Managing Diversity

Managing diversity is defined as planning and implementing organizational systems and practices to manage people so that the potential advantages of diversity are maximized, while its potential disadvantages are minimized.

Potential disadvantages of diversity are minimized through the tenets of equal employment opportunity (EEO) and affirmative employment. EEO refers to the laws and governing principles that prohibit discrimination on the bases of gender, color, race, religion, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, and reprisal. The Missile Defense Agency has an ongoing obligation to eliminate barriers that impede free and open competition in the workplace and prevent individuals of any racial or national origin group or sex from realizing their full potential.

Affirmative employment is the second tenet that minimizes potential disadvantages of diversity. It emphasizes the philosophy of hiring and maintaining a workforce that is representative of the overall population. Responsibilities of affirmative employment include collecting and analyzing data on the agency's employment activities and accomplishments. Defense agencies and organizations, including the Missile Defense Agency, are encouraged to periodically review their demographic profiles. A statistical snapshot may be useful as an initial diagnostic tool, but conclusions concerning the existence of workplace barriers cannot be drawn from simple numerical assessments. This leads us to the third important tenet of diversity.

With a diverse workforce, an ever-improving reality, the Missile Defense Agency must then focus on leveraging diversity. This means embracing different perspectives and frames of reference to maximize teamwork, quality, and efficiency.

In order for the Missile Defense Agency to compete in today's diverse society, we embrace and include all three tenets of diversity as a whole. EEO, affirmative employment, and leveraging are critical elements of a healthy, diverse organization.