Profiles in Diversity Journal | Jul / Aug 2005

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Volume 7, Number 4 July / August 2005 $ 8.95 U.S. Also Featuring ... Starbuck’s Front-Runner May Snowden • Catalyst

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July/August 2005Lockheed Martin Remembers Who They Work For (and With): An Interviewwith Robert J. Stevens – Chairman, President and CEOMr. Stevens leads an organization itself comprised of diversebusiness areas that together are, “doing what really mattersnot only in this country, but also… throughout the world.”

Transcript of Profiles in Diversity Journal | Jul / Aug 2005

Page 1: Profiles in Diversity Journal | Jul / Aug 2005

Volume 7, Number 4 July / August 2005

$8.95 U.S.

Also Featuring ... Starbuck’s Front-Runner May Snowden • Catalyst

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Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005 1

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Registered in U.S. Patent Office.

ISSN 1537-2102

From the editor of Profiles in Diversity Journalpointofview

Susan LarsonManaging Editor

Balancing actA colleague of mine recently described a special tour he got of a car

production plant. As a former engineer and veteran of the 60s, he was amazed

at “how far things have come”—he saw people of different ages, races and

backgrounds sharing jokes and exchanging warm farewell hugs with a departing

coworker, and also slick speedy robots maneuvering auto parts on the line.

The juxtaposition of people and machines, REL AT ION SHIPS AND TECHNOLO GY

can be jarring sometimes.

But as Front-Runner May Snowden puts it, many companies want “to GROW

BIG WHILE STAYING SMALL”—to expand within their markets and throughout the

world, while maintaining/supporting the development of any business’s greatest

assets—its people.

The TRICK Y PART IS BAL ANCING the ever-enlarging scope of business and the

powerful momentum of change with the subtleties of human circumstances—

or in D&I jargon, work-life balance. Robots don’t have such problems.

And robots can’t solve such problems. Not even companies can solve such

problems. ONLY PEOPLE C AN .

Our cover-featured company, Lockheed Martin, has allowed us to closely

examine how, over the last several years, LM people have re-solved some of

its employee, supplier and customer needs and wants. Its five business areas

have each focused on JUGGLING TECHNOLO GY AND PEOPLEPOWER , balancing

requirements with resources, both within the company and throughout its local

and global communities. They are thereby gearing for immediate goals like

winning contracts as well as long-range ones like preparing tomorrow’s

workforce. “DOING WHAT RE ALLY MAT TER S ,” says LM’s Stevens, and doing it with

diversity.

And, as our two “best practices” articles summarize, both on the corporate

level and for the individual worker, success comes from clearly seeing the goal

and modifying the strategies to reach it based on accurately assessing one’s

TRUE VALUES AND RE AL C APABILIT IES . But that’s what work-life is all about.

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2 Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005

O N T H E C O V E R / I N - D E P T H F O C U S :

Lockheed Martin Remembers Who They Work For (and With): An Interview with Robert J. Stevens – Chairman, President and Chief Executive OfficerMr. Stevens leads an organization itself comprised of diverse business areas that together are, “doing what really matters not only in this country, but also… throughout the world.” Here he updates the profile of Lockheed Martin’s efforts toward diversity and inclusion.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics :Elevating Communities, Suppliers and the Organization

Lockheed Martin Electronic Systems : Delivering Better Value by Creating an Inclusive Business Environment

Lockheed Martin Information & Technology Services:High School Project Helps Students Cross Digital Divide

Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems & Solutions : Career Initiative ‘Grabs’ Talent

Lockheed Martin Space Systems :Affinity Groups: A Company Best Practice

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Volume 7 • Number 4July / August 2005

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Diversity Who, What, Where & When

40

Is Your Culture Aligned with Diversity?Peter Linkow says before embarking on a diversityinitiative, an organization must determine whetherits culture offers an environment conducive to diversity; if not, either the culture or the diversitystrategy or both must be changed. A ‘diversityculture matrix’ facilitates assessment.

Gender & Parenting Skew EvaluationsPsychologists have shown that a worker’s genderand parental status influence managers’ assessmentsof job competence for hiring and promotion—withimplications for diversity leaders.

Reaching a World of OpportunityIn today’s global marketplace, internationalexperience is an increasingly crucial factor for career success and senior leadership positions.Those seeking global experience need to overcome stereotyping assumptions and activelypursue, evaluate, and prepare for these opportunities; Catalyst explains how.

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departments

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Table of Contents July/August 2005

Front-Runner: May SnowdenStarbucks’ Vice President-Global Diversitytalks about how burritos and baloney sandwiches contributed to her perspectivefor helping create a community gatheringplace for Starbucks’ partners and customers—so the company can “grow big while staying small.”

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What does it take to be namedFORTUNE® magazine’s MostAdmired Healthcare Company six years running?

People like you.

At WellPoint, we celebrate the diversityof our workforce. We are the leadinghealth benefits company in the nationserving the needs of 28 million members.A FORTUNE 50® company, we arestrengthened by the commitment anddedication of our associates. If you’relooking to join a company where you will see your ideas in action - where what you do helps others live better,consider a career with us.

Visit our website to search opportunitiesthroughout the United States at:

www.wellpoint.com/careers

Opportunities may be available in the

following areas:

• Actuarial

• Administrative/Clerical

• Advertising/Marketing

• Claims/Membership/Customer Service

• Compliance

• Corporate Communications

• Finance & Accounting

• Human Resources

• Information Technology

• Legal

• Management

• Nursing/Case Management

• Pharmacy

• Provider Network Development

• Sales

• Training

• Underwriting

SM

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Emmett T. Vaughn Named Exelon’s Supplier DiversityManager

Emmett T. Vaughn is now SupplierDiversity Manager at ExelonCorporation (one of the nation’slargest electric utilities), replacingrecently retired George Peters.Vaughn will drive Exelon’s DiversityBusiness Enablement Program tomaximize opportunities for minority-and woman-owned business enterprises via procurement expenditure goals, a supplier diversity council, third-party certification, and mandatory Tier IIdiversity spending.

Vaughn was previously the principal of Eminent ConnectionsConsulting; director of businessdiversity for Albertsons; director for diverse business markets at RRDonnelley; and executive-on-loan to the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.Vaughn serves on numerous boards.He holds a master’s degree (management) from NorthwesternUniversity and a bachelor’s degree fromNortheast Missouri State University.

Leslie Mays Joins Pfizer as Vice President of GlobalDiversity and Inclusion

Leslie Mays has recently joinedPfizer as Vice President of GlobalDiversity and Inclusion—responsiblefor augmenting Pfizer’s currentdiversity efforts and devising plansto achieve Pfizer's goal of attracting,developing and engaging a diverseworkforce.

