselves and their careers. seek out mentors who you admire. To move your career and your life forward, it is essential that you take control and take the necessary steps to get where you want to be. PDJ

DIVERSITY: A COMMITMENT TO INdIVIdUaLITY RaNdY BRowN Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

A key feature of our commitment to diversity at WellPoint is our commitment to individuality. We want our associates to feel free to be who they are and ranDY BrOwn

to celebrate that which makes each of us uniquely diverse. When people feel compelled to “check their true self at the front door,” creativity and

imaginative thinking suffer. Creating an environment that welcomes the unique perspectives, skills and talents of each individual creates a healthy, high performance culture, where everyone feels valued. Celebrating individuality is celebrating diversity in its broadest, most inclusive sense. We believe that including every WellPoint associate in our diversity strategy unleashes the power of over 40,000 unique human beings in support of our customers and our communities, making WellPoint an opportunity-filled place to work and creating a sustainable business advantage.

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A Culture of Wellness

Special Feature :: WellPoint, inc.

A Culture of Wellness WellPoint is committed to improving health.

One of The mAnY wAYs The compAnY mAkes Good on that commitment externally is through workplace wellness offerings for customers. Another way is through new tools such as those offered through the 360° Health program that enable members to measure and keep track of their personal health status. WellPoint also has launched innovative member and state health indexes to measure the health of its members and communities and target specific improvements in both. WellPoint makes good on its commitment internally through the Choose Better Health associate wellness program, which strives to create a culture of wellness. “We care about our associates’ health, and we want to make it easy to be healthy,” said CEO Angela Braly. “We take a sixpronged approach to wellness to ensure we’re providing comprehensive tools to help associates focus on their health. Additionally, our programs are designed so employers can model what we’ve implemented internally.”

WellPoint’s SixPronged Approach to Wellness Tobacco CEssatioN PhYsicaL ActivitY WEiGht MaNaGEmENt NutRitioN WELL-bEiNG PREvENtivE aNd CoNditioN CaRE

Opening of onsite Wellness Center in WellPoint’s Atlanta office December 2007. Angela Braly (center) headed the ceremony.

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A Culture of Wellness

Special Feature :: WellPoint, inc.

Tobacco Cessation wellpoint facilities are tobacco-free because the company believes in providing associates with a safe and healthy workplace. To help associates who want to quit smoking or using tobacco, wellpoint offers comprehensive tobacco cessation tools. associates can participate in online or on-site classes, receive free telephonic tobacco cessation counseling, and even receive nicotine replacement therapy. Physical Activity wellpoint has 18 on-site wellness centers to encourage associates to maintain a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise. These centers are open around the clock to give associates a convenient place to work out. For associates who work at wellpoint locations that do not have an on-site wellness center, the company offers reimbursement for health club membership or a network of free fitness centers associates can use. wellpoint also participates in the Blue Cross Blue shield association’s national walk@lunch Day. national walk@lunch Day encourages Blue plan associates, employer groups, and state and local government employees to walk during their lunch break. wellpoint has hosted walks at many of its locations, and associates took the opportunity to turn a “working” lunch into a “walking” lunch. To further encourage associates to add exercise to their daily routines, wellpoint holds a companywide fitness challenge. associates engage in a little healthy com-

petition as they exercise their way across a virtual wellpoint map with 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise three to five times a week over the 12-week challenge. Weight Management wellpoint offers significant discounts for associates to participate in the weight watchers® weight loss program, whether it’s online or in community or workplace meetings. Many wellpoint associates take advantage of this benefit. Nutrition so that working lunches can be healthy lunches, too, many wellpoint locations have on-site cafeterias and partnerships with vendors who feature healthy menu choices and vending machine selections. Well-being wellpoint understands that stress and depression can affect everyone’s well-being. That’s why the company offers an employee assistance program to associates and their families for confidential counseling. The program also provides assistance with other work-life balance issues, such as legal assistance and day-care and elder-care searches. Monthly teleseminars for wellpoint associates cover topics such as stress management and financial fitness. Preventive and Condition Care wellness isn’t just about making healthy choices; it’s also about taking steps to prevent illness. That’s why wellpoint offers free on-site flu shots and a Know Your

numbers on-site health screening campaign. The company also encourages associates to complete health assessments so that they have an accurate picture of their health. Getting the Word Out wellpoint works hard to get the word out about wellness. in addition to printed and traditional online communications vehicles such as e-mail and the intranet, the company also takes some innovative approaches. For instance, last year wellpoint produced audio spots that offered a humorous look at eating in the workplace. The company communicates wellness from all levels of the organization. it is clear that wellpoint’s top leadership is committed to health—from Ceo angela Braly speaking at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the company’s atlanta fitness center, to senior executives adding wellness messages to their communications, to incorporating wellness topics such as work-life balance into a blog. The wellpoint commitment to wellness doesn’t stop at the top, though; it stretches to every corner of the organization. local wellness teams promote local wellness events and help implement corporatewide initiatives such as the Fitness Challenge and the Know Your numbers screenings. with grassroots support and leadership commitment, wellpoint has been successful at developing a corporate culture of wellness. PDJ

WEIGHT WATCHERS is a registered trademark of Weight Watchers International Inc. and is used under license.

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Diversity: Innovation, Creativity, Success Special Feature :: WellPoint, inc.

WellPoint finds strength in each associate’s individual perspectives, believing that different approaches and views of the world allow the company to be more innovative, more creative, and ultimately more competitive.

How WellPoint Defines Diversity

The company defines diversity as any collective mixture characterized by differences and similarities and their related tensions and complexities. This definition includes all associates and recognizes the myriad of characteristics that make up the company’s workforce, markets, communities, and families. Diversity is a business imperative for wellpoint that is deeply rooted in its core values and guiding behaviors. indeed, the diversity of wellpoint associates enables the company to better connect with, understand, and serve customers and the different communities in which the company operates. Diverse perspectives, experiences, and ideas allow the company to be more innovative. its collective strengths working toward a common cause are a winning formula. wellpoint is a national organization with a local focus. The diversity of its exceptional team of associates better positions the company to reach out to many different communities, strengthening its leadership and extending the depth of its local presence. wellpoint’s diversity efforts recently earned the company a spot on the list of the “Top 50 Companies for Diversity,” published by Diversityinc. Strategic diversity management wellpoint’s diversity strategy has three main areas of focus and corresponding initiatives aligned with each area. • In the workforce: To attract, retain, develop, and advance a world-class work-

Pro f i les i n Dive rsit y Journal

force and to be recognized as a premier employer of choice. • In the workplace: To foster a culture that maximizes talent by leveraging collective ideas, perspectives, and experiences for overall organizational effectiveness and to provide associates with opportunities for personal and professional growth. • In the marketplace: To grow business in multicultural markets through superior strategies that help the company form, establish, and maintain relationships with customers, suppliers, and their communities. Diversity and Workplace Culture Ambassadors (DWCAs) in alignment with wellpoint’s core value of “one Company, one Team,” the Diversity and workplace Culture ambassadors pro-

gram is an innovative approach to weaving diversity, company values, and corporate culture into the fabric of the organization. More than 200 DwCas companywide focus on raising awareness and engagement among all associates. The ambassadors represent different business units and job levels, and they reflect the diversity of the associate population. The role of the ambassadors is to be advocates and role models of wellpoint’s values and commitment to diversity and inclusion. at the tactical level, ambassadors plan and implement local events and activities in celebration of national diversity months and observances. The ambassadors volunteer their time as champions of dialogue, interaction, and engagement around wellpoint’s diversity and culture efforts.

DWca ambassadors and associates mingled and discussed what diversity means and why awareness is so important at the kick-off event in st. Louis, Mo. pictured (L to r) are: claire stroker, tina Mullen, and rebecca swip (not pictured - Kathy Wren).

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the ambassadors organize local events and activities around diversity celebrations and observances, such as this celebration of asian pacific american Heritage Month.

as an example, the ambassadors played a key role in the success of the enterprisewide healthy helpings canned food drive held in July 2007. in the spirit of wellpoint’s “one Company, one Team,” the Diversity, Culture, and wellness departments launched this initiative to make a difference in the fight against hunger. This effort benefited more than 200 regional food banks in wellpoint’s communities, countering the dwindling supply of canned goods the nonprofit organizations typically experienced during the summer months. By working together, wellpoint associates contributed more than 20,848 pounds of food. at one of the company’s smaller sites, Rancho Cordova, Calif., 200 wellpoint associates received special recognition for their extraordinary effort in collecting an amazing 2,500 pounds of food. Most recently, wellpoint ambassadors

Thanks to you,

we are bridging cultural gaps for a healthier, more vibrant and united America.

WellPoint proudly honors the achievements of Asians and Pacific Islanders and recognizes their contributions to our nation as our associates, business partners, and fellow citizens. At WellPoint, we are addressing tomorrow’s health care issues today. WellPoint recognizes that Asians and Pacific Islanders experience disparities in health and health care including the highest Hepatitis B rates of any racial group in the United States and five times the likelihood of developing cervical and liver cancer than any other ethnic or racial group. In addition to addressing the issues of the uninsured and underinsured, we also realize the importance of providing linguistically appropriate services. One way WellPoint is helping to address this is through partnerships with programs like the Community HealthImprovement Partners, a program to improve appropriate utilization of health care through special multi-language medical reference manuals and help ensure access to needed care for uninsured children in San Diego County by providing this information in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean and Chinese. Working to better people’s lives is something you do every day – at WellPoint.

Better health care, thanks to you. For more information on WellPoint’s diversity initiatives go to Diversity and Culture on WorkNet or send an e-mail to: diversity@wellpoint.com EOE

internal celebration poster for asian pacific american Heritage Month.

all over the country championed several “Dress for success” suit drives in celebration of women’s history Month. Through this activity they collected suits, purses, and other items that will benefit women who are entering the workforce for the first time or reentering the labor market. Associate Resource Groups (ARGs) last year, wellpoint launched the associate Resource Groups program, a key component of its diversity management strategy. ARGs are grassroots groups of associates who come together united by their affinity for a particular dimension of diversity, most commonly race, gender, cultural background, disability, sexual orientation, or work status. Recognized as a “best practice” by Profiles in Diversity Journal and DiversityInc magazine, associate resource groups are considered by many organizations to be a key initiative to attract and retain diverse talent, build a culture of inclusion, leverage internal diversity expertise, enhance customer connections, and provide leadership development opportunities. WellPoint currently has six ARGs that

are in the midst of forming, identifying members, gaining executive sponsorship, and aligning their respective business plans with the company’s strategies and goals. These groups currently connect african americans, glBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender) associates, veterans, hispanics, associates with disabilities, and women in leadership. wellpoint believes that these groups will be most successful if they are able to demonstrate their value to the organization and associates. For that, there needs to be integration between the ARG initiative and company efforts around recruitment, retention, development, and advancement of a diverse workforce. ARGs are viewed as valuable partners that can be instrumental in helping wellpoint identify and remove barriers for inclusion and advancement of a diverse employee base. Communication and Education in an organization as large as wellpoint, communication around diversity and culture is a critical component of the diversity strategy. To that end, the company employs multiple channels of communication to

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reach out to associates, members, customers, stakeholders, and potential associates to inform, educate, and gain commitment. The examples listed below and on the company’s dedicated diversity web site (www.wellpointdiversity.com) affirm wellpoint’s commitment to reaching out and raising awareness. • External diversity resources and links encourage users to increase their understanding and knowledge of the importance of diversity in the workforce. • The company is committed to improving coverage for diverse markets and to participating in community initiatives, programs, and partnerships also supported by the wellpoint Foundation. • Testimonials from WellPoint associates reflect on the value of diversity in their corporate culture. • Diversity recognition and awards are presented to wellpoint external organizations. • Information is provided about WellPoint’s initiatives for increasing health care awareness and accessibility. • WellPoint established and supports a

strong supplier diversity program and initiatives. “Diversity is no longer a ‘nice to have,’” said linda Jimenez, chief diversity and culture officer. “we know that consumers, stakeholders, and potential candidates pay a lot of attention to what companies are doing to adapt to an increasingly diverse marketplace. we want them to know that wellpoint is making focused efforts to increase our capability so we can successfully compete in this changing world.” Diversity@WorkNet wellpoint associates can learn about diversity and culture through the company’s diversity intranet site. This resource includes information about the Diversity and workplace Culture ambassadors program, wellpoint’s corporate culture workshops, Associate Resource Groups, and various educational tools and resources. “one of the features of this site is the Diversity Mailbox, where we post my responses to the questions, comments, and concerns we receive via this e-mail,” said Jimenez. “The purpose is to promote

an open dialogue around diversity and culture, even when the topics being discussed make some people uncomfortable. associates have been very candid in raising concerns and issues. Creating this space for open dialogue is critical to furthering diversity in our organization.” WellPoint Associate Calendar The collaborative efforts of the Diversity, wellness, and ethics and Compliance departments resulted in the publication of the 2008 wellpoint associate Calendar. The calendar features health and wellness themes; multicultural celebrations that reflect a variety of ethnic, social, religious, and historical events; and a reinforcement of wellpoint’s core value of integrity. in addition, associates learn about nationally recognized diversity celebrations and observances through monthly posters that are displayed at the different work sites. The posters not only create awareness but also help associates understand what the company is doing to affect the health and wellness of its diverse members and the communities it serves.

actress Alfre Woodard was the keynote speaker of the 10th annual Women’s empowerment series. pictured (L to r): Wellpoint associates Katie Fahey, Workplace culture ambassador; athlete and guest speaker, Monica Cabbler; Linda Jimenez, chief Diversity and culture Officer; Woodard; Brenda Burke, director supplier Diversity; and Monica Frias, Diversity program manager.

