COACHING FORORGANIZATIONALCHANGE 167
Sometimes, it can take months for the implications of the mind-set shift to
sink in. As a coach I am there to talk through that transition. If I’m working
with an individual who is struggling with the corporation’s adoption of
Strategic Diversity Management™, then I provide encouragement, suggest
points that can provide greater leverage, and explain what I have seen work
before and how those ideas can be put into action and generate Strategic Di-
versity Management™ capability. The importance of that support should not
be underestimated. It takes courage, intellectual resources, and strategic
readiness to go against the grain successfully. And Strategic Diversity Man-
agement™, as I define it, goes against the grain of how most managers tradi-
tionally have thought about diversity.
Although I believe clarity about the business rationale is critical if sustain-
able progress is to be made with Strategic Diversity Management™, as coach
my role is not to develop the business case. The leaders of the organization
themselves must identify the critical diversity mixtures that are unique to
their circumstances and offer opportunity for strategic gain. The question
should be “ Where can I enhance our bottom-line through application of the
Strategic Diversity Management™ framework?”
Often, I am engaged to help bring the process to the implementation stage.
A major component of that work focuses on diagnostic research to determine
the location and causes of diversity tensions, and also the nature of the orga-
nization’s culture roots and their compatibility with the leaders’ diversity as-
pirations. These research findings become the context for intervention
planning, which could involve changing culture, systems, or policies, as well
as training and education. The latter, it should be noted, is different from
training. Education is about mind-set shift, not skill sets. If Strategic Diver-
sity Management™ is to succeed, mind-set shifts will need to occur not just
at the top of the organization but throughout the hierarchy as well.
When leaders consider hiring a “diversity” coach, they should be clear
about what they mean by “diversity.” Sometimes, leaders are interested in
helping people who are different navigate better. In other cases, executives
are looking for someone to design an affirmative action program. An increas-
ing number of others are seeking coaching in dealing with differences and
similarities in general. Diversity is an issue that can mean different things to
different people. Executives definitely should seek a coach who matches
their diversity focus and aspirations.
Before you can select and accept a Strategic Diversity Management™
coach, you have to recognize that there’s a game called Strategic Diversity
Management™. For example, leaders have come to rely on leadership
coaches because they accept that there is a domain called leadership. Only a