May was most recently vice

president of global diversity andinclusiveness at Shell International(for nine years), establishing thefirst auditable global diversity andinclusiveness policy in a global cor-poration (see her feature article,“Shell Makes a Difference forWomen,” Profiles in DiversityJournal: Nov-Dec 2004.)

Mays has a bachelor’s degree(communications) from TexasSouthern University.

Roslyn Dickerson NowRegional Senior VP, Diversity-The Americas atIntercontinental Hotels

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG),the world’s largest and most globalhotel company, has appointed RoslynDickerson, regional senior vice president, Diversity- the Americas.

IHG, and her appointment representsthe company’s continued focus ondiversity and inclusion by sharpeningits focus on diversity in terms ofinternal staffing, operations and key.

Prior to joining IHG, Dickersonserved as chief diversity officer withHoneywell where she initiated a complete redesign of strategy, operating structure and governancemodel for that firm’s leadership. Shehas also held various senior levelpositions managing diversity initiatives at Citigroup and MerrillLynch & Co.

Dickerson has a B.S. (science,education and health sciences) fromBoston University and an M.B.A.from Johnson Graduate School ofManagement at Cornell University.She has served on a number of charitable, educational and diversity-promoting boards and councils.

6 Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005

PDJ

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Preceding page, inset: The U.S. Presidential HelicopterReplacement Program aircraft, a big recent win for LM,would not have been possible without a commitment todiversity and inclusiveness in encouraging innovativethought based on a wide variety of dimensions.

This page: Bob Stevens makes meeting LM employeesa high priority.

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Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005 9

Mr. Stevens’ resume is heady reading: he holds mas-ter’s degrees in engineering and management aswell as in business; a former U.S. Marine, he is also

a graduate of the Department of Defense SystemsManagement course; he served on President Bush’sCommission to Examine the Future of the United StatesAerospace Industry; and he was named the NationalManagement Association’s Executive of the Year for 2004. Heleads an organization itself comprised of diverse businessunits that together are, in his words, “doing what really matters not only in this country, but also to… vital institu-tions throughout the world.” Here he addresses issues ofdiversity and inclusion and updates the profile of LockheedMartin’s diversity and inclusion efforts since he assumedleadership. [Note: Many italicized initiatives are detailed inthe business area focus articles that follow this interview.]

Does Lockheed Martin [LM] have any particularchallenges to delivering products and services, orin hiring and retaining good people? Conversely,does your company have special opportunities oradvantages?Lockheed Martin is a global enterprise that offers a broadrange of opportunities for employees of all perspectives. I liketo think that the very nature of our work—which is centeredon delivering complex technological solutions to governmentcustomers, both domestic and abroad—separates us fromother business enterprises. As government exists to serve itscitizens, there is an inherent responsibility for our corporation

to deliver systems that work when calledupon, whether on the battlefield or in themail system processing timely delivery ofchecks to retirees. Lockheed Martin employ-ees routinely have the opportunity to expe-rience a unique sense of accomplishment inthat they truly work day in and day out onvital programs of national and internationalsignificance.

Lockheed MartinRemembers Who TheyWork For (and With): An Inter v iew with Rober t J . Stevens –Chairman, President and Chief E xecut iveOff icer of Lockheed Mar t in .

Special Feature Lockheed Martin

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In attracting the best and brightest, we focus on whatwe call the “total value” of a Lockheed Martin career. Firstis an inclusive work environment based on the convictionthat the success of the individual promotes the success ofthe enterprise. At Lockheed Martin, there’s the chance towork at a company with 60,000 scientists and engineersand still follow an alternative work schedule that provideslife flexibility and balance. Other elements of our “totalvalue” package include outstanding pay and benefits, acommitment to career development, and excellentrewards and recognition programs.

Your Web site says LM wants to be a place of ‘institutionalized inclusion’, but with five distinct business areas, how do you make sureit’s still ‘one company, one team’?Lockheed Martin was formed 10 years ago from the com-bination of more than 18 companies, and we have mademajor strides in developing one corporate identity—no small feat in my opinion. Also, we have embarked onan initiative to enhance our ‘horizontal integration’, whichsimply means to leverage our diverse technical strengths andfind the most effective solutions to complex challenges.

In the context of our efforts to develop an environmentof ‘institutionalized inclusion’, each of our five principalbusiness areas has accountability for encouraging employeesto reach their full potential in contributing to business success. Meanwhile, we have established standards,processes and metrics that are uniform across all our businessareas to independently evaluate our continued progress.

Do you have any examples of how tappingemployee diversity has yielded significant product or profit breakthroughs or synergies?

First, our drive toward one company, one team hasachieved remarkable financial success for the

corporation in the last several years. Wecontinue to build on the progress

made. Many of our key wins wouldnot have been possible without acommitment to diversity and team-work—both within the corporation

and by thinking globally in the con-text of partners from other countries

Robert J. Stevens Chief Executive Officer

COMPANY: Lockheed Martin Corporation

HE ADQUARTER S: Bethesda, MD

WEB SITE: www.lockheedmartin.com

BUSINESS: Lockheed Martin is principally

engaged in the research, design, development,

manufacture, and integration of advanced

technology systems, products, and services,

particularly in defense and civil government

markets

DATA:

SALES: 2004 sales of $35.5 billion (and a

backlog of $74 billion); ranked 47th on 2005

Fortune 500 list of largest industrial

corporations

EMPLOYEES: ~130,000 people worldwide at

939 facilities in 457 cities in 45 U.S. states and

56 nations and territories

CUSTOMER S/MARKETSHARE: U.S. Department

of Defense/intelligence - 58%; civil government/

homeland security - 22%; international - 17%;

commercial domestic - 3%

SUPPLIER S: has proactive supplier diversity

initiatives designed to develop the capabilities

of and pursue subcontracts and other

procurements with small, disadvantaged,

women-owned, veteran, historically

under-utilized, black and

Native American Indian

and other minority

institutions

10 Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005

Robert J. Stevens,Chairman,

President & CEO

[ d r a f t 2 ]

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Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005 11

throughout the world. A few examplesof recent big wins underscore thisapproach, from the U.S. PresidentialHelicopter Replacement Program tothe Joint Strike Fighter and variousgovernment IT solutions.Internationally, Lockheed Martintoday has more than 300 alliances,joint ventures and other partnershipsin over 50 countries. All this activityrequires a diversity of individuals,thoughts and perspectives that mirrorsthe world in which we do business.

In 2001, your predecessor Dr.Coffman established the LMExecutive Diversity Council andappointed you as chair—whatis your current role and how isthe Council going beyondtheorizing the corporation’sdiversity commitment?I am very proud to continue leadingour Executive Diversity Council, and Ibelieve we are making significantprogress. We have done our best toput words into action. At the sametime, we must recognize that we areon a journey to achieve a fully inclu-sive work environment, and it has tobe a long-term commitment.