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Diversity Training wellpoint currently is revamping its diversity training initiative, partnering with Roosevelt Thomas and R. Thomas Consulting and Training to create a series of diversity e-learning modules. The modules will provide managers and associates with understanding and practical tools that will make them more effective as change agents of diversity and inclusion. some of the modules further explore the meaning of diversity competency and the behaviors tied to that skill set. other modules review real-case scenarios where managers have to deal with the complexity and the conflicts that arise from having a diverse workforce.

hot Topics” series, a forum that highlights current events or topics of newsworthy interest that affect the workforce, workplace, and marketplace. The first theme for hot Topics was “intent vs. impact,” which discussed the controversy created by radio host Don Imus’ remarks about the Rutgers University women’s basketball team.

WELLpoiNt’s PREsENcE iN LocaL CommuNitiEs Women’s Empowerment Series For the past two years, wellpoint has been title sponsor of the indianapolis women’s empowerment series, a growing event that annually attracts hundreds of women to participate in informational seminars and activities under the theme of “self, wealth,

Lunch-and-Learn Sessions wellpoint continues to conduct lunchand-learn sessions under the “Diversity

Wellpoint was the title sponsor of indianapolis’ 10th annual Women’s empowerment series, which gathers women of all ages to learn and connect around “self, Wealth and Health”.

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Wellpoint’s cultural and Linguistic provider resources Web site provides physicians with a comprehensive set of cultural and linguistic tools for understanding and addressing racial and cultural health disparities in their communities.

and health.” as part of this sponsorship, wellpoint associates receive free admission to the event. in addition, several wellpoint female leaders have been featured as guest speakers: shamla naidoo, vice president, security and compliance; stephanie Moss, pharmacist program manager; Brenda Burke, director of supplier diversity; and lisa Moriyama, vice president, human resources. Culture and Health one of wellpoint’s goals is to significantly reduce health disparities among segments of the population by the year 2010. new web tools are designed to help achieve this goal. They also reflect the company’s commitment to work with providers to ensure all members have access to the best care available. as an example of wellpoint’s efforts to increase health care professionals’ cultural competency, wellpoint launched a web site that provides physicians with a comprehensive set of cultural and linguistic tools for understanding and addressing racial and cultural health disparities in their

Pro f i les i n Dive rsit y Journal

communities. The new site is housed on the provider home page of wellpoint health plans and is available to all health care professionals. Research conducted by the U.S. Department of health and human services and the institute of Medicine has demonstrated that culture and language can affect the way that patients view illness and disease and their attitudes toward health care providers. in addition, a report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality revealed other significant findings: • Minorities are more likely than Caucasians to be diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer and colorectal cancer; • Patients of lower socioeconomic status are less likely to receive recommended diabetes services and more likely to be hospitalized for the condition and its complications; • Many racial and ethnic minorities and people of lower socioeconomic status are less likely to receive childhood immunizations and screening and treatment for heart risk factors; and • Many racial and ethnic groups, as well as poor and less educated patients, are more likely to report poor communication with their physicians.

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wellpoint’s new online resource will help address these findings. The site includes health education and diseasespecific materials in both spanish and Chinese, as well as materials written specifically for low-literacy readers. it also offers resources and tips for the provision of language translation during an office visit and links to assessment tools that will help physicians better understand the demographics and psychographics of the populations they serve. wellpoint’s diversity resources also include an enterprisewide training program to help the company’s physicians, nurses, and other clinical associates learn crosscultural communications skills. “Quality interactions: a patient-based approach to Cross-Cultural Care,” is an online training program that features real cases in which associates “interact” with patients in a virtual clinical setting. The training builds a framework to help wellpoint’s clinical associates master how to integrate clinical information with cross-cultural information from the individual patient to improve quality of care and reduce disparities. PDJ

Diversity: Innovation, Creativity, Success

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Reaching Out to a Diverse Talent Pool WellPoint invests significant resources in efforts to recruit from all available sources to attract the best talent.

Last year, the company participated in more than 50 diversity recruitment events throughout the country, including professional organizations and conferences and college and university career fairs. wellpoint was a sponsor at the following diversity recruiting events: national Black MBa association national society of hispanic MBas national society of hispanic professionals Black Data processing associates The Consortium for graduate study in Management national Black nurses association international association of Black actuaries Career opportunities for students with Disabilities. Innovative approaches to diversity MBA recruitment looking for innovative ways to approach MBa talent, wellpoint implemented a strategic marketing and branding campaign that used video eCard invitations to reach the targeted audience. The company produced MBa/college and hipp (health insurance professional program) brochures that highlighted its commitment to health, wellness, and diversity, messages that are generally meaningful to a technically savvy and socially responsible genY audience. Using music download cards with data-capture functionality, wellpoint began building a passive relationship database for communicating with these candidates. Leveraging key partnerships and relationships in addition, wellpoint identified key partnerships and leveraged existing relationships to gain visibility at major diversity recruiting events, including the highly selective Consortium for graduate study in Management. The Consortium is the country’s premier organization providing corporate america and leading business schools with stellar, diverse MBa talent. as a patron level sponsor, wellpoint has early access to an experienced, prescreened talent pool. Providing financial support for outstanding students The wellpoint Foundation awarded the Consortium a threeyear grant totaling $90,000 that will support outstanding diverse students who are pursuing graduate degrees in business.

in wellpoint’s first year as a sponsor, the company also contributed an additional $60,000 to the Consortium’s annual orientation program and career fair, positioning wellpoint at the second highest corporate underwriter level. Selecting quality candidates wellpoint held invitation-only receptions at these major diversity recruiting events. Consortium members and potential candidates identified through pre-event resume database mining were invited to these receptions via video eCard invitations with Fwd2Friend and RSVP functionalities. One-on-one meetings between highinterest candidates and members of the event team were held to further evaluate candidates and give them the opportunity to ask wellpoint’s recruiters and internal business partners key questions. Narrowing the field selected candidates went through a personalized candidate relationship management program. This process focused on candidates’ needs, current situation, interests, and desire for specific career experiences. in some cases, conversations also involved spouses and family members—a hallmark of genY’s tethered status to these key influencers in their lives. Those candidates selected to attend the two-day leadership summit held at wellpoint’s corporate headquarters received a savethe-date message from a member of the summit program team. This message was followed by a continuation of the customized one-on-one communication model and assistance with travel and accommodation planning. Corporate commitment The two-day leadership summit involved high-level wellpoint leaders, wellpoint Consortium school alumni, and hipp associates. The event featured internal speakers on topics ranging from leadership to corporate culture to diversity, a panel speaker module and interactive Q&a session with the candidates, interactive core values-focused team exercise, and panel interviews for upcoming openings for summer MBa interns, hipp associates, and other full-time positions. PDJ

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Corporate Culture Change:

One Person at a Time

at wellpoint, diversity is a key component of the corporate culture. To maximize the similarities and differences of associates to create a high-performing culture, the company goes beyond the typical components of diversity—age, gender, sexual orientation, race, and color—to include diversity of thought. after two very large companies, anthem and wellpoint health networks, merged to form wellpoint, inc., the new company embarked on a journey to create a high-performing culture by design rather than by default. To that end, the company established a foundation of five core values: • Customer First • Lead Through Innovation • One Company, One Team • Personal Accountability for Excellence • Integrity. each of these core values has distinct guiding behaviors that describe ways to turn its words into action. “a promise made is a promise kept,” for example, would be an actionable behavior for the personal accountability for excellence value. Culture-shaping workshops, behavior-changing concepts The five core values are augmented by several culture concepts, which are tools and techniques to maximize individual fulfillment and effectiveness. wellpoint partnered with senn-Delaney leadership on a multiyear, multiphase rollout of a culture-shaping workshop. More than 40,000 wellpoint associates experienced the culture concepts firsthand at the in-

person, eight-hour workshop. During the workshop, associates identify their role in creating a high-performing culture at wellpoint and decide how to achieve their own fulfillment and improve effectiveness, both at work and at home. There are several key concepts that help associates recognize their own behaviors, “unfreeze” their thinking, and give them insight that enables them to change their behavior. each of these concepts is based on the psychology of the mind and demonstrates the unique experiences and thoughts that individuals bring to the organization and how they can leverage them to create a high-performing organization.

RESULTS CONE: Results are determined by behavior, which is driven by feelings and beliefs. people who are getting the results they like at work and at home keep on doing the same behaviors. people who are getting less than ideal results need to examine not only their behavior but also the feelings and beliefs that are driving their behavior. The examination may lead to an insight, an “aha” moment, that will bring about change.

Some of the concepts include:

BLIND SPOTS: Blind spots are common to almost all individuals. as such, people who are having a conversation and are sure they see the whole picture should consider that they might be missing something. They should approach conversations from a position of curiosity rather than certainty. what are others seeing that they do not see? SELECTIVE PERCEPTION: people see the world through their own set of filters. personal experiences and preferences affect the way people see and interpret an event or situation. For instance, one person may see an early morning meeting as ideal. For another person, an early morning meeting may present a huge logistical problem, creating child-care or transportation issues.

“

Being more aware of the direct impact my thoughts are having on my behaviors, which then drive my results, has been

”

life altering for me.

—Wellpoint associate susan K. smith

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understanding what others are looking for in relationships allows you an opportunity to adapt your communication style.

MOOD ELEVATOR: The mood elevator is a generalization of the spectrum of moods that humans can experience throughout any given day, or sometimes in a given hour. while people are in these various mood states, the quality of their thought is directly affected. people can “self check” their mood state by becoming more aware of their feelings. higher mood states allow people to be more creative and resourceful in solving difficult problems. lower mood states decrease the quality of thinking. when people become aware of their mood, or at least get to the point where they are curious about their mood, they then can move up the mood elevator to a higher mood state and a better quality of thinking. people in higher mood states have access to more uses of the mind: memory processing, analysis, perspective, common sense, insight, and wisdom.

BEHAVIORAL STYLES: wellpoint recognizes that personal preferences and tendencies (or behavioral styles) are another type of diversity. some people are detailoriented and need to be certain before making a decision. others are focused on the bottom line and want to move to action quickly. still others have the ability to see the big picture but have little interest in mapping out the steps to get there. people who work readily and well with these and other personality types facilitate the collaborative decision-making process. Because wellpoint values the skills that each of these styles brings to the workplace, the company is creating an awareness of four types of behavioral styles. The awareness training helps associates recognize their personal behavior styles (including strengths and potential liabilities) and work with the styles of their co-workers to increase job effectiveness and overall wellpoint results. Making progress in order to reinforce this culture and continue to improve, wellpoint is committed to continuing the one-day, inperson culture workshops with newly hired associates. Management is encouraged to reinforce the concepts and core values in a variety of ways, and the company measures, on an annual basis, progress toward the desired state. “This work has made a substantial difference in my personal and work life,” said wilma Kidd, wellpoint associate. “we aren’t there yet, but we have made identifiable progress,” said Randy Brown, executive vice president and chief

human resources officer. “Benchmark data shows that significant cultural change takes between three to five years; in some cases, as long as seven years. at wellpoint, we are proud of the inroads we have made so far; we are already differentiating ourselves within the health care industry. our ability to attract highly sought after talent to our organization and to engage and retain our current associates is due in large part to our culture.” PDJ

focusing on one thing at a time and being mentally where you are physically allows you to accomplish tasks more quickly.

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LocaL iNitiativEs impRovE LivEs WellPoint’s mission to improve lives is reflected in a number of local initiatives that seek to make a difference and to stress the company’s local impact. They include: • Anthem Healthy Living Tips, on Hispanic station WIIH • Indiana Black Expo • S ervices for the uninsured and underinsured at the Indiana University Schools of Optometry and Dentistry • Grant to provide medical services to approximately 15,000 African immigrants • Indianapolis Urban League Equal Opportunity Day • I NROADS educational activities that provide opportunities to promising young people of color • Sponsorship of Martin Luther King Jr. Day •G rant to the Colorado Hospital Association to develop a consumer-oriented hospital report card comparing the quality of colorado hospitals • Foundation grants for Miles for Smiles programs in Nevada, Colorado, and Maine •P artnership with the California Association of Health Underwriters and the Foundation for Health •C overage education to develop “Get Covered,” a campaign to inform Californians about their health care coverage options •P artnership with the Los Angeles Dodgers Dream Foundation to highlight information needed to obtain health coverage and showcase the “Get Covered” campaign •P artnership with the states of California and Wisconsin focusing on enrolling uninsured children and adults eligible for health coverage.

THE DIVERSITY WHEEL Diversity: Any collective mixture characterized by differences and similarities. This definition includes every one of us and recognizes the myriad of characteristics that make up our workforce, our markets, and our communities, as well as our families. The Diversity Wheel is a good depiction of this relationship.

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The WellPoint Foundation

The WeLLPoinT FoUndATion and WellPointâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s community relations teams develop and oversee focused programs and initiatives in the community that reach out to a diverse audience. Last year, for example, WellPoint partnered with indianapolisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Walker Theater and rhythm and blues legend Patti LaBelle to present a gala evening of music to raise awareness of diabetes, a disease which, on average, affects African Americans nearly twice as often as non-

Hispanic whites of similar age. The concert highlighted a weekend of health awareness sponsored by WellPoint and the Marion County Health Department, which included free health screenings. Additionally, WellPoint partnered with indiana Black Expo to reach a national audience surrounding obesity initiatives during the 2007 Summer Celebration, the largest African American event in the nation. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have identified obesity as an epidemic in America and an urgent need to promote the importance of choosing a healthy diet and becoming more physically active.

Over the last decade, the prevalence of obesity increased

across racial and ethnic groups. Mexican Americans and black adults in the U.S. are considerably more overweight and obese than white adults. Additionally, many obesity related diseases, including diabetes, are found at higher rates among various members of racial-ethnic minorities compared to whites.

Based on the success of the indiana Black Expo partner-

ship, WellPoint will once again partner with Black Expo in 2008 to reach this audience.

PDJ

randall Lewis, Wellpoint spokesman enjoys the evening with patti Labelle. the event highlighted a weekend of education and outreach on diabetes in diverse groups.

