Breaking down the walls

One major challenge many companies face when dealing with diversity hiring is how to deal with all the groups involved. It can be an overwhelming task to think about how to connect to each diversity group, the ethnic groups alone make for a long list. And even once you do connect to these groups you have to keep getting your message to them and even when you do get hires you're still struggling to know how to accommodate them.

It's all so hard.

But it doesn't have to be this way!

Diversity as a topic is just as much, if not more so, about your state of mind as the amount of effort, time and money you put in. Building a truly diverse organization starts with understanding that the time of putting up walls around little groups, putting people in neat little silos or boxes is gone. Because it simply doesn't work. The reality is that no matter how good your intentions are or no matter how hard you try treating people differently means inequality.

The 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_v._Board_of_Education made this very succinct point about the fundamental flaw with the then existing segregation policies "separate [educational] facilities are inherently unequal". And it's no different today. If you want diverse candidates to respect your company you must show them the respect of treating them equally.

"Okay nice theory", you say, "But how do I actually *do* this?"

Breaking down the walls that separate groups is really as simple as identifying the messages that speak to us all. People everywhere have common interests, goals and values. Finding meaningful and interesting employment. Being treated equally to everyone else. Being seen as part of a solution rather than a potential source of trouble.

These concepts are ones everyone can relate with. A diverse organization speaks to people about these shared goals and values because it knows that people of all groups respond to those messages.

It's really a simple shift in thinking but it's the difference between success and failure when it comes to diversity. And since after all we are talking about access to 1 in 6 candidates across the country it's just common sense to see how you can tear down the diversity walls in your organization.