In addition to our ExecutiveDiversity Council, we now have 35local diversity councils actively sup-porting our business units’ efforts toachieve the diversity vision. Since2002, we have required diversity train-ing of our managers to help themunderstand barriers to inclusion aswell as their accountability in theprocess of inclusion.

In 2003, as a result of anExecutive Diversity Council discussionon mentoring best practices already

existing in the corporation, we formalizeda requirement for all vice presidentsand directors to serve in an ExecutiveMentoring Program. We have alsoencouraged all our employees to seekout mentoring opportunities in manyways, such as participating in mentoringroundtables or informally seeking outthe knowledge of others.

Last year, we introduced DiversityDialogues that managers lead withemployees on scenarios that illustratethe importance of inclusion to businesssuccess. The dialogues afford our employ-ees an opportunity to express their viewson diversity issues. We are continuingthe Diversity Dialogues this year, andthe feedback has been very positive.

Beyond these efforts, we havebeen fully involved in a variety of initiatives to enhance outreach,recruiting, new employee orientation,and career development.

How do you measure diversity,and what targets do you havefor 2005?Last fall we introduced a new metricthat provides us with a common set ofcriteria to measure our level of diversitymaturity and identify opportunities forimprovement. This metric combinesan employee survey, objective demo-graphic data around diversity, andbusiness unit self-assessments. Themost weight goes to the survey,because we will know we havereached a state of institutionalizedinclusion when employees tell us so.

We deliberately set our standardshigh so this would not be a viewed asa gimmick to make us look good. Thisfall, we will complete our secondassessment, and our overall corporateobjective is to achieve a 25 percentimprovement in this measurement.

This is linked directly to our manage-ment incentive compensation programto assure accountability.

Who monitors this surveyprocess to assure it is effective?In addition to the specific diversitysurvey I just mentioned, we conducttwo other surveys on ethics andemployee satisfaction—each doneevery two years and each includingdiversity topics. The ExecutiveLeadership Team for the corporation,the Executive Diversity Council, andthe management team at each busi-ness unit are all responsible for assur-ing that this feedback is leveraged foropportunities to improve. I am pleasedto say that since we accelerated ourdiversity activities a few years ago, oursurvey results, particularly on thework environment around inclusion,have improved dramatically.

How does LM do ‘continual re-recruitment’ of its workforce, from new-hires to seasoned employeesapproaching retirement? Is diversity/inclusion helpingforestall a brain drain of boomers?Our approach begins before peoplejoin Lockheed Martin. We haveengaged with some of the mostimportant community partners indeveloping interest, opportunities andscholarships for the best talent.Overall, with a much-improved newemployee orientation program, we areseeing a positive impact on hiring andearly introduction to the LockheedMartin work environment.

Independent awards seem to be

We deliberately set our standards high so this would not be viewed as a gimmick to make us look good.”

“ROBERT J . STEVEN S

Special Feature Lockheed Martin

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Robert J. Stevens Chief Executive Officer

12 Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005

validating our conclusion that we are making progress. For example,Universum Communications’ 2005 stu-dent survey named Lockheed Martinthe first choice as an ideal employerfor engineering and science students.

Once employees get here weneed to keep them here, and that isfacilitated by providing a supportiveenvironment where they can developand grow. In addition to mentoring,we are putting increased emphasis onour leadership development programsas well as on career planning andgrowth for all employees. Soon wewill also launch an alumni network tokeep our ties with employees wholeave for other jobs but may wish toreturn. We try to re-recruit our work-force through exciting challenges,education and development in anenvironment of encouragement forindividual differences as part of a team.

Can you name specific waysyour company supportsupward development ofwomen and minorities towardmanagement positions?We are making measurable progressin upward development of womenand minorities, but we recognize that,like a lot of other industries, we mustwork hard to improve at an accelerat-ed pace. Beyond representation per-centages, the outreach, recruitmentand development programs I justdescribed should have a major impactin the long term. More immediately,two years ago we established theLockheed Martin Center forLeadership Excellence, a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to the growth and

development of our employees. What should not be lost in this

discussion is that we need more peo-ple to fill the pipeline. With the babyboomers nearing retirement, there arenot enough minorities and womengoing into the technical disciplines.Fewer students are studying science,technology, engineering and mathe-matics, and at the same time shiftingdemographics are bringing morewomen and minorities into the laborforce as a whole. It is critical for thefuture of business and industry to beactively engaged in outreach efforts toencourage and support tomorrow’sengineers today. At Lockheed Martin,this is a big commitment—becauseour survival hinges on it—in every-thing from the multitude of ways ouremployees volunteer in our communi-ties to bigger, nationwide initiativeslike Space Day and NationalEngineers Week.

What is the company’s commitment to minority suppliers? This is an area in which LockheedMartin is especially strong, doing over$4 billion of subcontracting a yearwith small businesses. By any meas-ure, that’s a staggering amount. Ouroutreach activities have identifiedmany small minority- and women-owned businesses as suppliers.

We have begun holding one-dayworkshops around the nation thatfocus on how to do business withLockheed Martin. We also have aSTAR Supplier Program that recog-nizes our top performing suppliers tocommunicate their success across the

corporation. Internally, we haveupgraded our training efforts with thehelp of computer-based modules andare examining our procurementprocesses with the help of lean thinking.

Our supplier diversity efforts havegarnered the corporation manyawards of which we are very proud.In 2003, we joined just eight othercompanies as a member of the BillionDollar Roundtable for our leadershipin support of small, disadvantaged andminority-owned businesses. And weare continually working to improve.

In accepting the 2004Executive of the Year Awardfrom the National ManagementAssociation you said, “leadership performs best atthe front where the action is.”What elements of leadership doyou see as important for yourexecutives in carrying out theLockheed Martin diversity vision?What I am saying is that leadershipcan’t hide in offices or behind titles,but has to be engaged with the peoplewho are responsible for our success.This is a major priority of mine, and itis one reason I have spent consider-able time meeting with employeesthroughout the corporation.

We continue to make progress in therepresentation of women and minoritiesin our executive ranks. We are develop-ing a new Leadership Competency Modelthat will help us encourage, develop andgrow the best kind of leaders for the suc-cess of people and the business. Thismodel is based on what I call ‘full spec-

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trum’ leadership—delivering on the ‘numbers’ and having thenecessary people skills to ensure a positive environmentwhere employees can grow and fully contribute.