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Diversity Recognition and Awards Tom FoRaN Director, Product and Business Development, Life and Disability

WiThin The LAsT 18 monThs, WellPoint’s strategic diversity management efforts have resulted in numerous external awards and recognitions. Many WellPoint associates who exemplify the values and strong commitment to diversity have also earned individual accolades. 2007 Awards

Tom Foran Receives Diversity Award Tom Foran recently received the Employee of the Year Award, presented by Careers & the disABLED magazine. Tom joined WellPoint in 2006 and is responsible for WellPoint’s large group and national accounts disability products and business development. He is a virtual manager whose team is located in both Atlanta, Georgia, and Worthington, Ohio. Tom’s contribution is significant to our mission: to improve the lives of the people we serve. His team designs disability products that bring more resources into the disability management process, enabling us to improve outcomes for employees who acquire a disability, while reducing an employer’s disabilityrelated costs. Tom has more than 25 years of volunteer experience in the disability advocacy field and many years of volunteer work. He has given public testimony before the United States House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee and conducted speaking engagements at many industry conferences.

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• “Best Diversity Company,” by Diversity/Careers in Engineering and Information Technology magazine • “Top 25 Most Noteworthy Companies for Diversity,” by DiversityInc magazine • “Diversity in Practice Corporate Award,” presented at the Indianapolis Diversity in practice Conference • Profiles in Diversity Journal’s 2007 “international innovation in Diversity award of excellence” to our California plan for its case study on “identifying performance Variation and Addressing It Through Collaboration” • National Eagle Leadership Institute (NELI) “Eagle Award Winner,” Ray Morales, M.D., regional vice president, national Medical Director (southeast) • “Best Company for Blacks in Technology Award,” by the Black Data Processing associates (BDpa) and workplaceDiversity.com • Shamla Naidoo, vice president, Security and Compliance, and Lisa Moriyama, vice president, Human Resources, featured as “Women Worth Watching” by Profiles in Diversity Journal • “Sam H. Jones Award,” presented at the 6th Annual Mayor’s Award for Diversity luncheon.

2008 Awards • Ranked 42 among the “Top 50 Companies for Diversity,” by DiversityInc magazine • Ranked 14 among the “Top 50 Companies for Diverse Managers,” by Diversity MBA magazine • Received a score of 85 (up by 5 points over last year) on the Human Rights Campaign’s “Corporate equality index,” which rates employers on a scale from 0 to 100 on their treatment of glBT (gay, lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender) employees, consumers, and investors • “Champion of Women in Business Award,” by The Women’s Congress • “Corporate Champion of Diversity Award,” by Indiana Minority Business magazine • Alena Baquet-Simpson, M.D., staff vice president, Health Care Management, recognized as one of “The Top 25 Most influential Black women in Business,” by The Network Journal • Tom Foran, director, product and business development, Life and Disability, selected “employee of the Year,” by Careers & the disABLED magazine. PDJ

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WellPoint Takes a Stand for Americans with Disabilities Joyce Bender founder of Bender consulting services, inc.

Few compAnies in the United States have embraced disability as a part of diversity like WellPoint. With a 65% unemployment rate for Americans with significant disabilities, we need a company that realizes that freedom through competitive employment is for ALL people of ability. Joyce Bender As a woman with epilepsy and a hearing-loss, i have dedicated my life to the employment of Americans with significant disabilities; i am the founder of Bender Consulting Services, inc., a partner of WellPoint. Over the past four years, WellPoint has consistently committed to the employment of people with disabilities and included disability as part of diversity training and awareness. Without question, the leadership of Angela Braly has been spectacular in so many ways. WellPoint has partnered with Bender Consulting and has hired new people every year in areas such as information technology, accounting, nursing, pharmacy, and customer service. WellPoint has changed lives, and provided freedom and the ability to live the American dream. Angela Braly, president and CEO of WellPoint, has in her office pictures of women she admires most, such as Supreme Court Judges O’Connor and Ginsberg. The prominent center and largest picture is that of Aimee Mullins, a woman who is a double amputee and Paralympics medal winner of the 100 yard dash. Angela told me this is a real champion to her and someone she wants her children to use as a role model. Angela, as a civil rights leader for Americans with disabilities, i would say the “Point is Well-stated”—at WellPoint, Americans with disabilities really are a part of your commitment to diversity. At Bender Consulting Services, it will always be an honor to be partners with WellPoint.

“

Wellpoint’s commitment to creating a diverse workforce goes beyond traditional definitions of race, gender and ethnicity, to include seeking opportunities to increase the number of employees with disabilities. Diversity management is an integral part of the culture here at Wellpoint. We strive to create an environment of opportunity for all qualified associates, irrespective of their background, and pursue every available

DaviD caseY

avenue to make a difference in the neighborhoods

”

where we work and live.

DaviD caseY Vice president, talent Management

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Supplier Diversity

Special Feature :: WellPoint, inc.

Prioritizing Supplier Diversity At WellPoint, supplier diversity is a business imperative and smart business. Shareholders and consumers pay attention and reward companies with business practices dedicated to diversity from the CEO, individual associates, and a diverse supplier base. Demographic shifts can also translate into increased purchasing power for diverse markets. “Having a diverse network of suppliers brings WellPoint closer to customers and prospective customers,” said Brenda Burke, director, supplier diversity. “These suppliers are often gatekeepers, champions, and ambassadors in their community and help us stay in touch with our communities.” WellPoint has a robust supplier diversity program which exceeded the goals proposed in a request for proposal (RFP) from the State of indiana’s Minority and Women Business Enterprises. “By exceeding this goal, we have been able to win additional state-sponsored and national account contracts in which supplier diversity utilization is a critical component of the decision-making process,” Burke continued. Additionally, the supplier diversity office at WellPoint creates an annual goal—metrics for direct and indirect contracts with minority- and women-owned businesses—and measures and reports performance against these metrics each quarter. in 2007, the office exceeded both its first- and second-tier goals.

PRoGRam PRomotioN Through partnerships with local, regional, and national organizations serving as advocates for minority- and women-owned businesses, wellpoint is able to successfully promote its programs for diverse suppliers. “as america’s leading health benefits company, we have an obligation to be a leader in the eyes of our industry and corporate peers in the area of supplier diversity,” said president and Ceo angela Braly. “our obligation must go beyond simple dollars and cents. we have partnerships with historically underutilized companies that help support diverse populations in the communities we serve. These mutually beneficial partnerships create an important cycle of economic development and prosperity. wellpoint is proud to play a critical role in creating and maintaining that cycle.”

met individually with wellpoint leaders to showcase their businesses and capabilities. a similar summit also was hosted in Connecticut. “The inaugural event was just one of the many steps wellpoint is taking to create a foundation for these businesses to build relationships with our iT leaders,” said Mark Boxer, president and Ceo of wellpoint’s operations, technology, and government services business unit.

Host oF thE FiRst SuppLiER DivERsitY Summit in 2007, wellpoint held the first supplier Diversity summit to raise awareness of supplier diversity within the organization and to create opportunities for business leaders and associates to connect with diverse suppliers. Thirteen minority- and women-owned businesses joined Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce President Roland Dorson and wellpoint leaders, including Braly, at the June event. These suppliers, who represented some of Central indiana’s top information technology and information management firms, Brenda Burke, supplier Diversity Director, discusses Wellpoint’s goals for the inaugural supplier Diversity summit with participants.

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Supplier Diversity

Special Feature :: WellPoint, inc.

Wellpoint supplier Diversity Director Brenda Burke (second from right) discusses Wellpoint’s goals for its inaugural supplier Diversity summit with attendees Tasha Phelps, phelco technologies (far left); Julie Kennedy, Moongate technologies (second from left) and Wayne Patrick, professional Data Dimensions (far right).

SuppLiER DivERsitY ChampioNs as a result of these events, wellpoint increased its supply chain by 15 minority- and women-owned vendors, which represented 71 percent of the invited companies. in addition, the company launched last year a Corporate supplier Diversity Champions program, which identifies and involves internal stakeholders in different departments of the organization as supplier diversity advocates. wellpoint’s supplier Diversity Champions are committed to including diverse suppliers in the vendor search, and have extensive knowledge of contract needs and requirements. These champions also track utilization against the final goal and make adjustments as necessary throughout the process. individuals serve as advocates by encouraging utilization, and work collaboratively with the supplier diversity office for any support necessary. The supplier Diversity office assists champions by researching and understanding the statement of work for each contract, conducting M/wBe searches to expand the existing database of reliable suppliers, and creating a scorecard for tracking and accompanying champions to diversity-related meetings, as requested.

EXcEEdiNG EXpEctatioNs in 2007, wellpoint’s efforts in the supplier diversity arena allowed the company to exceed its supplier diversity Tier i goal by $20 million (36 percent) and surpass the number of Tier ii businesses’ reporting goal by more than 160 percent. wellpoint sponsored several events, including the indiana Business Diversity Council opportunity Fair, the southern California Business Diversity Council opportunity Fair, the indiana Minority Business Magazine awards presentations, and the indiana Black expo Business Conference. in addition, Brenda Burke, supplier diversity director, was appointed to the Board of the indiana Business Diversity Council and served as membership chair of the national Minority supplier Development Council healthcare industry group, a panelist at the national purchasing Conference, and a speaker at the indianapolis women’s empowerment series. PDJ

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Supplier Diversity

Special Feature :: WellPoint, inc.

Supplier Stories

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Wellpoint measures the success of its supplier diversity program by exceeding goals, by developing innovative and creative approaches to meeting and exceeding goals, and through collaborations with internal

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and external stakeholders.

—BrenDa Burke, supplier Diversity Director

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WellPoint shows their continued focus on expanding diversity in the workplace. We had the pleasure of being invited to attend one of their Diversity Supplier Networking events the end of last year. Never before have we had the honor to present our capabilities to such a target audience sharing our diversity initiatives. Diversity can help organizations: identify and capitalize on opportunities to improve products and services; attract, retain, motivate and utilize human resources effectively; improve quality of decision making at all organizational levels; and reap the many benefits of being perceived as a socially conscious and progressive organization. Because of the benefits associated with having a diverse workforce, many companies

Claudine S. George

have increased their efforts to promote diversity in their workforce. The true essence of a corporation is its people. We provide a link between employers seeking to enrich their workforce diversity and a pool of diverse candidates who are searching for an opportunity to perform to their full potential. Our mandate is to help employers embrace the rich dimensions of diversity contained within each individual. As an equal opportunity employer, we pride ourselves in creating an employment environment that supports and encourages the abilities of all persons regardless of race, color, gender, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, or

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disability. This commitment extends to all areas of employment practices, including hiring, compensation, benefits, promotion, training, and layoff or termination.

Pro f i les i n Dive rsit y Journal

—Claudine S. George, Owner, icOnma, LLc

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Supplier Diversity

Special Feature :: WellPoint, inc.

“

As a woman business owner and advocate, i commend WellPoint’s leadership in supplier diversity, which has provided mentoring and partnering opportunities for women- and minority-owned businesses. My company has benefited with a contract to staff personnel for WellPoint’s indiana statesponsored Medicaid program. To meet WellPoint’s rigorous requirements, it was imperative for us to elevate our management, recruiting, HR, and operations performance and

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capabilities. As a result, we are a stronger, more competitive and effective medical staffing business today, better positioned for growth and success.

—Billie Dragoo, president and ceO, repucare

Billie Dragoo

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Over the past few years, our firm has had the opportunity to partner with WellPoint on several marketing initiatives. Our expertise and knowledge in health care allowed our agency to play a primary role in developing the marketing strategies for these initiatives. These doors were opened through the Supplier Diversity program. Based upon our reputation, Brenda Burke, supplier diversity director/manager, submitted our agency as a possible supplier. We were then interviewed, our experience was reviewed, and ultimately we were selected as the marketing partner for these initiatives. The process was detailed, fair, and respectful of our experience, regardless of our agency being a Hispanic-owned business.

Our partnership with WellPoint truly is a testament to the fact that

KathY cabellO

WellPoint’s Supplier Diversity program really works. it matches experienced suppliers with clients that have a need—the right opportunity with the right supplier.

WellPoint’s Supplier Diversity program truly desires MBEs to grow:

not only within WellPoint, but also externally. As a result, WellPoint has recommended our firm to other corporations in the health care industry.

We are pleased with how our partnership has developed and we look

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forward to future growth.

—Kathy cabello, president, cabello associates

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viewpoint

Is Retaining Women and Minority Attorneys in Large Law Firms an Elusive Aspiration? By Melanie Harrington and Naomi K. McLaurin

F Harrington

McLaurin

For ManY organiZaTions, DiVersiTY has come to mean only representation. Environmental forces generate plans designed to avoid pain, such as the loss of business or market share. Ironically, these plans are the first phase of what the American Institute for Managing Diversity, Inc. (AIMD) refers to as the “frustrating cycle.” The cycle begins with the pressure to increase diversity representation which results in increased representation, momentary celebration, and then the steady attrition of these underrepresented groups of employees. And the cycle begins again. Organizations stuck in the cycle become frustrated with their inability to control the waves of attrition. The problem lies with the one-dimensional approach to diversity. In reality, diversity representation results in other behavioral, cultural, or communication differences for which the organization may not be prepared. Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr., founder of AIMD and noted diversity expert, believes that four basic methods have evolved for addressing diversity: 1. Managing work force representation—ensuring that the desired demographics exist 2. understanding work force differences—ensuring that productive relationships exist in the work force 3. Managing work force diversity—creating an environment that works for a representative and behaviorally diverse workforce 4. Managing strategic diversity—developing a capability to make decisions in the midst of differences, similarities, and tension. Thomas suggests that many organizations are stuck in the frustrating cycle because leaders approach diversity as the right thing to do, rather than because of the business case for diversity management. what’s more, they often don’t understand the breadth of approaches to diversity that exist. To stem unwanted attrition and end the cycle, organizations must be willing to manage more effectively by expanding their approach to diversity. large law firms are grappling with the frustrating cycle, which they term “the revolving door syndrome.” however, several organizations have explored why law firms are stuck in the cycle and have developed practical action steps and best practices that firms can use to end the cycle.

