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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 5, 2004)
May 05. 2004 îlîV|Jn rtlan b (fObsmter Page A3 Diversity Summit Inspires Local Workforce M ix o f Learn as much as you can about people individually —their relation • ships, d em o g rap h ics, h obbies, etc,— to try to understand them better. Focus on the word "w e.” “ If you ban the word "they" in meetings or workshops, watch how the dynam ics change,” he offered. Conference attendees appreci ated the hands-on lessons Hayles and other speakers offered. "I really liked the link between a com pany’s diversity actions and its financial perf ormance,” said Gail Kamara, a senior customer service representative at Northwest Natu- in d iv id u a ls b o o st c o m p a n y b o tto m lin e S usan V oct F or the P ortland O bserver Companies that employ adi verse workforce have a competiti ve edge that can boost the bottom line. Speaker after speaker drove that point home at the New Frontiers in Diversity Summit. "Being ‘different’ is no longer thought o f as ’less than,’” said Robert Hayles, a highly respected d iv e rsity c o n s u lta n t w ho c o authored the book Diversity D irec tive. "In fact, if you view things differently than I do, you’ll see something I don’t. Those differ ences and that diversity bring value to an organization, resulting in bet ter decisions.” T he April 28 conference at the O regon C onvention C enter was o rganized and presented by P ort land G eneral E lectric, draw ing nearly 1,(XX) participants for a day filled with inform ation and inspi ration. Hayles, who led tw oconference workshops, supported the connec tion between diversity and busi- bv T abitha P ow ell-T urner, who works in admitting at Providence Health System, said she learned Diversity consultant Robert Hayles explains how organizations much more than just the cognitive with a diverse mix o f people usually outperform those where pieces: "W e explored real practical m ost folks are alike. issues that don’t just affect corpo rations, but impact our com m uni ference included Providence Health ties daily.” System, Pacific Power, Tri-Met. Susan Vogt is a Portland free Other major sponsors of the con- Fred Meyer and Northwest Natu- lance writer. Sum mit speaker Jehan Sadat, wife o f slain Egyptian president. that a heterogeneous pool o f com petent people will, on average, per form better over time than a hom o geneous group," he said. H ay le s c a u tio n e d th a t a com pany's attitude toward diver rating, characteristics. That attitude frees them to collectively "think outside the box.” "It’s the dynamics o f that par ticular mix of individuals that makes all the difference,” he explained. “It’s what they do together, that’s different.” After making the business case for workplace diversity, Hayles of Judy Shepard, fered several strategies for helping whose son was it become a reality: murdered be Company leadership must take cause he was the risk to value individual differ guy, spoke out ences. "It takes trust and good re against hatred at lationships to treat people differ last week's ently in a way that benefits them Diversity Summit. individually,” Hayles said. Find the pivotal person within the organization and work wi th them on diversity initiatives. This may ness performance by citing 30years sity is critical to achieving this per be the person most opposed, or it o f research conducted by experts formance bonus. Organizational could be the chief financial officer. in business and organizational de support is the key element that helps Usually, if you convince this per velopment. employees look at their differences son, those who are “on the fence ” “Study after study demonstrates as distinguishing, rather than sepa- will follow. S cheduled F lights Riverside Resort Hotel & Casino In Laughlin, Nevada From PORTLAND, OREGON To LAUGHLIN, NEVADA j VEBSID ç MAY SPECIAL ROOM & AIR PACKAGES Monday - Friday 4 - Night Stay and Thursday - Sunday 3 - Night Stay From $ 199* (Prke Includes All Taxes & Fees) tM M X X n O tr tlC M A M i.W C lU O f S X O U ie ™ » ' M P M * « O U N D H W B H K * N O H O r B .t O O & W NAUXS M t «W « mowngowto WCLUOFS A l l 1AXIS ANU F K S SC W Q W ÍO A » S O V K l PftOVHJtO »V. Sfratatemi Skorkakes E n jo y a S tr a w b e r r y S h o r tc a k e th is S a tu r d a y a n d jo in th e c o m m u n it y e ffo rt to s to p d o m e s tic v io le n c e . 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