We will be implementing the new LeadershipCompetency Model in evaluating candidates for manage-ment. In our assessments of current managers, we look athow well they are modeling our values, which put ethics,performance, people and teamwork at a premium. Finally,as I indicated, we have introduced a diversity componentinto this year’s management incentive compensation pro-gram. Our leaders will be held accountable for behaviorconsistent with this model, and I believe it will help uscontinue to improve.

What has been your proudest moment asleader in this company?Since taking over as CEO, I have traveled throughout ourenterprise and have met literally tens of thousands ofemployees. These are my proudest moments—to be thereto speak with them and listen to their desires and concerns, and to let them know that what they are doingreally matters, not only in this country, but also to ourallies as well as vital institutions throughout the world. I always come away inspired by the people whomake this the great enterprise it is today.Lockheed Martin people give me thestrength and motivation to do every-thing in my power to help them succeed personally and professionallyin support of some of the mostimportant and, in reality, historic initiatives of our time.

FIVE BUSINESS AREAS

ARE DETAILED IN SUBSEQUENT

PAGES OF THIS FEATURE:

AERONAUT IC S

• Combat Aircraft

• Air Mobility

• Research & Development

ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS

• Missiles & Fire Control

• Maritime Systems & Sensors

• Platform, Training & Transportation Solutions

INFORMAT ION & TECHNOLO GY SERVICES

• Information Technology

• Defense Services

• Engineering and Science Services

INTEGRATED SYSTEMS & SOLUT ION S

• Intelligence Systems

• DoD C4ISR

SPACE SYSTEMS

• Satellites

• Launch Services

• Strategic & Defensive

Missile Systems

CORPORATE VALUE STATEMENT

These are the standards that inform andinspire all of our activities, and distinguish us as a corporation.

• Ethics

• Excellence

• ‘Can-Do’

• Integrity

• People

• Teamwork

PDJ

Opposite page: In keeping with his theme of “Leadershipas a Verb,” Stevens has made a special effort to connectwith as many LM employees as possible.

Above: Stevens reviews a presentation for an upcomingExecutive Diversity Council meeting with Manny Zulueta,senior vice president for Corporate Shared Services, andShan Carr, vice president for Diversity and EqualOpportunity Programs.

Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005 13

Special Feature Lockheed Martin

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Thanks to the diversity of our workforce, we are able to show young peoplethat success looks just like they do.

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Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005 15

Elevating Communities, Suppliers and the Organization

The Aeronautics business areaof Lockheed Martin makes a positive impact on the eight communities where its facilitiesand 28,000 employees arelocated in Texas, Georgia,California, Florida, Mississippi,Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Utah.

Just as diversity is a key component in our company’s success, it is also a major factor incommunity-building efforts,” says

Ralph Heath, Lockheed Martin execu-tive vice president in charge of theAeronautics business area. “The inter-ests of a diverse and caring workforceare reflected in the depth and breadthof involvement our employees have intheir communities. Last year, ouremployees contributed more than $3.2

million to a wide variety of charitablecauses. When combined with $3.4million in support from the company,it shows our communities are importantpartners for LM Aeronautics.

“In addition, 420 Aeronauticsemployees each volunteered over 100hours of service to local not-for-profitsand hundreds more served on boardsof philanthropic organizations—wellover 98,000 hours of service in total tomany diverse organizations. Someemployees like to pick up a hammerand help build a house with Habitatfor Humanity, others advance the arts,and still others go into the classroomand help youngsters learn to read,mentor underserved student popula-tions or participate with them in scienceexperiments.”

Starting Young : Educational Outreach

Many, if not most, of theAeronautics business area’scommunity initiatives focus onyouth and include a diversitycomponent. Programs likeAviation Camp, the TexasAlliance for Minorities inEngineering, and AerospaceCareers Outreach provideopportunities for underservedstudent populations.

“We see the importance ofhelping to develop a capable,competent, technical workforceof tomorrow. Our employeesserve as role models, encourag-ing non-traditional math and sci-ence students to pursue technicalstudies and careers. Throughmentoring relationships and edu-cational programs, we provideyoung people with confidenceand encouragement. Our goal is

to teach, to inspire, to motivate. Thanksto the diversity of our workforce, weare able to show young people thatsuccess looks just like they do,” saysHeath.

Aeronautics outreach events foryoung people range from week-longday camps to ongoing education pro-grams. “These programs are not only away to be a good corporate citizen,but they also help us ensure that youngpeople look forward to careers atLockheed Martin—or a similar company—in the future,” explains Lee Rhyant,Lockheed Martin Aeronautics executivevice president and general manager atthe company’s Marietta, GA, site. “Wepride ourselves on ensuring missionsuccess for our customers at theirdefining moments. The school yearsare those defining moments for thisnation’s future business leaders. Forour company, our aerospace industryand our national defense to survive inthe future, these children must beexposed today to the excitement of acareer that uses math, science andtechnology. That will be mission suc-cess for all concerned.”

Each summer, Lockheed Martinteams with the Georgia NationalGuard, Dobbins Air Reserve Base andFernbank Science Center to sponsoran educational day camp open to 4ththrough 8th grade students frommetro Atlanta. Hands-on activitieshelp students experience the wondersof science and math through class-room discussions, aircraft tours and achance to see the C-130J transport andF/A-22 fighter being built.

The company’s partnership withthe University of Texas Pan American(which contributed to selection of LMas 2003 “Employer of the Year”)includes a mentoring program in whichtechnical professionals use video-

top left: LM Day Camp students got to seethe C-130J airplane being built.

left: LM Aeronautics - Marietta volunteerDavid Pettett teaches students about electricity during an LM Smart Lesson.

lower left: Jeff Thom, a mechanical engineer,helps middle school students build a cancreation. The students discovered the engineering and manufacturing process andalso built one-of-a-kind advertisements forLockheed Martin's Make Cans Count Program,where proceeds from recycled aluminum sodacans help fund Habitat for Humanity houses.

lower right: Brenda Hogan, a senior admin-istrative assistant, helps fifth graders createcraters at the Lockheed Martin Space Daycelebration. The annual event inspires studentsto study math and science by putting thepower of the universe in their own hands.

[ d r a f t 2 ]

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teleconferencing to coach students in amath-science acceleration program inthe Rio Grande Valley. LockheedMartin also hosts officials from theschools to support their critical role inencouraging young people to explorecareers in math and science. LMAeronautics has helped foster similarpartnership initiatives with JacksonState University and Cal Poly Pomona.

LM Aeronautics also supports thePeach State STARBASE (Science &Technology Academics ReinforcingBasic Aviation & Space Education)Program run by the U.S. Departmentof Defense and conducted by theNational Guard. After classroominstruction on the principles of flight,at-risk elementary school studentsbegin learning sophisticated flightsimulation in the Lockheed MartinTechnology Center at Dobbins AirReserve Base.