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Attrition of Women and Minority Attorneys in Large Law Firms women and minority attorneys leave law firms for a variety of reasons including: a lack of mentoring relationships; failure to receive meaningful/challenging work assignments; insufficient client contact, business development and networking opportunities; little honest feedback, no advancement, and inadequate work/life balance. Bias, salary disparities, feelings of isolation and exclusion, and micro-inequities also contribute to attrition. According to the National Association of law placement, minorities account for 5.4 percent of partners and 18 percent of associates. women account for 18 percent of partners and 45 percent of associates. But minority women account for less than 2 percent of partners and 10 percent of associates. The American Bar Association Commission on women study titled Visible Invisibility Women of Color in Law Firms details a wide range of inequities in the law profession. Among the more glaring examples: • 53 percent of women of color remained employed at law firms, compared to 72 percent of white men. • 44 percent of women of color reported being denied desirable work assignments compared to 2 percent of white men. • 43 percent of women of color reported having limited client development opportunities compared to 3 percent of white men. Interestingly, women of color met with clients when it was advantageous to the firm. Furthermore, lawyers of color were compensated substantially less than their white counterparts. Action Steps and Best Practices According to MCCA’s Creating Pathways to Diversity® reports titled A Study of Law Department Best Practices; The Myth of the Meritocracy: A Report on the Bridges and Barriers to Success in Large Law Firms; and Mentoring Across Differences: A Guide to CrossGender and Cross-Race Mentoring,1 law firms can reduce the attrition of women and minority attorneys by implementing the following action steps. • Make diversity a “core value” and include it in the firm’s strategic plan. Diversity should be communicated throughout the organization. link compensation of senior management to diversity results.

“

Many organizations are stuck in the ‘frustrating cycle’ because leaders approach diversity as the right thing to do, rather than because of

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• Focus on retention and inclusion efforts such the business case for diversity management. as formal and informal mentoring programs. Dr. r. roosevelt thomas, Jr., founder of aiMD Formal mentoring programs are a supplement to, not a substitute for, informal mentoring. Employers should promote cross-gender and cross-race mentoring as a part of their diversity initiatives; set pri- Over 115 companies have signed the Call to Action, including Dupont, orities, policies, and compensation that reflect the importance of wal-Mart Stores, Inc., pfizer Inc, Microsoft Corporation, and The Cocamentoring and diversity; and make it a priority for leaders to serve Cola Company. The Coca-Cola Company recently awarded its first “living the as mentors. • Women and minority attorneys should be identified for key promo- Values” Award to Shook, hardy & Bacon llp. The award honors the u.S. law firm, with whom it does business, which best demonstrates its tion and professional development opportunities. • Firms should distribute assignments to ensure that women and commitment to diversity with creative and innovative solutions that align minorities receive the opportunity to do high-level work and gain with The Coca-Cola Company’s diversity values. In November 2007, a questionnaire was distributed to the company’s exposure to important corporate clients. • If a senior associate or partner consistently fails to include women 18 u.S. partner law firms. It requested descriptions of the practices and or minorities in his/her practice group, management should remind values which support and drive diversity and inclusion efforts in several areas including: the commitment of a firm’s senior management to diverthese lawyers to be more inclusive. • Performance evaluations should provide honest and timely feed- sity with established systems for measuring progress and accountability, back that is based upon fair and objective performance criteria representation of minorities and women, and creative partnering arrangements with minority- and women-owned firms. and competencies. • Firms should focus on their own biases, assumptions and stereotypes, Firm responses were evaluated against the best-in-class practices in as they may contribute to the attrition of women and minority at- each area. Shook, hardy & Bacon llp earned the highest aggregate torneys. For example, because of family demands, it is often assumed score. More and more companies are seeking firms that reflect the global that women are not as committed to their careers as men. In addi- marketplace, similar values, and an increasingly diverse consumer base. tion, women and minority attorneys are expected to serve on diversity committees without considering the role white men should have in Shifting to an Expanded Approach According to Thomas, AIMD’s founder, external influences require the firm’s diversity efforts. • Firms should establish work-life quality initiatives that include poli- firms to reexamine the paradigms upon which diversity efforts are based. cies such as flexible schedules, alternative career paths, family leave, An approach solely focused on diversity representation will not foster an environment that supports an expanded approach to diversity. telecommuting, and childcare assistance. Today, there is a need to bring diverse thinking and representa- To remain competitive, law firms and other organizations will need tion into the legal department in order to effectively deal with diverse to support the full array of approaches necessary for the demands of populations in a global economy. Moreover, diverse teams produce a today’s marketplace. PDJ better work product. External Influences on Law Firms’ Diversity Efforts Companies are influencing diversity in outside law firms by signing a pledge titled A Call to Action: Diversity in the Legal Profession. In 2004, Rick palmore, then general counsel, Sara lee Corporation, authored a document that reaffirmed its signers’ commitment to diversity in the legal profession. The signatories pledged to make decisions regarding which law firms represent their companies “based in significant part on the law firm’s diversity performance.” They also “intend to end or limit [their] relationships with firms whose performance consistently evidences a lack of meaningful interest in being diverse.”

Melanie Harrington, Esq. is president of the American Institute for Managing Diversity, Inc. Prior to joining AIMD she served as General Counsel of an Atlanta-based management consulting firm. Naomi K. McLaurin, Esq. is the managing director, southeast region, for the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. She is the co-founder and former executive director of the Atlanta Legal Diversity Consortium, former dean of career services, Emory Law School and former director of diversity, Georgetown University Law Center. She practiced law at large law firms in New York and DC. The American Institute for Managing Diversity, Inc. is the nation’s leading nonprofit think tank dedicated to furthering the field of diversity management.

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thoughts through the office door…

Work-life Balance Giving Way to Life-work Balance By Carlton Yearwood

Chief Ethics and Diversity Officer Waste Management, Inc.

It was a weekend morning But now, a paradigm shift…to life-work balance. Ah, of paperwork catch-up at the how unsettling. The workplace and work itself become office. Brrinng, brrinng…the subordinate to building personal relationships and strong desk phone rang as a surprise. bonds in a shared human community. In large measure, Not courting distraction, I hesi- younger people now give precedence to building comtated answering, but…bbrrrringg!…then did anyway. monalities across fundamental human attributes—like The caller, to my good fortune, was a friend of many trust, care, and support—in far greater measure than years, office-bound exactly as I was but half a continent anything that business might present them. There are great opportunities here for the CDO away, and looking for a respite. So we talked. From shared-play lot games in Queens, New York, faced with turnover among young hires, men and we went separate ways as young adults, and then grew women, minorities and non-minorities, with or without more distant as jobs and circumstances pulled elsewhere. The workplace and work itself become Only the quirk of landing in subordinate to building personal relationships the same professional work later in our life brought us full circle, and back into con- and strong bonds in a shared human community. versation again. we ended every phone call, it seemed, with rueful reckonings of college degrees. For example, outreach based on social how we should have stayed closer, how solidly we would networking, building shared personal confidences, and have counselled each other, and the promise not to be developing extended familial traits in the workplace may offer the chance of breakthrough solutions. A comtoo-long absent from a next conversation. At goodbye, I returned my focus to my desktop, pany could grow its programs on the naturally strong where I’d been scanning a white paper about Gen X, Y bonding that diverse work candidates already bring to and Millennial’s workplace values. The paper indicated the table, enhancing shared feelings, honest dialogue, that these groups see the personal benefits of friendship and open communication. and close social bonding being far more valuable than Extending this thinking also means less focus anything the workplace might deliver. how very differ- on structured salary increases, traditional benefits, ent from my own experience, I thought, with my just- and upward mobility as ways of rewarding employees and building loyalty. The adept organization would completed phone call still fresh in my mind. I began to consider what a substantial challenge be able to provide even more personally fulfilling and this repositioning could be for CDOs. For the longest meaningful incentives on an entirely new platform of time, we’ve looked at the issues affecting diverse workers personal satisfaction with life. and a diverse working environment from a perspective I may not be a part of the new alphabet generation, of work-life balance and later as work-life integration. but the thinking sure intrigues a boomer like me. PDJ It assumes a shared notion that working is a priority, and so we’ve pondered how to use business tools— information technology, job sharing, office architecture Waste Management, Inc. is the leading provider of and more—to make the workplace a more flexible and comprehensive waste and environmental services in accommodating place for our quality hires, across gender North America. The company is strongly committed to and ethnic lines. a foundation of financial strength, operating excellence, and professionalism. 62

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“

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”

I connect the dots differently. That brings value to the work I do. I have a passion for marketing, and I love what I do. At Hallmark, I have the opportunity to be a great marketer in an industry I believe in—one that enriches people’s lives. I work in a collaborative environment that celebrates the individual and values me as a whole person. Our multiple perspectives make our work stronger. It’s a rewarding opportunity to be part of a brand that helps people define and express the very best in themselves. aviva ajmera hebbar customer strategy and planning director

l i v e yo u r pa s s i o n . l o v e yo u r wo r k .

for i n for m at i on on h a l lm a r k c a re er opp ort u n i t i e s , v i s i t w w w. h a l l m a r k . c om / c are ers. © 2 0 0 6 h a l l m a r k l i cen s i n g , i n c .

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my turn

What Keeps Diversity Professionals Up at Night?

(part 2)

By Shirley A. Davis, PhD Director of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives Society for Human Resource Management

In The March/April 2008 issue of Profiles in Diversity Journal, I wrote the first in a series of articles that will identify and summarize ten important challenges that cause diversity professionals to suffer from insomnia. Instead of enjoying a good night’s sleep, our minds and thoughts are preoccupied with the fires that we had to put out that day and the anticipation of those we face the next morning. Rather than spending time with the senior and front line leaders that drive the business strategy, we focus much of our attention on transactions that are of little value to the bottom line. It’s no wonder that we continue to grapple with obtaining buy-in and commitment from leadership. If we are going to rest easier, we have to elevate our diversity and inclusion efforts to a more strategic level, both in our day to day actions as well as in our long term business planning. In this issue, I will address these two parallel but intersecting challenges that diversity professionals have yet to resolve: 1) aligning the diversity and inclusion initiative with key business objectives and 2) becoming more strategic and less transactional. Aligning the Diversity and Inclusion Initiative with Key Business Objectives we all agree that CEO and senior leadership engagement is critical to the success of diversity initiatives. however, when I’ve asked an audience of diversity practitioners (as well as hR professionals from entry to senior levels) the question: “how many of you can name the top three business objectives in your organizations?” less than 10 percent admit that they can. And if less than 10 percent can answer this question, one can only assume that 90 percent of diversity and inclusion strategies are NOT linked to the overall business strategy in a significant way. The fact that most diversity professionals spend much of their time on administrative and tactical tasks may explain why few can answer “yes” to the question above.

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And yet these same diversity practitioners insist that we need to be more strategic; we need to earn a seat at the table; and we need to ensure senior leadership buy-in and engagement. however, without understanding the business and the nature of the organization—its strategic objectives, how it plans to achieve its vision, and how the D&I strategy will help the organization succeed—the former state will remain an aspiration rather than a reality. Not only must the D&I strategy link to the firm’s business objectives, but the diversity officer must work collaboratively across departments and lines of business to ensure that diversity efforts are embedded into all of the organization’s business/operating plans and processes. For example, the marketing department must consider the types of branding efforts, advertisements, and sponsorships that will be pursued and how D&I messaging will be embedded in each. Additionally, the firm must consider how it will acquire, serve, and retain diverse customers; how it will partner with and serve more diverse communities; how products and services will be tailored to meet customers’ unique needs; and how new and more diverse markets will be targeted and served. I could go on to talk about how to work with all the other departments to integrate diversity into the organization, but the key message here is that the D&I initiative has a place in every department and division. Moreover, the strategic leader of the organization’s diversity efforts must partner with, educate, and coach our business leader counterparts on what they should be thinking about in the diversity and inclusion realm. Quite simply, the diversity strategy must demonstrate tangible business outcomes. Most diversity offices today still tend to be more concerned with inputs, such as attracting and selecting more women and people of color, training, creating a better work environment, or ensuring fairness and equity for all, and not enough with outputs, such as the value created by the workforce. we still, for the most part, speak in soft outcomes rather than hard results.

“

To tell your CEO that ‘we hired more women and people of color’ is

not enough if you can’t show the

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value created as a result of those efforts. To tell your CEO that “we hired more women and people of color” is not enough if you can’t show the value created as a result of those efforts. likewise, it’s not enough to say that you’ve trained all senior leaders and middle management on diversity and cultural sensitivity and not be able to show how the training affected the business. To senior executives who have to report quarterly and annual results to their shareholders and board of directors, this language may be seen as soft, intangible, and unquantifiable. This, coupled with the fact that the business case for diversity may not be clearly articulated or understood in the organization, may cause many senior executives to dismiss these efforts altogether. Instead of speaking in terms of diversity/HR outcomes, we need to speak in terms of business outcomes, which include increases in productivity and efficiencies, increases in employee engagement, increased retention, or increased customer service scores. Not until we know our organizations’ top three strategic business objectives, and can position D&I as providing tangible business outcomes, can we break the cycle of having to continuously prove the case for our D&I efforts.

Most of my peers say that, in order to be viewed as a critical partner in the business and for our efforts to be taken more seriously as a key strategic initiative, hR and diversity practitioners have to increase their competence in business acumen, both in the language of business as well as a more comprehensive and holistic understanding of the business. Many hR and diversity professionals still admit today that they spend too much of their time on administrative transactions, putting out fires, and being reactionary rather than building relationships and spending time in the operation focused on the strategic objectives, which ultimately enables them to better anticipate business needs. And while in recent years hR departments and diversity offices are reengineering their focus and more are gaining a seat at the table, we still need to take steps to keep the seat by adding value while we’re there. There is value in being more strategic. A recent study conducted by ShRM, the university of Michigan, and the RBl Group, called “Competencies for the New HR,” revealed that being more strategic accounted for 43 percent of hR’s total impact on business performance.

