MAKING DIFFERENCES MATTER

Why sbould companies concern tbemselves witb diversity? Until recently, many managers answered this question with the assertion that discrimination is wrong, hotb legally and morally. But today managers are voicing a second notion as well A more diverse workforce, tbey say, will increase organizational effectiveness. It will lift morale, bring greater access to new segments of the marketplaee, and enhance productivity. In short, tbey claim, diversity will be good for business. Yet if tbis is true-and we believe it is-wbere are the positive impacts of diversity? Numerous and varied initiatives to increase diversity in corporate America bave been under way for more than two decades. Rarely, however, have those efforts spurred leaps in organizational ef-