Science, math and research technology are the focus of LMSMART (Science, Math and ResearchTechnology) in Marietta. Working withtwo partner-in-education elementaryschools, the program encouragesexceptional students to increase theirknowledge in math, science and tech-nology through classroom experience,faculty and peer recognition, andmentoring. Aeronautics employeesconduct monthly workshops and agraduation ceremony.

LM Aeronautics has an impact atthe high school level as well. InMarietta, engineers work with highschool students each week as part ofthe AVID (Advancement ViaIndividual Determination) Program.An elective class, AVID focuses on college preparation, writing, inquiry,and collaboration. Floyd Jerrod Hall,an aeronautics engineer, recentlydescribed working with AVID for LMToday, a corporate newspaper.

“We work with the students everyweek, and we develop close relation-ships with the students over the twoor three years they are in the program,” Hall said. “These kids areexposed to people who are dealingdrugs. Some of them come from abu-

sive homes, and very often they arecoming from homes in which no onewent to college. We provide third-party support, and the kids knowwe’re third party support that wants toto be there with them. When I go intoa classroom and a student comes upand starts talking about the A’s he orshe has gotten in a particular class, itmakes me feel like I’m giving some-thing that’s priceless. We may have thenext Lockheed Martin CEO sitting rightin that classroom.”

Learning Points Foundation hasdesignated Lockheed Martin’s YoungEngineers for America (YEA) Programas a national best practice in academiceducational programs. YEA, a partner-ship between the Fort WorthIndependent School District (FWISD)and LM Aeronautics, was selected asthe 2003 Spotlight Program forFWISD. Several years ago LockheedMartin assisted FWISD in applying fora $30,000 Department of Educationgrant to purchase the Academy ofEngineering and Academy of Roboticslaboratories. The implementation ofthe labs at Riverside Middle School isthe first corporate-sponsored / school-based K-12 engineering Lego lab inTexas and the only such laboratory inthe nation to fully integrate a six sigmaapproach within its curriculum.

“The laboratory is a project-based,merit-based, and inquiry-based learn-ing lab,” explained Norman Robbins,manager of Community Relations forAeronautics. “While building 21st cen-tury technical skills, the curriculum alsoemphasizes personal development andself-esteem. Students build, design andsolve problems with hands-on projectsresulting in knowable, touchable andobservable real-world outcomes. Theportable engineering lab provides edu-cational opportunities in math, science,engineering, technology literacy,physics, electricity, and Web pagedesign. Foundations of mechanicalengineering and structures in architec-ture are also explored.”

Since 1992, more than 1,200 mid-dle-school students from California’sAntelope Valley have gathered at the LM Aeronautics Skunk Works in Palmdale, CA, to attend theLightspeed Institute, an outreach initiative that exposes youth to engi-neering and physics principlesinvolved in aeronautics. The weekendtechnical ‘camp’ gives students achance to explore engineering concepts through competitive exercis-es facilitated by technical profession-als who work with aeronautical sys-tems and principles on a daily basis.

“Our employees are making apositive impact not only internally butin our community as well,” said RickBaker, LM Aeronautics vice presidentand general manager at the Palmdalefacility. “You’ll find us out in the com-munity volunteering to share ourstrengths where we find weaknesses.Mentoring youth on many levels is aprimary focus. While Lightspeed is oursignature program, our employeesalso take their knowledge and expert-ise directly into local classrooms—all grade levels—mentoring roboticsteams, sponsoring AmericanEnterprise Speech contests, judgingsenior projects and teaching about theimportance of environmental respon-sibility, to name a few. We believe it isup to us to offer opportunity to all; it’swhat each person does with theopportunity that makes the difference.”

Building CommunitiesCommunity service happens at smallerLM Aeronautics facilities, as well as thelarge sites. Employees in Meridian, MS;Clarksburg, WV; Johnstown, PA;Pinellas Park, FL; and Ogden, UT, support activities such as Habitat forHumanity, March of Dimes’ Walk-America, Susan G. Komen Race for theCure, and the American CancerSociety’s Relay for Life fund-raisers.

Almost 1,000 LM Aeronauticsemployees participated in volunteeractivities throughout the country forthe 2004 Make a Difference Day. InMarietta, employees welcomed troops

We pride ourselves onensuring mission successfor our customers at theirdefining moments.

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Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

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home from Iraq, renovated houses,and donated books and toys to a child-care center. In Fort Worth, employeesworked on several Habitat forHumanity projects, providing familiesin need with safe, comfortable homes.And in Palmdale, employees helpedrenovate local elementary schools, pro-viding 5,000 elementary students witha cleaner, safer place to learn and play.

“Giving back to the community isa tradition of service taken very seriously here,” said Alyce Sarno,director of Community Relations atMarietta. “Participating in Make aDifference Day provides our employeeswith the opportunity to strengthen thefoundation that makes our local com-munity successful: education, oppor-tunities for youth, social services, eco-nomic development and arts and culture.”

“Make a Difference Day is a greatway to reach out to our neighbors andlend a helping hand,” said PaulWeatherman, a Palmdale employee.

Company initiatives designed toincrease inclusiveness and diversityboth in the business itself and in thecommunity include fund-raising,scholarship programs and recognitionevents for organizations (NationalUrban League, National Associationfor the Advancement of ColoredPeople, Latin American Association,Southern Institute, Georgia HispanicChamber of Commerce, and UnitedNegro College Fund, to name just a few).

LM Aeronautics is a prime sponsoror program participant in MartinLuther King Day celebrations in FortWorth and Marietta—serving on theplanning committees, providingspeakers, or hosting tables at events,many attended by over 500 guests,including students, civic and politicalleaders and corporate representatives.

“Our participation in these waysoffers more than just contribution dollars,”said Ernesto Duran, director for theLM Aeronautics Diversity and EqualOpportunity programs. “It also com-municates our commitment to the val-ues and mission of the organizations,as well as our commitment to supportthe communities in which ouremployees live and work.”

Supplier DiversitySuppliers are another fundamentalpart of the diversity emphasis at LM Aeronautics. As part of the corpo-ration’s commitment to furtheringbusiness partnerships and helping todevelop minority, small, and women-owned businesses as potential suppliers,LM Aeronautics supports groups suchas the Georgia Women’s BusinessCouncil, Fort Worth Women’s BusinessCenter, Georgia Minority SuppliersDevelopment Council, and NativeAmerican Procurement and TechnicalAssistance Center.

Working with the GeorgiaWomen’s Business Council, for example,Lockheed Martin has increased itslocal supplier diversity database bymore than 50 potential partners, contracted with women-owned busi-nesses, provided business develop-ment guidance and donated severalthousand dollars worth of office equip-ment and furnishings. LM AeronauticsMarietta also co-sponsors a south-eastern regional women’s leadershipconference that brings together morethan 150 women entrepreneurs for ses-sions on business planning, marketing,developing competitive bidding packages, mentoring and access to corporate opportunities.