Becoming More Strategic and Less Transactional hR departments and diversity offices are still not perceived by senior executives as strategic business partners. According to a 2008 study released by the Boston Consulting Group entitled, “Creating People Advantage: How to Address HR Challenges Worldwide Through 2015,” executives report that hR departments lack the business line experience and the ability to clearly quantify their results. And when nearly 70 percent of diversity initiatives are housed in the hR department (according to a 2007 ShRM study), this has important implications.

If we are going To MaKe The TransiTion from being transaction-focused to being more strategically-focused, we have to develop the competencies of a business manager who understands the key business drivers and knows how to integrate the diversity efforts into the overall business planning process. we must develop meaningful, quantifiable metrics that matter and communicate the business impact of our efforts to our senior leaders in a clear and compelling way. PDJ

Shirley A. Davis, PhD, is Director of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives for the Society for Human Resource Management in Alexandria, Virginia. She can be reached at sadavis@shrm.org. Prof iles in Div er s it y Jou r na l

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Diversity &Inclusion drives innovation and success Kodakâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to diversity and inclusion touches customers, consumers, employees, suppliers, shareholders, and more. While our vision is global, we focus upon the distinctive cultures and communities in which we live and work. We champion diversity as a business imperative to help drive innovation. Working together, we create technologies and services that unleash the power of pictures and printing. Our innovations enrich peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives, and bring us all closer together.

www.kodak.com/go/diversity ÂŠ Eastman Kodak Company, 2008

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A conversation with

Desiree Dancy

Desiree Dancy may be relatively new to

cOMpanY name: the new York times company HeadQuarters: 620 Eighth avenue new York, nY 10018 WeB site: www.nytco.com primary Business or industry: Media and publishing industry ranKinG: 583 on fortune 1000 2007 revenueS: $3.2 billion

her position at The New York Times Company, but she has the wisdom and experience beyond her tenure at this media giant. A New York City native, Desiree attended school with a diverse collection of first-generation Americans who brought their customs and beliefs to the classroom. Over time, she came to see how diversity enhances everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life. Now this jazz aficionado works every day to support, retain, and recruit a diverse workforce that will see The New York Times Company well into the 21st century. Come meet our newest Front-Runner in Diversity Leadership.

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Interview

Desiree Dancy

the new York times company

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Office with a view: Desiree Dancy’s office overlooks beautiful, vibrant new York city.

Please describe The New York Times Company in terms of its size and scope of operations for those who may not be familiar with it.

The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT), a leading media company with 2007 revenues of $3.2 billion, includes the New York Times, the International herald Tribune, the Boston Globe, 15 other daily newspapers, wQXR-FM, and more than 50 web sites, including NYTimes.com, Boston.com, and About.com. The company’s core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting, and distributing high-quality news, information, and entertainment. How would you define diversity and inclusion (D&I), as it relates to the efforts within your company?

The New York Times Company is committed to diversity in its most inclusive sense, so it’s not simply an issue of race or ethnicity. we seek to attract, develop, and retain people from a rich variety of experiences, ethnic backgrounds, and cultures. In a rapidly changing world, our diverse workforce strengthens our competitive position in the marketplace and helps us achieve our company’s core purpose. we embrace diversity in several critical areas, such as leadership commitment and accountability, recruiting, employee involvement through internal programs, community outreach and more. Our guiding principles on diversity and inclusion are respect and fairness, inclusion of different points of view, work and life balance, and development of talents. These principles are reflected in our “Rules of the Road,” our company’s statement of values. 68

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What are the main components of your D&I program?

There are four components to our D&I program. By focusing on diversity in the traditional sense, we pay close attention to our recruiting and retention efforts. Our goal is to not only recruit a more diverse workforce, but also to ensure that we maintain and support the diverse workforce we already employ across the company. we are able to complement the effort through our Education and Awareness programs. As part of the many mentoring initiatives we offer, our REACh Mentoring program pairs high-performing individuals with members of our executive committee for a year-long mentoring experience. Additionally, we offer learning programs designed to increase the skill sets of our leaders by providing them with practical tools for creating and better managing in an inclusive environment. Our communication initiative allows us to keep our employees abreast of the many events throughout the company. Along with regular e-mails, we utilize our Diversity & Inclusion web site and other company sites as sources of information. lastly, our focus on employee-engagement activities such as our diversity councils and employee affinity groups brings all of these components together. we believe that by involving employees of all levels in diversity

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and inclusion efforts, we will be much more successful in creating a culture that is not only inviting to a more diverse population but also more supportive. In today’s marketplace, do you have any particular cultural, socioeconomic, or demographic challenges to selling, producing, or delivering services? What particular challenges do you face in hiring and retaining good people?

we have always excelled at hiring and retaining good people. however, the economic outlook is somewhat murky, and the media industry is in a period of transformation. Therefore, our relationships with minority and other professional organizations that have traditionally been great pipelines for our talent are more important than ever. we also continue to leverage our relationships with these same organizations by encouraging our employees to take advantage of the career development opportunities they provide. In many cases, we sponsor employee participation in leadership workshops and other developmental conferences and seminars. How do you keep diversity a priority throughout the company? Specifically, how do you energize people or get their buy-in for diversity?

Diversity remains a priority by keeping it on the agenda of our business leaders and on the newsroom masthead. Through a high degree of

Interview

Desiree Dancy

the new York times company

Dancy confers with an Hr colleague.

communication with our employees, we look to create buzz around the various events we host, celebrate our organizational and professional accomplishments, and generally keep people informed. we try to take advantage of every opportunity to market and brand our diversity and inclusion messages internally and, when appropriate, externally. Two key components of our diversity and inclusion strategy are employee engagement and communication. By actively engaging our employees, we are able to demonstrate our belief that everyone plays an important role in driving diversity throughout the company. It’s a top down, bottom up approach with everyone meeting in the middle. All of our executive committee members, including Chairman and publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. and CEO and president Janet Robinson, serve as sponsors of our affinity groups and participants in one or more mentoring programs. Employees in various positions hold leadership roles on our diversity committees and employee networks. They represent the company with our external diversity partners and are looked to as trusted advisors. Are there unique opportunities in your particular industry for implementing diversity programs?

I believe the unique opportunities are based in the reality that the media industry has only started to truly embrace diversity and inclusion. This means there is great potential for the future. That’s not to say that the industry—and specifically The New York Times Company— has not focused on diversity. we have a long history of supporting various minority professional organizations and developing young talent. For example, the New York Times Student Journalism Institute, which initially targeted journalism students at the historically black colleges and universities and now has expanded to student members of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), has touched the lives of close to 200 young black journalists since its inception in 2003. we’re proud of this accomplishment. we have a similar program with the National Association of hispanic Journalists. That program launched last year and is

already a much sought after opportunity for latino student journalists. we also have long contributed to the Asian American Journalist Association’s Executive leadership program. Most recently, we partnered with the NABJ on the New York Times/NABJ Fellowship Academy. This program is geared to address the needs of newly minted newsroom managers, helping them acquire the skills they need to succeed. The common thread running through all these programs is outreach into external communities. we have a unique opportunity internally as well, which I am addressing through the approach that I bring to the company. That approach is to continue community outreach and simultaneously strengthen our strategic focus on recruiting and retaining women and people of color. To this end, my manager, David K. Norton, the senior vice president of human resources, has instituted centers of excellence that span the organization, including our newsrooms. Along with a diversity and inclusion center of excellence, the company now has centers of excellence focused on organizational capabilities and talent acquisition. Our goal is to use these centers and their programs and practices to enhance our current culture, so that employees are supported not only through formal policies but also through day-to-day experiences. For example, we look to improve the interactions employees have with their managers and each other. By doing so, we believe we can create a stronger platform for individual and organizational success. Do you have any examples of how tapping employee diversity has yielded significant product or profit breakthroughs? Interbusiness synergies?

Our company has a pretty successful record of leveraging talented employees at all levels of the organization to develop new products and services. One example is our online publication “pixels and print,” which is targeted to our advertising customers. This publication grew

out of a collaborative effort of multiple departments in our New York Times newspaper and NYTimes.com, with a great deal of help from some gifted business people in our corporate headquarters. what’s more, the team members included long-tenured employees who were experts in print publications and young dynamos from our new media outlets. Together, they created a very significant publication from a diversity and inclusion perspective. For example, the most recent issue included an in-depth look at Baby Boomers and presented a series of multicultural marketing case studies on reaching Asian, hispanic, gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender audiences. Our customers value the insights that our company brings on reaching and including diverse audiences and are asking for more.

CORPORATE LEADERSHIP What resources (financial and manpower) are allocated to diversity? How do these reflect your company’s leadership commitment to diversity?

The role of vice president, diversity and inclusion, is new to The New York Times Company. It’s been in place for less than two years. Even so, our staff of two has a budget that allows us to effectively raise awareness around the effort and fund employee networks, sponsor events, and underwrite employee participation at various conferences and workshops. The fact that we’ve been able to meet major milestones on the diversity and inclusion continuum in a short period of time speaks volumes to the commitment of our leadership. Again, both our chairman and CEO are actively involved in every area of our diversity initiatives as are other executive committee and newsroom masthead members. we have regular and ongoing discussions where we share ideas and de-

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velop strategies to drive the effort forward. The New York Times Company leadership is intent on making real and sustainable change and is very visible in that regard. Do you address diversity in your annual report? Is it important to talk about diversity with shareholders?

like many other organizations, our company’s annual report includes a statement about our commitment to diversity and inclusion. we feel that it is important to remind our shareholders that our leaders continue to consider diversity and inclusion an important part of their responsibilities. What qualities do you look for when hiring management? How do you measure attitudes or assess their past performance with regard to diversity and inclusion issues?

Regardless of the level, all candidates are assessed according to rigorous recruiting practices. Our approach is to gather objective information so that our recruiters and hiring managers can evaluate a candidate’s skills, experiences, attitudes, and behaviors on a broad spectrum of topics related to the open position, specifically, and employment at The New York Times Company, generally. Is diversity a compensable annual objective for the executive management team? How do you reward special initiatives? What accountability do you employ to meet objectives?

Our Company maintains a pay-for-performance philosophy, which is why it established a rigorous performance-management process several years ago. At the beginning of each year, employees and managers are required to set their goals, including a diversity and inclusion goal. At the end of the year, employees and managers 70

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are accountable for their performance against those goals, as well as performance against leadership or managerial competencies and the behaviors that demonstrate our values. with respect to our company’s executive management, they also participate in an annual bonus program that includes a diversity component. These managers are measured on their diversity and inclusion achievements and rewarded based on performance. Do you have any programs in place to increase the cross-cultural competence of your senior management team? Can midlevel managers acquire similar training?

Yes, we have a number of programs in place to increase the cross-cultural competence of our senior management team. These same programs are offered to mid-level managers, as well. last year, we formed five employee affinity groups: African, latino and Asian heritage as well as a GlBT & Allies and women’s Network. These groups are open to all employees and are sponsored by members of our executive committee. As executive sponsors, our senior leaders maintain working knowledge of the groups’ key concerns and objectives and provide executive committee insight by meeting regularly with the steering committee. They also tie the initiative to the bottom line by working with a group to determine how it can best support The New York Times Company’s business objectives. we’ve also implemented a “Managing Inclusion” training program that all managers are required to take. The full-day program was initially launched at our Boston Globe office and is now offered at our corporate headquarters in New York and the Shared Services Center in Virginia. This year, we will offer the course at properties in our Regional Media Group. There are also plans to offer an online version,

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“Embracing Inclusion,” to non-managers and other individual contributors. Through our local diversity committees, we host diversity discussion groups which are facilitated by our own internal human resources consultants. These sessions provide small groups of employees the opportunity to discuss timely articles written on diversity and inclusion. They read the articles and, over the course of two or three meetings, discuss the concepts, offer their opinions and consider how the information relates to their own departments, business units, or other parts of the company. These dialogues have been very effective at encouraging inclusivity and collaboration and we have been pleased with the results. All of these programs have been well received by staff and have helped to elevate our awareness of diversity and inclusion, as well as enhance meaningful dialogue around the company. When hiring or promoting people, how do you ensure that the individual selected was chosen from a diverse group of candidates?

Managers are required to work closely with the local hR department to review potential talent for an open position, and to determine if both external and internal candidates are being considered. The open position is carefully evaluated to determine the skills and competencies potential candidates must demonstrate to be qualified for consideration. Then, the manager and hR department monitor the interview process to ensure that a diverse group of qualified candidates is considered. For executive positions, the search process also includes a thorough talent review, which allows the business unit hR leader to discuss the individual and his or her capabilities for leadership competencies with other senior executives.

Interview How are decisions about diversity made at The New York Times Company? Is there a diversity council and who heads it up? Who participates?

Our Diversity Council, co-chaired by our Chairman and publisher, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., and our Senior Vice president of human Resources, David Norton, comprises representation from multiple levels within the organization, as well as a cross-section of newsroom and business units. Our council makes it a priority to link diversity and inclusion to business strategy with the ultimate objective of increasing performance, productivity, and customer satisfaction. The council works through the employee networks to support external and internal diversity and inclusion efforts. The council also has oversight for the companywide communications on diversity and inclusion to employees, and monitors relevant metrics that have been identified and tracked by my department. What evidence makes you confident that you and your team have developed momentum for the organization in the right direction? What is the vision for the company in five years?

As I indicated in an earlier question, we’re proud of the fact that we’ve been able to meet major milestones on the diversity and inclusion continuum in a short period of time. The New York Times Company leadership is intent on making real and sustainable change. I believe that we are moving in the right direction and will continue to do so, because of our leaders’ emotional commitment to diversity and inclusion success.

EMPLOYEE INCLUSIVENESS How do you gauge inclusion of employees? What are the tests, measurements and benchmarks (metrics) that indicate where the company is on the inclusion graph?

Since my role is relatively new to the company, we have just begun to track the various metrics that we feel make sense for our businesses. while we tracked diversity metrics—demographics—in the past, we weren’t at a stage to use the data strategically. Today, we are starting to use the data to focus on specific areas and to plan for the future. The data and analysis is provided to our executive committee on a quarterly basis, when it is reviewed and discussed thoroughly. we are also at an early stage of designing a report that identifies meaningful business results, linked with company objectives, which align with diversity and inclusion efforts.

