Articles by Levick Experts

Diversity is becoming a more pressing issue as the global economy heats up. Increasingly, organizations are judged on whether their workforces match the varied colors of the marketplace. The success or failure of a business can depend on how credible its diversity effort and how measurable the result.

Many companies find it a tough challenge to achieve workforce diversity for a host of reasons: lackluster recruitment programs, poor program implementation, and a lack of urgency or understanding of how diversity is tied to bottom-line results.

Just as difficult, firms with solid minority representation are finding retention to be a constant struggle. In the legal profession, for example, Black and Hispanic attrition at corporate law firms is alarmingly high -- two to three times that of whites – while the pool of minority lawyers is small to begin with. Blacks make up just 8% of new hires among mainstream U.S. law firms.

Some firms are working harder to establish smart diversity initiatives with marked levels of success, and at a time when corporations and their in-house counsel increasingly demand that they show concrete evidence of a commitment to diversity.

That means, achieving goals is not enough. The marketplace needs to know you have done so.

To establish a “brand” as a legal profession leader in diversity, it is essential that achievements be emphatically communicated in the marketplace. Success breeds success as minority candidates naturally gravitate toward firms that are known to have taken decisive steps toward fair minority representation.

However, solid minority recruitment programs are only half the battle. According to Visible Invisibility, a recent study released by the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession, Asian-American, African-American, Hispanic, and Native-American women lawyers nationwide report a lack of networking and access to significant billable hours. They are bypassed for client development opportunities and desirable assignments, subjected to demeaning comments and unfair performance evaluations -- and all amid the well-meaning efforts of their own firms to increase diversity efforts. .

At the same time, firm also face challenges in the implementation of substantive mentoring programs, which has led to internal and external communications issues and attrition problems as well as limited business development opportunities. 

Despite these “rough spots,” the firm tells itself that it functions flawlessly as a color-blind meritocracy. Some firms hire diversity consultants, but in too many cases efforts end there. In fact, diversity programs require the same meticulous planning and execution as any other business strategy. The successful recruitment and retention of minorities entail intensive institutional self-analysis and the use of aggressive diversity plans, including well-crafted communications strategies.

These communications reach throughout corporate America, which is itself grappling with diversity goals even as it demands evidence of progress from its various service providers even as .

There are a number of ways to demonstrate commitment. In particular, produce and disseminate detailed materials about the firm’s diversity program for potential clients, recruits, and the media. Then play the numbers game, with reports on progress concretely shown in changing demographics at all levels of the organization.

A good diversity initiative is much more than a feel-good program or a sop to the politically correct. A Harvard Business School study found that multicultural teams outperform non-diverse teams and create better, more innovative solutions to business problems.

Companies with strong diversity programs report a significantly higher return on investment than others – 18% versus 8%.

Once the world knows what you've achieved, you're on the verge of achieving much more.