This year, LM Aeronautics sponsoredthe Annual Showcase for Commerce

hosted by Congressman John Murthaand the Chamber of Commerce in Johnstown, PA. In Texas, the LM Aeronautics Small Business Officehosted the presentation at the Universityof Texas-Arlington’s Automation andRobotics Research Institute. The companyalso provided a presentation at theWestern Regional Business Match-making event in Pasadena, CA.

Kudos and CareersAnother priority for LM Aeronautics ishighlighting the achievements ofminority and female employeesthrough national honors programs.Through nominations by the company,employees have been honored at the Black Engineer of the Year Awards,Hispanic Engineer National Achieve-ment Awards, Emerald Honors Awards,and by the Women of ColorTechnology, the Chinese Institute ofEngineering, Women in Aerospace andWomen in Aviation organizations.

Professional development andleadership opportunities for employeesare another aspect of the emphasis oninclusiveness at LM Aeronautics. TheExcellence through Development andGrowth Enhancement (EDGE) program,which won a best practice designationby the U.S. Department of Labor, putsstrategic focus on providing opportunitiesfor high potential employees. EDGE isa two-year program that provides men-toring, professional development classesand special assignments for participantsnominated by their managers andselected after panel interviews. Manypast participants are now senior man-agers and directors in the company.

“The strength of our company restson the diversity of our workforce,”emphasizes Ralph Heath. “Our hightechnology products are sold and manufactured around the world to avery diverse set of customers. Throughthe diversity of our workforce and ouremployees’ breadth of experiences, talents, and perspectives, we are betterequipped to create the innovativeproducts that are relevant to the widerange of customer needs. All of thistranslates to greater competitivenessand success in the marketplace.”

Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005 17

Members of the Lockheed Martin Leadership Association joined with local commu-nity members to celebrate diverse cultures during the ninth annual BlackHistory Celebration Dinner in Palmdale, CA.

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Special Feature Lockheed Martin

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Understanding our customer enables us todeliver better value and provide businesssolutions that exceed expectations. To dothis, we need a workforce and standardsthat mirror the diversity of our customers.

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Because the Lockheed MartinSystems Integration unit inOwego, NY (part of the LMelectronic systems businessarea) fosters an environmentthat encourages all employees to feel valued and comfortable to express their ideas and bringtheir skills and abilities to beareach day, the business is able toprovide its customers with out-standing products and services.

Diversity takes many differentforms. Beyond factors like race,gender and age, ultimately

every single employee is uniquely differ-ent from many dimensions. Accordingto LM Systems Integration–Owegopresident Frank C. Meyer, who is also afounding member of Lockheed Martin’scorporate Executive Diversity Council,strengthening core values like diversityand inclusion nurtures empowerment,creativity and ‘what-if’ solutions. This,in turn, has led to winning significantnew business for Owego andLockheed Martin Corporation—such asthe multibillion-dollar award to build 23next-generation Marine One presidentialhelicopters for the U.S. Navy.

How did diversity play a role inthis win? Linking AugustaWestland’splatform, Lockheed Martin’s systemsintegration expertise, and BellHelicopter’s manufacturing abilitiesmade for a winning team comprised oftalented and dedicated people.

AugustaWestland is an Italian-British firm that specializes in designingand manufacturing helicopters. Many

time zones and a continent away, LMemployees—primarily in rural, upstateNew York—specialize in integratingcomplex systems. Add to the partner-ship Bell Helicopter’s operations basedin Texas, and you have a scenario thatrequires great coordination and collab-oration to manage the challenges thatdeveloped as a result of different lan-guages, cultures, and national pride.

Overcoming these differencesthrough teamwork was made possibleby a dedicated group of employeesfrom each company—who alsodemonstrated the importance of inclusion—and allowed LM Owego toremain focused on the critical businessand product issues required to win theprogram.

Creating CompetitiveAdvantageThe presidential helicopter projectillustrates how the company considersdiversity an important key to creating acompetitive advantage. Superior per-formance and high productivity aremajor elements of the corporation’scustomer-focus goals.

“At LM Owego it starts with eachemployee’s drive to deliver excel-lence,” Meyer noted. “One of the keyingredients of our inclusive approach isreaching out to people for their input.There is no doubt in my mind thatdoing whatever you can to help allyour employees feel like part of theteam adds value, which in turn makesa real difference for our customers.”

How is this achieved at LM Owego?The Technical Assistant (TA) Programis a good example: each business areaexecutive competitively selects a mid-career, high-potential employee towork with one-on-one for up to eightmonths. From this arrangement, theexecutive gets an eager, hard-working,

skilled professional assistant who par-ticipates in 70 percent of the events theexecutive does—from driving actionitems to closure to managing the office.Equally important, the executive alsogets a fresh set of eyes and a diverseperspective from the assistant.

The TA accomplishes his or her jobby developing close working relation-ships with each member of the execu-tive’s team and working with them asan equal. At the end of the assignment,the business has a well-trained memberof the team intimately aware of thebusiness status and strategies as well asan employee with keen insight intoworking with high-performing execu-tives. As to diversity, it isn’t so muchthe age, race or gender of these TAs,but the unique personality, skills andapproach that each one brings to thejob that makes a difference.

TeamworkAndrew Carnegie once said that team-work is the “fuel that allows commonpeople to attain uncommon results.”According to Diversity Program managerTara Mancinelli, the nearly 4,000employees who comprise LM SystemsIntegration-Owego are great examplesof how, given the right environment,dedicated and innovative teams canform to deliver some of the most powerful and important systemsintegration products worldwide.

It’s noteworthy that an eighth ofLM Owego’s employees are located inCanada, where about half of thoseworkers speak French as their first language. LM Owego also has opera-tions in the United Kingdom where themajority of the workforce is comprisedof local nationals. This certainly makesfor a geographically and culturallydiverse employee population fromwhich high performance work teams

Delivering Better Value by Creating anInclusive Business Environment

Newer aircraft use precision engagement upgrades by Lockheed Martin.

Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005 19

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are forged to win businessevery year. At the core of mak-ing this complex organizationperform is a solid sense ofleadership, a willingness tocommunicate, a belief inprocess, and an inclination toencourage participation.

Another illustration ofcomplex teaming in a diverseemployee environment thatallowed Lockheed Martin to bea contender on the U.S. presi-dential helicopter bid is a successful program in theUnited Kingdom managed by LMOwego. In 1991, LM Owego competedfor and won a helicopter integrationbid to provide 40 maritime helicoptersto the United Kingdom’s Ministryof Defense. LM Owego won thisbid even though it didn’t makehelicopters and wasn’t a Britishcompany.