Desiree Dancy

the new York times company

My goal is to let employees and stakeholders see that diversity and inclusion activities contribute to a vibrant culture, deliver business results, and help the organization achieve its objectives.

DESIREE DANCY Company The New York Times Company Title Vice President, Diversity & Inclusion

Some say diversity is a “numbers game.” How does your company know its culture is not just tied up in numbers? How do you celebrate success?

Years in current position 16 months

If you’re asking do we have a specific target that indicates success, which we’re shooting for, that’s not us. But, if you’re asking how do we typically celebrate, then I would point to our employee networks as an example. They are led by very committed individuals who look to offer opportunities for employees to learn and grow, as well as to celebrate successes within the group, and have fun. And based on the rate of participation at many of these celebrations, I’d say our employees get it! we also use our diversity and inclusion web site and other internal communication vehicles to share the various awards and recognitions that the company and our employees receive throughout the year. Are employees more involved in the company than they were two years ago? In what ways?

with respect to diversity and inclusion, we believe that employees are much more involved than they were two years ago. we have evidence to support our belief. First, two years ago diversity and inclusion topics that appeared on our intranet received limited traffic. Today, a diversity and inclusion topic is always one of the top three most popular intranet pages, which we measure each month. To us, this demonstrates that employees are interested in the topic and are motivated to look for information. Second, we have diversity committees/councils at the business unit level that were in their beginning stages two years ago. Many more of our employees are actively engaged today and see their involvement as an important aspect of their work experience. lastly, two years ago we did not offer employee networks. when we launched our employee networks about six months ago, the enthusiasm was overwhelming. hundreds of employees signed up for various groups and, since then, have attended meetings, workshops, briefing sessions, receptions, and many other networking events.

Education New School University, Milano Graduate School of Management, MS in human resources management; Metropolitan College of New York (formerly Audrey Cohen College), BA in business management First job Summer internship at the New York City Department of Rent Control Philosophy Be Bold What I’m reading Sacred Games, by Vikram Chandra Family Husband and one daughter Interests Cooking, music, luxurious pampering Childhood hero Marion Anderson “Best” picture (film/art) West Side Story and Carmen Jones with Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte My music (favorite background listening) Any Jazz vocalist Favorite game Zingo (a favorite of my 4 year old) Desk-drawer munchies Almonds Favorite charity Center for Anti-Violence Education. Person (historical/fictional/actual) I’d like to get to know over lunch Zora Neal Hurston (my daughter’s namesake)

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Dancy enjoys another diversity and inclusion networking event. How are their opinions solicited and valued? Do you have an employee ‘suggestion box’ or other system, and who monitors and responds?

Our company has an open door policy, and anyone can come to me with suggestions, ideas, comments, and feedback. In addition, we maintain a dedicated e-mail inbox that employees use regularly to ask questions or to send information. As appropriate, my hR research specialist and I monitor the box and respond to the messages. I also maintain another office in the New York Times newspaper’s newsroom so that I can engage formally and informally in face-to-face conversations with our newsroom employees. Finally, I make it a point to attend many employee network meetings and I ask for feedback and ideas. Our employees are never shy about sharing their opinions or suggestions! At the same time, we have recently implemented an online feedback mechanism that is offered to employees who participate in an event. we want to get timely feedback so that we gauge how employees valued the event and, if needed, make course corrections for next time. How do you deal with those who perceive inclusion programs for underrepresented groups as being exclusionary for others? Have you encountered this attitude?

All in all, our employees are very committed to diversity and inclusion. They understand the business and the journalism cases for our industry. In addition, there is a strong feeling that it is simply the right thing to do. So here at The New York Times Company, I have not encountered dissatisfaction about who the programs include or exclude. At the same time, I recognize that we have been very inclusive in our invitations to join employee networking groups, asking only that the individual be interested in the group. This open invitation was very well received. 72

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Please describe your method for orienting new hires into your culture. How do you educate new employees about the importance of diversity?

New hires participate in an onboarding process, which includes an orientation to our company and its mission and values. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion is front and center as part of the orientation presentation when the presenter goes over our Rules of the Road, which indicates how we expect employees to demonstrate our values. In addition, new hires are invited to networking events so that they can meet colleagues and other new hires in a more social setting. Many of these networking events are hosted by the affinity groups with executive committee sponsors as keynote speakers. These events provide new hires with the opportunity to meet and interact with our senior leaders early in their tenure with us. Can you name specific ways your company supports upward development toward management positions?

At The New York Times Company, we offer a wide variety of career opportunities in journalism and business. Importantly, our company recognizes the value of sustaining individual career aspirations with many ways to learn and develop. As a result, whatever an individual’s role, responsibilities or location, an employee can continue to gain skills, competencies, and experience while meeting the challenges of working in a fast-paced, ever-changing media business environment. Leadership Development A fundamental part of our commitment to training and education is our approach to leadership development. Grounded in a robust succession planning process, our company offers a

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curriculum that identifies talented individuals and helps to nurture their growth with classroom and online training, mentoring programs, coaching, facilitated study groups, stretch assignments, on-the-job training tools, and guided experiences outside of the organization. Robust Performance Management Process we also maintain a sophisticated performance management cycle that helps employees target goals, identify opportunities to learn and grow, and build on existing strengths through constructive feedback. In addition, our approach to performance management is designed to identify and reward performance results. More Ways to Develop and Grow • Tuition Reimbursement Plan. Our company is committed to helping employees grow and develop professionally through undergraduate and graduate education and certificate instruction. • Training and Workshops. All of our locations offer instructional classes and live workshops, as well as online training tools, to help employees sharpen technical skills, managerial proficiencies and leadership competencies. • Personal Growth. Our company offers live instruction and webinars on a variety of topics of interest, including health and fitness, recreational activities and hobbies, parenting, interpersonal relationships, pet care, vacation planning, retirement preparation and more. How does The New York Times Company include women and minority employees into the fabric of the organization?

we treat newly hired women and minority employees in the same way as other new hires, through an onboarding process and with orientations and invitations to the networking events we described earlier.

Interview

Desiree Dancy

the new York times company

Dancy discusses initiatives with partners from the national association of Black Journalists (naBJ).

Dancy collaborates on various initiatives with colleagues.

SUPPLIER / COMMUNITY / CUSTOMERS Tell us a little about your commitment to minority suppliers? Do you have specific goals for spending, either in dollars spent or a percentage of money spent with various suppliers?

we benefit from having a diverse vendor base and actively track our use of both minority and women owned businesses as part of our Supplier Diversity strategy. we utilize varied sources to identify and validate suppliers prior to their inclusion in our vendor master, allowing for full exposure of qualified MBE/wBE businesses across our many properties. How do you educate/promote diversity and inclusion for vendors, customers, or the general public?

Our companywide strategic sourcing and purchasing function communicates on an ongoing basis with our vendors. with respect to customers and the general public, our brands promote diversity to their customer markets and communities as appropriate. On a corporate level, our company web site, www.nytco.com, features a section dedicated to diversity and inclusion under “Company.”

Where does your personal belief in diversity and inclusion come from: who were your role models, or was there a pivotal experience that helped shape your view?

Growing up and attending school in New York, specifically Brooklyn and Manhattan, I was fortunate to attend very diverse institutions. I would say that my elementary through highschool experiences had a great impact on me, in that I was exposed to other students who were extremely diverse. The majority of my classmates were immigrants or first-generation Americans. They literally came from every corner of the world and brought many of their customs and beliefs to the classroom. I didn’t value the experience at the time when I was in school, but in retrospect, this exposure at an early age certainly shaped my world view and understanding of how diversity and inclusion enhances so many aspects of our lives. How did you get to your present position? What was your career path?

I started my career in hR in a campus recruiting function at an investment bank. After a short period, I was asked to take on a role in diversity recruiting. The concept of specifically targeting women and people of color was new to me.

Yet, what attracted me to the role was the realization that it gave me a unique opportunity to give back to the community. A huge part of my job as a diversity recruiter was to educate students about the industry and the opportunities available to them. In short order, I found my calling. The job tapped into my interpersonal and communication skills and, although I didn’t know it at the time, my selling and influencing skills as well. when I started in the diversity and inclusion field, the primary focus was on recruiting, and over time companies realized that was only a part of the equation. I stayed in the function, working for a few investment banks, and the roles I held grew as the function did. I’ve been able to shape my career by staying committed to the function. Who were/are your mentors? What about their business skill or style influenced you? How did they help in your professional and personal life?

Fortunately, I’ve had a number of mentors. I like to think of myself as an active learner, and in that vein I try to take something away from each of my experiences. So I’ve been able to learn a lot from so many people.

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the new York times company

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What are your specific responsibilities for advancing diversity and inclusion in your organization? What are the strategies you employ to move inclusion forward?

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Formally, I do have my personal executive board that includes former graduate school classmates, former work colleagues, and former clients. Most don’t know each other, and generally don’t have anything in common other than knowing me. I like being able to tap into this group, because they give me feedback based on very different perspectives and experiences which I think allows for more well-rounded insights.

My specific responsibilities are to set the diversity and inclusion strategy for The New York Times Company in partnership with senior management. while I employ many specific strategies, I believe the most important strategies are centered around effective communication and employee engagement. It is important for me to not only have a seat at the table with senior management and understand what the larger organizational issues are, but also to have my ear to the ground and know what issues are of concern to the rank and file. By having a strategy that taps into our employees at all levels, we are able to have ongoing dialogue that influences the initiatives we put into place.

zations and practitioners have to know that it is a marathon and be willing to make the commitment for the long haul. There will be situations out of your control that seem to set you back. These include the economy and industry and organizational changes to name a few. when faced with these situations, the challenge becomes how to not lose significant ground. You must be focused. You must find creative ways to maintain momentum. How are you as a manager measured in terms of performance? Is your compensation related to diversity performance?

like all employees at The New York Times Company, my performance is measured based on goals established at the beginning of the year with my manager. For me, these goals include business goals and diversity and inclusion obAre you mentoring anyone today? jectives. Additionally, the measurement of my Giving back is important to me so, yes, I performance also takes into account how I do am mentoring a few people. I on our leadership competencies, have two mentees at The New which include the capability of York Times Company and two diversity and building When I started in the diversity and inclusion embracing who are former colleagues. I’ve also and sustaining inclusive teams. signed up to be a mentor with one My performance is also considfield, the primary focus was on recruiting, of the minority professional orgaered in terms of our values called nizations I belong to, but I haven’t and over time companies realized that was our Rules of the Road. One such been assigned a protégé as yet. I rule calls upon all employees to also think when you have close only a part of the equation. champion diversity, which ensures friends you’re always mentoring in that we demonstrate the behaviors some way. that support our values. All of these factors inform my perforWhat business books or journals do you Have you any “mottos” to rally your team mance review, and with our company’s pay-forread regularly or recommend for aspiring regarding D&I? performance philosophy, the final rating of my leaders? “Diversity and Inclusion. Thrive and grow.” It’s performance has a direct impact on my total I like reading the Harvard Business Review the identifying motto that appears on all our compensation. because it covers a variety of topical issues. I read a number of diversity and inclusion web printed materials and on our web site. what’s What has been your proudest moment as sites. My favorite of late is the new Diversity interesting is that the motto was developed in a leader in this company? very inclusive way. A team of stakeholders from Spectrum website which is an aggregator of I’m really proud that we’ve been able to around the company met to talk about the imarticles from across the globe. It’s just good to establish five very active affinity groups and an portance of expressing the underlying themes of see what the hot-button issues are. diversity and inclusion. Through the conversa- effective diversity council in less than two years. tion that ensued, we crafted “Thrive and grow,” It really highlights the passion, enthusiasm How would you describe your concept and which resonated with the team. when we rolled and commitment the senior leadership team style of leadership? I would say that my style is very participative and it out, our employees let us know (through and my colleagues overall have for moving collaborative. I am confident that our employ- informal means) that it conveyed the energy diversity and inclusion forward at the New ees value diversity and inclusion and that they and excitement that they felt about diversity York Times Company.

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understand and support the company’s objectives. By encouraging employees to participate in the councils, networking groups, programs, and other opportunities offered, I contribute to a culture of teamwork and let committed individuals create new solutions and inspire others. It’s definitely a win-win relationship.

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and inclusion. Were there any experiences that discouraged you or taught you hard lessons about D&I implementation?

The hardest lesson about D&I work is that its success does not happen overnight. You can make progress, but to have true success, organi-

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Are there particular areas/employee sectors you feel still need improvement?

we talked earlier about the changing media landscape and the impact it’s had on our ability to recruit and retain. Those are the areas in which we need to see improvement. PDJ

IT’S A SMALL, DIVERSE, MULTICULTURAL WORLD AFTER ALL. Diverse companies are like a rainbow. And we all know what’s at the end of the rainbow. It’s why companies that value diversity, talent and passion in their workforce partner with Monster to find the best candidates. And it’s why we offer a suite of customizable diversity products, such as Diversity Resume Access, Diversity Jobs, and Diversity Media. After all, what good are hundreds of employees if they only offer one perspective? To learn more, call 1.800.Monster or visit www.diversitysolutions.monster.com

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S up p li er from t h e E x p e r t s

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Strategies from the Experts supplier diversity

Companies Leading Supplier Diversity

D iv ers i ty

in a recent survey of a select group of leading organizations,

Profiles in Diversity Journal found that many companies still struggle with aspects of their supplier diversity programs. these range from finding diverse suppliers with sufficient capacity to meet the needs of the organization to sustaining momentum for a supplier diversity program that may not be well understood within the company. to a certain extent, each company seems to have its own issues. Supplier diversity programs are a triple-win proposition. the company implementing the program broadens its vendor base and obtains pricing or operational advantages. the diverse suppliers gain valuable market knowledge and skills that come from working with a major company. and finally, customers and communities benefit from the spinoff of emerging businesses that provide employment and contribute to the tax base where they operate. the companies in the pages that follow shared with us their strategies and techniques to improve and advance their own supplier diversity programs. We think the ideas shared hereâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;offered by companies who are success models of supplier diversityâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;may help others that are still working through some of the issues that often accompany such programs.