By teaming with Westland, aBritish helicopter firm, LM Owegoused its systems integration skills—honed by performing well on anAmerican helicopter program for morethan 20 years—to be a serious con-tender for the Royal Navy program. In addition, LM Owego built a set ofsubcontractor relationships in Britainand Europe that made it a viable com-petitor for this U.K. proposal. Afterwinning, the company worked hard foranother decade, delivering 40 helicopterson time, at contract performance, andat budget.

Part of that U.K. maritime helicopterprogram involved moving 150Americans and their families to Britainduring the first year. Teamed with asimilar number of British employees,the group overcame cultural and skillmix boundaries that could have causedthe program to fail. Through teamworkand good communications, an environ-ment of trust and respect developed.Ultimately, working relationships wereso solid that many of the Americanemployees and their families extendedtheir work assignments, some for morethan 10 years.

“These close partnerships and theresulting business success allowedLockheed Martin to be in an excellentposition to use our partner’s platformto bid into and win the presidentialhelicopter opportunity 12 years later,”Meyer emphasized.

“Thanks to the ability of ourdiverse population to think outside of

the box, we were able toreach out in a new directionand take a differentapproach that helped ussucceed,” said Steve Ramsey,executive vice president forHelicopter Systems. “Welooked for the right peoplewho were the right fit, without having any presetdeterminations. Eachemployee brought a uniqueperspective to our business,and continues to help uscreate innovative solutions

for our customer, and customer focus isalways our key priority. The moreinclusive we are, the more we can ben-efit from our intellectual capital anddeliver the best product to the cus-tomer,” he emphasized.

ProductA different aspect of how diversity hasshaped the business and employees inLM Systems Integration-Owego is thespectrum of products developed andproduced by the business. Drawing talent out of each business area makesfor a very diverse team, in addition tohelping recruit employees who areattracted to such a broad business base.

“If you really want to be a companythat brings about the best ideas, thebest information, the best performingteams, diversity is the kind of attitudethat will help you do that,” said JeffBantle, vice president of Multi-MissionSolutions.

Lockheed Martin Electronic Systems

Programs with long performanceperiods are helped by processesthat ensure technology and knowledge transfer. We use training,mentoring and formal process standards excellence to transfer knowledge and skills from employee team to employee team.Mentoring is, at its core, a tool ofdiversity.

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By the end of 2004, LM Owegoemployees worldwide had delivered 14common cockpits ahead of schedule onthe U.S. Navy’s MH-60 multi-missionhelicopter program, bringing the overallnumber of cockpits delivered on theprogram to 81. In 2004, Bantle’s teamalso completed major operation anddevelopment testing on the same MH-60 program, prepared the rollout of anewly re-designated A-10C aircraft forthe U.S. Air Force which will keep the“Warthog” flying through 2028, and fin-ished the last of 57 installations ofLockheed Martin’s direct infrared coun-termeasures systems for the Navy.

The Subsystems Solutions busi-ness at Owego provides further illus-tration of how diversity impacts prod-ucts and customer service. Employeesin this business achieved significantintelligent electronic warfare mile-stones in its Soothsayer project in theUnited Kingdom; co-developed thetechnology that powers Royal Mail’saward-winning SmartStamp™ onlinepostage service targeting small andhome office users throughout theUnited Kingdom; and maintained itssuperior record of applying innovativetechnology to make operations moreefficient for its U.S. Postal Servicecustomer.

All of these complex programs areonly possible in an environment thatencourages teaming and cooperation—wherein employees communicate andfeel as if what they have to say andwhat they bring to the team is valued.

Knowledge TransferA third vantage point for how diversityin the workplace directly impacts acustomer is to consider how changingdemographics drive success or failure.Globalization, an aging workforce, andshifting demographics in the labor poolare trends transforming how LM Owegoworks—but more importantly, trans-forming how the business unit continuesto serve customers despite changes inpersonnel. Providing customers withconsistently high performance can bedifficult to achieve when employeesretire and new staff is hired.Companies need to ensure that long-term programs can be sustained andthat critical knowledge and qualitystandards are maintained.

“This fact was never more truethan now for us,” said JohnZimmerman, LM Owego’s HR vicepresident. “Because of our recent success, we’re aggressively growingour population. By the end of 2005,more than a quarter of our employeeswill have less than two years’ experi-ence at the company. Implementingprograms that encourage reliableknowledge transfer is vital; to survive,we have integrated diversity initiativesinto our workplace.”

LM Owego’s B-2 program, whichemployees have been working onsince 1984, demonstrates how pro-grams with long performance periodsare helped by processes that ensuretechnology and knowledge transfer.“We use training, mentoring and formalprocess standards excellence to transfer

knowledge and skills from employeeteam to employee team as we continueto perform well and enhance customersatisfaction. Mentoring is at its core—a tool of diversity,” Meyer said.

Supplier DiversitySupplier diversity and outreach programs that encourage an inclusivesubcontracting environment are alsoessential components in LM Owego’sbusiness objectives. At Owego,Lockheed Martin pursues opportunitiesto use firms representing small,women-owned, disadvantaged, andHUBZoned businesses for procure-ment. Recognized for its leadership insupplier diversity and mentoring, LMOwego’s world-class subcontractingprogram placed more than $147.8 millionof business with diverse suppliers forservices on multiple key 2004 programs.

Customer SatisfactionIn the end, the final measurement ofany business is satisfied customers.Customer satisfaction metrics for LMOwego have continued to climb annually during the past five years,from a solid position of a high “satisfied” ranking to the highest “verysatisfied” category.

Contractor Performance AssessmentReports, which are used in a defenseindustry system that rates customer satisfaction, are strong for LockheedMartin’s businesses in Owego. “This isa very competitive world, so this excellentcustomer recognition would not bepossible without the best efforts ofevery one of our employees, partnersand teammates,” Meyer said.“Understanding our customer enablesus to deliver better value and providethe business solutions that exceed theirexpectations. To do this, we need aworkforce and standards that mirrorthe diversity of our customers. Withoutthis common understanding, we cannot provide insight to their values,priorities and business needs.”

Special Feature Lockheed Martin

PDJ

An automated package processing system operating

at a U.S. Postal ServiceProcessing and Distribution

Center serving metropolitan Chicago.

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Bridging the divide between high-potentialunderprivileged students and the technical disciplines is critical to expanding LM’sprospective source of engineering and IT talent.

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High School Project Helps StudentsCross Digital Divide

The Lockheed Martin Math andScience Academy, sponsored bythe LM Information Technologybusiness unit, uses a specialcurriculum coordinated throughlocal educational institutions to prepare promising under-privileged students in the technical disciplines.