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supplier diversity Strategies from the Experts

Expanding Small and Minority Businesses through Mentorship By Brenda Mullins Second Vice President, Human Resources and Diversity Officer AFLAC

that began as a small business, and we understand the value that a diverse supplier base can bring to our organization.

LonG Before the term ‘supplier diversity’ made its way into the business vernacular of corporate america, some of the country’s largest and most profitable companies were already reaching out and doing business with minority and women entrepreneurs. aflac is no exception. Over the past few years, aflac has significantly increased spending on its supplier diversity program to include advances in educational training for minority vendors. Since the inception of the program in 2003, aflac has surpassed the $100 million mark in spending with minorityand women-owned companies. aflac’s efforts to support these entrepreneurs include participation in the Georgia fast track Mentoring initiative, an 18-month program dedicated to teaching minority and small business owners the skills and proficiencies needed to procure contracts with large corporations. Why does aflac find supporting small and minority businesses important? Because we are a homegrown company

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Our dedication to diversity and educating minority entrepreneurs reflects our commitment to providing the best information and business opportunities for growing companies to help them expand. aflac recognizes that small business is the backbone to free enterprise. the purpose of aflac’s supplier diversity program is to enhance, educate, and support minority business development. in promoting product and service capabilities of minority entrepreneurs, we have simplified vendor bidding by providing online procurement opportunities, networking events, and education and training to minority-owned companies. to help entrepreneurs promote their product and service capabilities, aflac offers a number of outreach programs: •A n extensive education and training program for small, minority and women business owners designed to help growing companies secure procurement opportunities. •A n online resource center that provides aspiring entrepreneurs with small business advice and useful tips for starting a new business.

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• S ponsorship of small business networking events across the country including Moving Your Business forward, an event for minority business owners to gain the most updated information about technology, finances and marketing techniques that will help grow their businesses. Our corporate purchasing and vendor diversity office develops relationships and provides opportunities to new entrepreneurs. We do this by partnering with local and national organizations such as the Georgia Minority Supplier Development council, the columbus chamber of commerce, the Georgia Black chamber of commerce and the native american Business Leaders. aflac has been recognized as a leader among top companies providing the best business opportunities to women- and minority-owned organizations. We have made it our business to help these companies succeed. Our mission is to continue to develop processes and procedures that provide easy, efficient, and accountable supplier access for future business opportunities. More importantly, our goal is to continue encouraging, educating, and enriching these growing operations to help them achieve a greater level of success.

Strategies from the Experts supplier diversity

AXA Equitable Agressively Develops the Pipeline of Suppliers by Kim Berney, AVP, Supplier Diversity/Vendor Relations and Nelida Garcia, SVP and Chief Procurement Officer AXA EQUITaBle

Q A

Q: Many organizations have stated that sustaining supplier diversity momentum within the organization is a major challenge. How does your organization best sustain its supplier diversity momentum? A: to sustain our supplier diversity program at aXa Equitable, we don’t just wait for the procurement needs to be presented. rather, we go out and prepare for them. Sustainability is an ongoing process involving: •N etworking. We network constantly with diversity suppliers and organizations, letting them know who we are, what we need, and how we need it. We both attend and host events to build awareness and understand our business needs. •P reparing suppliers. Beyond networking, we nurture businesses that may not be able to meet our needs now but demonstrate promise for doing so in the future. We work together to develop a pipeline, educating them about our business and processes. •F ocusing on strategic opportunities. We identify opportunities with significant and sustainable impact. for example, a large portion of our procurement spending is for technology software. Because software

is always being updated, this is a significant focus for our proBerney gram. another focus is consulting, an ongoing need met by a robust market of diverse consultants. •M eeting regularly with senior management. Our Diversity council meets regularly with senior management to update them on our diversity goals and progress. •M ake it part of the RFP process. Supplier diversity has to be integral to the routine rfp process. this allows an organization to learn from mistakes, develop best practices and build to grow. for example, we evaluate large corporations we do business with and how they value and demonstrate diversity in their own business practices. this is something most large corporations can start doing now. Q: finding qualified diverse suppliers that have the capacity and capability to support and grow with large organizations can be a challenge. How do you meet this challenge and what strategies can you share? A: aXa Equitable is a national organization, with over 12,000 employees and financial professionals working across the country.

Garcia Because of this, we often require suppliers with nationwide goods and distribution. part of our program is a commitment to educate suppliers about what they can do to meet our future nationwide needs. We mentor the smaller suppliers that demonstrate promise and help them prepare for a future partnership with us. We prepare by: •R eviewing new companies who have registered as a potential supplier with aXa Equitable, scheduling an introductory meeting at the appropriate time with the supplier and key internal stakeholders. •T aking time to understand the supplier’s business development plan. • F inding opportunities within organizations to which aXa Equitable belongs, to conduct educational events for suppliers. •P roviding smaller projects for a supplier to work with aXa Equitable, to create an opportunity to learn about each other in a low risk environment.

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supplier diversity Strategies from the Experts

Sustaining Supplier Diversity Momentum by Joseph Hill Executive Vice President Global Strategic Sourcing Executive BaNK of AmerIca Supply Chain Management

We find the followinG help us sustain our supplier diversity momentum: Commitment to Spend Goals We have target spend goals that are set and driven by our cEO and top executives. Driving our commitment from the top, Ken Lewisâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;our chairman, cEO and presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;considers the support of diverse suppliers as showing our commitment to having a supply chain that reflects our customer base. Our supplier diversity performance is measured on Ken Lewisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; performance management plan, as well as the performance management plans of his leadership team and other members of management throughout the corporation.

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Training Bank of america believes in constant training of business partners and other supply chain management associates. Our Supplier relationship Development team performs internal Web-based and classroom-based training to our Supply chain Management Sourcing associates to reinforce their knowledge of how to support our many supplier diversity initiatives. a major component of this training includes identifying purchasing and cross-sell opportunities for diverse suppliers. in addition to enhanced training and communication, we have our sourcing and purchasing partners attend diversity events with us. this allows them a great opportunity to meet with diverse suppliers and understand, first hand, the services and capabilities they are able to provide.

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Supplier Development Our Supplier relationship Development Managers (SrDMs) allow us to focus not only on the identification of diverse suppliers, but also on supplier relationship development. SrDMs are located across the country, each supporting unique commodities, including the professional services arena. SrDMs work closely with diverse suppliers, supporting their development, and positioning them as Bank of america suppliers and leaders in their industry. in addition, they provide guidance and advice on how to more effectively support Bank of america, which can lead to cost savings for the bank. Supplier diversity efforts are tied to other diversity and inclusion efforts. tying supplier diversity efforts to other diversity and inclusion efforts allows for the sharing of ideas and marketing budgets and helps eliminate any duplication of efforts.

Strategies from the Experts supplier diversity

Identifying, Implementing and Supporting Suppliers Who Reflect the Diversity of Our Global Markets by DeRoy Bryant, VP, Global Sourcing and Procurement and James Thurman, Director, Global Sourcing and Procurement & Supplier Diversity Development Program

BaUsch & LomB

Our dedication to perfecting vision and enhancing life for people around the world includes a commitment to supporting suppliers who reflect the diversity of our global markets. With our Supplier Diversity program, we make this happen by identifying a variety of suppliers, including enterprises owned and operated by people of color and women, and other diverse businesses that provide us with the quality, service, value, and technology we need to continue our reputation as one of the best known and most respected healthcare brands in the world. Bausch & Lomb believes our corporation and the communities in which we operate benefit from sourcing practices that capitalize on the unique skills, knowledge, creativity, and talent that come from a diverse supply base. Our senior leadership is responsible for ensuring a culture that fosters equal opportunities for minority-owned, women-owned and other diverse enterprises. this is largely accomplished by the dedicated support of our executive steering committee. the committee meets quarterly, led by Bausch & Lomb’s corporate Diversity Officer.

The following Bryant are the key attributes of the supplier diversity program at Bausch & Lomb:

Thurman

• S upplier Diversity targets are included in performance objectives. • B &L’s supplier diversity program is primarily a U.S.based initiative. • Current scope of the program is minority- and women-owned business enterprises. • SDP manager is a member of the Global Sourcing Board driving integration into sourcing activities. • The executive steering committee establishes the organizational policies and practices. • An implementation team, chaired by the Manager of the Supplier Diversity Development program, oversees and executes policy standards and practices. • Team members are responsible for reporting, building program awareness, and driving sourcing integration and accountability within the organization. Additional Responsibilities of Implementation Team Include:

• •

•

functional areas, and business operations; Tracking supplier diversity spend (including tier two Spend); Managing supplier diversity process-awareness training and online training at www.bausch. com/supplierdiversity.com; Maintaining an engagement process and database to identify potential vendors in order to retain an accurate record of their capabilities for future business opportunities; P articipating at the annual national Minority Supplier Development council conference; Hosting an annual supplier diversity recognition ceremony.

it is important to note that our supplier diversity program is linked with other B&L diversity initiatives. for example, our employee networks develop and manage a wide array of business, social, and community activities to further the success and development of B&L employees, stakeholders, and customers.

•C ollaborating with and advising regional representatives from all product categories, Prof iles in Div er s it y Jou r na l

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Strategies from the Experts supplier diversity

Comcast’s Strategy Helps It Find Suppliers That Can Meet Its Capacity Requirements by Ajamu Johnson Senior Manager, Supplier Diversity ComcasT CorporaTIoN as the nation’s leadinG provider of entertainment, information, and communications products and services, comcast’s biggest vendor spend is with manufacturers who produce products that support our business. Examples include settop boxes, cable wiring and electronic equipment, to name a few. Due to the sheer volume of our orders, and to ensure we receive the best pricing available, we often make our purchases directly through the manufacturer. as a result, it can be difficult for us to find a minority-owned or women-owned business enterprise (MBE/WBE) that can compete in that space. We overcome this challenge by identifying other large-purchase items that lend themselves to minority participation. in some cases, we may partner with an MBE/WBE that might have the right skill set, but not the capacity we need—a strategy that has provided supplier diversity successes for comcast. if an MBE/WBE cannot provide the full scope of the service or product we need, we ask them to pair with a larger supplier who is more established in that area. through partnership agreements, we facilitate a mentorship

between the two vendors, and the larger vendor is tasked with mentoring the MBE/WBE to help them build the necessary capacity to fully service comcast. We periodically assess the mentorship to confirm that the MBE/ WBE is learning and growing. Eventually, the larger vendor releases a portion of their responsibilities, and the MBE/WBE is prepared to assume greater work with comcast. a. pomerantz & co., a minority-owned business that provides office furniture to corporations, is an excellent example of how these partnerships can prove successful. comcast paired a. pomerantz & co. with Empire Office, inc., a large, established dealer for tella, a major furniture manufacturer. Under tella’s supervision, Empire mentored and groomed a. pomerantz & co. to eventually become an authorized dealer for tella—an excellent opportunity for a. pomerantz & co. to further grow their business. the collaboration between the two companies is a great success story, as a. pomerantz & co. will be fulfilling comcast’s office furniture needs at the comcast center, our philadelphia headquarters building, in the future.

Setting Supplier Diversity Goals Important to Success in 2004, comcast created a supplier diversity scorecard that helped establish a national benchmark for the company. the following year, the scorecard was introduced to comcast’s five regional divisions, who worked closely with the corporate supplier diversity team to establish straightforward goals that lead to accountability, while continuing to emphasize growth and results in the program. Since its inception, the scorecard has helped energize our employees and has fostered friendly competition between the divisions, which has resulted in increased attention and a stronger focus on positive results. in addition, supplier diversity accomplishments are shared with comcast’s corporate senior leadership quarterly, which has further raised the program’s profile.

Prof iles in Div er s it y Jou r na l

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And that may be the one true link that brings us all together, regardless of race, creed or color. Boeing proudly supports those courageous enough to make discrimination, history.

Strategies from the Experts supplier diversity

Ford’s Initiatives Help Develop Diverse Suppliers by Armando Ojeda Director, Supplier Diversity Development Ford

PDJ: finding qualified diverse suppliers may not be much of a challenge these days, but finding qualified diverse suppliers that have the capacity and capability to support and grow with large organizations might be. How does Ford successfully meet this challenge and what strategies and best practices can you share?

in the current state of the automotive business, ford’s emphasis is being placed on enhancing the sustainability of established minority and women suppliers already in the auto supply base. as a pioneer and leader in supplier diversity, ford Motor company recognized early on the challenges and opportunities associated with integrating minority and women business enterprises into a complex industrial manufacturing supply chain. through its Supplier Diversity Development program,

ford maintains a supporting infrastructure that identifies appropriate business opportunities and fosters the ongoing growth and development of diverse suppliers through a number of initiatives, among them: Aligned Business Framework (ABF): as part of ongoing efforts to rationalize the supply base, ford named over 60 existing suppliers in its top commodities as aligned Business framework (aBf) suppliers. among them are ten minority and women business enterprises. aBf M/WBE firms are positioned as preferred suppliers and receive incremental business over time as the base of suppliers is consolidated. Ford Technical Assistance Program (FTAP): this initiative provides engineering assistance to enhance supplier performance in their operations. Whether it’s LEan manufacturing, Six Sigma or Quality certification, ford sends

technical teams to the supplier site(s) to conduct needs assessments and required training for operational implementation. the progress made by the supplier company is measured against key performance metrics—operational efficiency and cost reduction among them. Dearborn Capital Corporation (DCC): Virtually all minority and women suppliers are financed with bank debt. Dearborn capital corporation, an SBa-licensed Special Small Business investment corporation, operates this wholly owned, $12 million fund to provide high risk capital for the purpose of assisting ford’s minority and women suppliers in building operational capacity and scale. M/WBE’s typically use Dcc loans for early stage and/or equipment financing to manage incremental business from ford and other automotive OEM customers.

Prof iles in Div er s it y Jou r na l

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I AM

Fernan R. Cepero, PHR Vice President, Human Resources The YMCA of Greater Rochester Member since 2002

â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is impossible to be a passive member of SHRM. Members are given the opportunity to grow professionally by getting involved as volunteers and at the grassroots level.â&#x20AC;?

Leading People. Leading Organizations.

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Strategies from the Experts supplier diversity

Database Helps Identify Suppliers and Solve Capacity Issues by Kenyatta Lewis Director of Supplier Diversity MGM MIRAGE

Q A

PDJ: finding qualified diverse suppliers may not be much of a challenge these days, but finding qualified diverse suppliers that have the capacity and capability to support and grow with large organizations might be. How does your organization successfully meet this challenge and what strategies

and best practices can you share? Lewis: Over the course of the development of its

diversity initiative, MGM MiraGE has compiled an

statements, strategic price management, customer

extensive database of diverse suppliers. Supplier

value management, joint ventures, and staffing.

diversity executives realized, however, that there

participants were also given the opportunity to

were many companies that had the potential to

network and learn from each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s challenges

grow capacity in order to meet our needs. and so

and successes.

in 2007, MGM MiraGE created a customized training for its mid-range suppliers. the training aimed to provide companies with the tools and insight needed to build capacity.

topics covered included managing financial

Seventeen companies participated in the first training session, and because of overwhelming positive response, MGM MiraGE has plans to conduct more training sessions.

MGM MiraGE provided the two-day train-

ing free of charge to interested companies. the company hired a facilitator, the Wheeler Group, to provide one-on-one counseling and the opportunity to develop an individual-growth strategy. additionally, each supplier completed a business assessment prior to attending the training in order to identify common areas requiring more learning than others.

Prof iles in Div er s it y Jou r na l

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Our people are as diverse as their ideas.

of people, vast collection The world is a bal as. And as a glo cultures and ide countries, ing in over 180 company work that a e unique vision we embrace th With the rkforce brings. truly diverse wo than e of our more broad experienc s the most yees, we harnes 55,000 emplo ergy. of all, human en powerful energy om. visit chevron.c To learn more,

Strategies from the Experts supplier diversity

Partnership With Construction Business Yields Big Dividends for Wal-Mart by Eric Zorn President of Wal-Mart Realty Wal-MarT

in order to continue being a leader in supplier diversity, Wal-Mart follows a three prong strategy, which includes growing the amount of business it does with minority- and women-owned businesses, enhancing its second-tier program, and establishing and growing minority- and womenowned business enterprise investment strategies. Our supplier diversity program has gained great momentum since its inception, growing from $2 million in 1994 to more than $4.8 billion spent in 2007. in order to continue the progress well into the future, Wal-Mart’s Supplier Diversity team focuses on several key initiatives: • The team looks for minorityand women-owned businesses with great products or services, competitive prices, financial stability, and marketplace success. • Since 2005, the company has held over twenty “How to do business with Wal-Mart & Sam’s club” seminars throughout the country. the training educates minority and women suppliers about the business model and teaches them first hand how to do business with Wal-Mart and Sam’s club. • The supplier diversity team

works with a third party data management company to help conduct the proper reporting and validating of supplier diversity direct and secondtier spending. One remarkable success story involves a partnership between the supplier diversity team and Wal-Mart realty and the construction business. there is a strong commitment to increasing the company’s relationships with minority- and women-owned contractors in its building program. this has led to the company hosting a minority construction summit. the summit included suppliers interested in working in the company’s new store, remodel, and facility maintenance programs. Some of those relationships include Broadway consolidated, crossland construction and powers and Sons. With that partnership comes the ability to create new jobs and opportunities for minority- and women-owned businesses, as well as the ability to connect at the local level to the communities where our projects are at the forefront. Strengthening those relationships with minority- and womenowned businesses is the right way to create momentum for our company.

Wal-Mart has been recognized for past and present efforts in the supplier diversity arena. Some of those recognitions include the following: • Top 50 Corporations for Supplier Diversity by Hispanic Trends magazine for the second year in a row • A merica’s Top Organizations for Multicultural Business Opportunities by DiversityBusiness.com • Most Admired Companies by Black Engineer magazine • Corporation of the Year award by illinois Hispanic chamber of commerce • Black CEO Summit Supplier Diversity award by career communications Group. Our momentum in supplier diversity gives us encouragement. We understand the importance of supplier diversity for our company, our customers and for the communities they serve. We are proud to make advancements in the supplier diversity arena and to do business with thousands of diverse suppliers with great products and services.

Prof iles in Div er s it y Jou r na l

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BETWEEN THE CHALLENGE AND THE SOLUTION, T H E R E I S O N E I M P O R TA N T W O R D : H O W.

Diversity. It’s not a goal. It’s a necessity. When facing down the most important projects in the world, you need fresh ideas. And unique perspectives. Delivering the most complete answers to solve complex problems is all a question of how. And it is the how that makes all the difference. lockheedmartin.com/how

Strategies from the Experts supplier diversity

Leadership Team Helps Keep Supplier Diversity Momentum Going by Brenda Burke Supplier Diversity Director WellPoINT, INc.

Many orGaniZations have found that sustaining supplier diversity momentum within the organization is a major challenge. it is the support and commitment of our board of directors and the executive leadership team that sustains the supplier diversity momentum at Wellpoint, inc. these are the key reasons supplier diversity is a success at Wellpoint: • Supplier Diversity is a commitment that begins at the top— it extends from the board of directors, the president and cEO, and the executive leadership team. • Statement of Commitment from angela Braly, president & cEO. • There is an established business case and value proposition that support the link between supplier diversity and Wellpoint’s key business objectives. • Supplier Diversity is an integral part of the way Wellpoint does business. • The company has an enterprisewide supplier diversity initiative and goal. • Monthly and quarterly reports that include trending data go to executive management. • Metrics and spending goals are established and tracked.

•T he company has created supplier diversity business unit champions selected by the executive leadership team. their role is to serve as ambassadors, promote the value and business case for supplier diversity, track goals, report progress, and seek out diverse suppliers for contract opportunities. • Procurement actively works to include diverse suppliers in every bidding opportunity. • In partnership with Corporate communications, Wellpoint promotes Supplier Diversity via corporate newsletters and its Web site. • WellPoint expects and requires that all suppliers interested in doing business with us will submit, in each rfp response, a Supplier Diversity participation plan. • The Participation Plan is reviewed by Supplier Diversity for compliance. • Supplier Diversity partners with performance Management to track tier i vendor compliance during the term of the contract. • The company offers a supplier registration portal linked to the Wellpoint Web site.

•W ellPoint is a corporate member of the national Minority Supplier Development council and the Women’s Business Enterprise national council. • WellPoint promotes active involvement with Supplier Diversity related organizations and events, including representing Wellpoint on boards and committees. • WellPoint sponsors many Supplier Diversity related events nationally, exhibiting at national business opportunity fairs. • The company has created it-Supplier Diversity networking Summits. • Supplier Diversity holds meetings with internal affinity groups to promote the value of supplier diversity and to encourage utilization of diverse vendors. this has resulted in new business opportunities for small diverse vendors. it is clear to see that Supplier Diversity would not be able to sustain this level of activity and growth without the tremendous support and commitment from the top of the organization.

Prof iles in Div er s it y Jou r na l

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political T riggers The race is on for the 44th President of the United States. negative ads have started to run rampant, and so have the MicroTriggers.

You mean you’re not voting for…. I try to keep my politics at home. But there are so many conversations at work about the presidential race that it is difficult to avoid at least hearing about politics unless you stay in your cubicle with your headphones on. The day following one of the Democratic debates, a group of my colleagues were having a spirited conversation about the candidates. Some folks were big fans of hillary Clinton; others were strong supporters of Barack Obama. There were also a few undecideds who had traditionally voted Republican. we are accustomed to having emotion filled conversations, but this one seemed to be getting out of hand. I definitely wanted to stay out of this one. But my co-workers had something else in mind. ‘Even Gloria* is supporting Obama, and she’s one of the most conservative people I know.’ whoa, wait a minute, why was my name being inserted into this conversation? here I was trying to mind my own business, and I was being dragged into it anyway. I yelled out, ‘I’m not in this guys. Keep me out of it.’ One of my Clinton-supporting colleagues said, ‘Gloria, there’s no way you’re supporting Obama. At your age, you’ve gotta be kidding. plus, you’re a woman. I know you’re a hillary fan.’ For some reason, her words struck a nerve. what did she mean, ‘at my age’ and why did she assume that as a woman I would be voting for the female candidate? I wanted to explain that she was dead wrong about my political views. And since I know the political leanings of the leadership team here, I didn’t feel at risk for sharing them. But I kept quiet and just did a slow burn. I know that things will be getting even hotter around here over the next few months.” —* Name Changed - Anonymous

“

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Maybe a simple “Hi” would be better I really appreciate it when people greet me with ‘hola.’ It says to me that people acknowledge who I am and that they are trying to show me that. But when they greet me with ‘hola’ and then continue the conversation in English, with no attempt to actually learn the language, it starts to feel patronizing. Sometimes it’s like they are making fun. That’s when I start to be offended.” —Anonymous, Washington, DC

“

No thanks to the clap Yes, meetings get loud. Sure, it’s difficult for a facilitator to get the attention of a large crowd of people. But when I am asked to ‘clap if you hear me,’ I definitely get triggered. And unfortunately it has become a common practice at my company. what am I, a seal?” —Anonymous, Washington, DC

“

Janet Crenshaw Smith is president of Ivy Planning Group LLC, a consulting and training firm that specializes in diversity strategy and leadership. Her book is titled, MicroTriggers: 58 little Things That have a BIG Impact. Have a MicroTrigger story to share? Send it to: JSmith@ivygroupllc.com

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In a time of rapid change for our company and for our industry, we believe that the unique perspective of each Pfizer employee is vital. Why? Because the tough health care challenges people are facing today call for new, different, and diverse ways of thinking. That’s why we’re implementing a global strategy to ensure Pfizer’s culture not only respects, but also leverages each individual employee’s background, character, and life experiences. We’re putting those unique perspectives to

work to find new, innovative solutions for patients, and better ways of working with our customers, our partners, and the communities we serve. At Pfizer, we believe diversity means an inclusive and empowering work environment. The result? A happier, healthier tomorrow for us all.

www.pfizer.com 94

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AIMD . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 13

Hallmark Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

SHRM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 86

www.aimd.org

www.hallmark.com

www.shrm.org

Bank of America. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 3

Ivy Planning Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Sodexo . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 22

www.bankofmerica.com

www.ivygroupllc.com

www.sodexousa.com

Bank of the West. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Lockheed Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

UnitedHealth Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

www.bankofthewest.com

www.lockheedmartin.com

www.unitedhealthgroup.com

The Boeing Company . .. .. .. .. .. .. . 84

Monster. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Wal-Mart. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 26

www.boeing.com

www.monster.com

www.walmart.com

Chevron. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

PepsiCo, Inc. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 32

Waste Management . . . . . Inside Back

www.chevron.com

www.pepsico.com

www.wm.com

Dell . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 5

Pfizer, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

WellPoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover

www.dell.com

www.pfizer.com

www.wellpoint.com

Eastman Kodak Company . . . . . . . . . 66

Rohm and Haas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

www.kodak.com

www.rohmhaas.com

Ford Motor Company www.ford.com

Inside Front, pg 1

Shell Oil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 www.shell.com

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last word

Networking : A Powerful Tool for Inclusive Progress By Marie Y. Philippe, PhD

lloyd G. Trotter, a great GE pioneer, stated: “The network matters the most. A career is about doing a good job plus something else, and the something else is the network. You’ve got to force yourself to network, especially if you are a minority…You can’t socialize only with those you feel most comfortable with. You’ve got to go out and network.” Many very hard working, intelligent, well educated, and articulate employees cannot understand why their demonstrated dedication and hard work does not translate into promotions or other forms of recognition. when asked for counsel, my initial two questions are almost always: Do you network throughout the organization? and Do you have at least one mentor who can help you expand your network beyond your own comfort zone? what is organizational networking? It is a complex, non-linear connective set of relationships between members of a group focused on a business or social mission. Networking requires individuals to develop new relationships at different organizational levels, sometimes in different geographies, and then to be willing to share the new relationships with others whose own branches in turn will further expand the network. All this is done in the spirit of mutual support. There is no magic bullet when it comes to cultivating a network. It can begin as simply as making a phone call or sending an e-mail to ask a question or request a meeting, or as dynamically as trying to catch someone in the elevator to share a brilliant idea. There are, however, some practices that highly successful people find particularly effective. here are ten best practices recommended for members of under-represented groups in corporate leadership: • Extend yourself across race, class, gender, and age barriers. • Do not give yourself a fixed timetable to achieve your networking objectives. • Do not let past experiences with others keep you from trusting new people. • Develop and perfect your self-marketing drill for the elevator ride. 96

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• Take participation seriously: attend retirement parties, volunteer in golf tournaments, actively play the field during corporate picnics, etc. • Take the leap for stretched assignments with the support of established mentors. • Select mentors (yes, we often need more than one) who can support the expansion of your network and with whom you can build trust. • Evaluate the mistakes of others from different gender or ethnic groups within the context of the full relationship (educate rather than walk away assuming malice). • Never underestimate the power of your relationship with your boss and the needed support. • Keep in mind that name-dropping does not endear you to anyone. One-on-one meetings with the CEO or others at that corporate echelon must not lead to misguided superiority. poTenTial allies originaTe from as many different relationships as people can conceive. There is great truth in the six degrees of separation concept. Through diverse networking, you (A below) may only be six steps away from the greatest contact (B below) of your life. happy Networking! PDJ

Marie Y. Philippe, PhD, is known for her contribution to corporate diversity and organizational change management. A regular contributor to profiles in Diversity Journal, she can be reached at: Marie.Philippe@lifethc.com

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President and CEO

ANGELa BRaLY, of WellPoint, Inc. sees Diversity Management as a fundamental part of How they Do Business