It’s all coming together!” That’s howLinda Gooden envisioned a newdiversity project that would partner

her company, LM InformationTechnology, with two higher educational institutions to benefit students of a high school in a Marylandsuburb of Washington, D.C.

The president of the corporation’sburgeoning IT business unit inSeabrook, MD, was returning oneevening from a meeting at PrinceGeorge’s Community College, whereshe served on the school’s FoundationBoard. The college had impressed herwith its growing information technologyprogram and its efforts to reach out tothe youth of Prince George’s County.The school is the institution of choicefor most college-bound students in acounty that is 62.7 percent AfricanAmerican.

Gooden began to put the pieces

together. Lockheed Martin had longbeen a supporter of the University ofMaryland in nearby College Park. Thedeans of its Clark School ofEngineering and the College ofComputer, Mathematical and PhysicalSciences were eager to recruit promisingstudents from Prince George’s for theiracademic programs.

Through an associate in the com-munity, Gooden had heard thatPotomac High School, located inOxon Hill adjacent to Southeast D.C.,was working to make a difference inthe lives of its students. The schoolhad recently redesigned its curriculumto reflect a series of ‘career pathways’.Coursework was engineered to prepare students for the change-dominated technology of the 21st century, but Potomac sorely neededcorporate sponsorship to furtherdevelop the program for students withpotential in math and science. EnterLockheed Martin.

As a member of the corporation’sExecutive Diversity Council, LindaGooden was keenly aware that thecompany’s future depended onattracting a wider distribution of college hires if it would ever meet itsengineering requirements in comingdecades. Creating an all-encompassingatmosphere of inclusiveness through-out the corporation was the key.

Bridging the digital dividebetween high-potentialunderprivileged students andthe technical disciplineswould be critical if the corpo-ration ever hoped to expandits prospective source of engi-neering and IT talent.

Gooden engaged thePotomac principal, the presi-dent of Prince George’s

Community College, and the deans ofboth University of Maryland collegesfor a meeting in June 2002 at CollegePark, and the plan came together.Everyone wanted to see it succeed.

The venture was named theLockheed Martin Math and ScienceAcademy, to be established as a continuing program to support up to20 high-potential Potomac studentsfrom their freshman year through college graduation. The project tackled the challenges of nurturing thestudents through financial support tothe school, mentoring, and collegetuition assistance at Prince George’sCommunity College and, later, at theUniversity of Maryland.

Fine tuning the project involvedscores of details over a year of presentations, preparations and organ-ization. In August 2003, with the helpof the Community College’s founda-tion, Lockheed Martin established anendowment based on annual funding.The endowment will fund studenttuition and fees for enrollment in mathand science programs. LM InformationTechnology made an annual funding commitment of $20,000, and that was matched by the LM Corporation Foundation. At thatlevel, Gooden’s team estimated thatin 2009 the program could be fullyoperational and community collegetuitions could be paid.

Willie Callahan, one of Gooden’syoung African-American high-potentialIT professionals who’d been promotedto a new staff position as director ofdiversity, got the task of making thePotomac program a success. Callahanenlisted the support of the company’stechnical staff to prepare surplus computer hardware for donation tothe school. A Lockheed Martin team

Lockheed Martin presents its first check tothe Prince George’s Community CollegeFoundation in September 2003, establishinga scholarship fund for Potomac High Schoolmath and science students. From left:Willie Callahan, diversity director of LMInformation Technology (LMIT); Sandra L.Nelson, principal of Potomac High School;Linda Gooden, president of LMIT; and Dr. Ronald A. Williams, Prince George’sCommunity College president.

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transported the near-new com-puters to the school’s computerlab, installed them, loaded soft-ware, and ensured they workedin a network environment. Thelab was ready for the 2003-2004school year. The company con-tinues to maintain the system,and will be refreshing it everytwo to three years.

For the 2003-2004 academicyear, more than 150 PotomacHigh School students participat-ed in academic and career develop-ment activities focused in math andscience, far exceeding the originallytargeted 20 students.

During the fall of that first year,Academy students participated in sixSaturday sessions to enhance theirmath and reading skills. In the spring,students again participated in sixSaturday sessions focused on mathusing investment club activities asreinforcement. Then, last summer theyparticipated in a component devotedto the study of geometry and physics.These sessions were coordinated bythe University of Maryland School ofEngineering’s Center for Minorities inScience and Engineering.

Throughout its second year, theprogram continued to blossom atPotomac. Lockheed Martin added tothe curriculum biannual visits to itsSeabrook headquarters facility wherestudents spend a day working withtechnical staff at LM’s EnterpriseSolution Center. There students areexposed to LM’s NexGen lab, wherecommercial off-the-shelf hardwareand software are being tested andintegrated into solutions for the company’s government customers.

Potomac High School administersall academic work that leads to col-lege entry. Each year, the schoolselects 20 ninth-grade students intothe Academy. Students qualify for theprogram based on desire, previous

grades, recommendations from faculty,and aptitude for math and science. Toremain in the program, students agreeto maintain an overall 2.8 grade pointaverage and maintain clean academicand police records. Since manyLockheed Martin projects requireclearances, this stipulation is stressedto students.

Under Callahan’s guidance, thecompany also committed to providingstudents in the program with mentorsfrom LMIT staff for guidance andcounsel and a link to the job market.In school year 2005-2006, Gooden’sorganization will begin offering students personal mentoring andshadowing opportunities.

After graduation from high school and continuing through theircollege years, Academy students areoffered the opportunity of summeremployment within LM InformationTechnology, which maintains a work-force of about 3,500 employees in theWashington D.C. area—about one-third of its worldwide personnel base.

Beginning in the fall of 2007,Prince George’s Community Collegewill enroll the selected Academy studentsin one of four academic tracks: math,computer science, engineering, orengineering technology. The LockheedMartin scholarship provides in-statetuition for two years, enabling the stu-dents to acquire an associate’s degreeand matriculate into the University of

Maryland. Coursework at theUniversity is directed toward adegree in engineering or comput-er science, disciplines sorelyneeded in technology-drivencompanies such as LockheedMartin. Beginning in 2009, thecompany’s endowment will payin-state tuition for the studentscontinuing in these disciplines forthe final two years to pursue abachelor’s degree.

Once they have completedtheir degree requirements, LM Mathand Science Academy graduates willbe given employment opportunitieswithin Lockheed Martin and primeconsideration for entry into the com-pany’s renowned LeadershipDevelopment Program, putting themon a fast track to advancement.

Today the LM Math and ScienceAcademy program represents animportant step toward helpingPotomac High School meet its com-mitment to prepare all students for thechange- and technology-driven econ-omy of the 21st century. Beyond help-ing just one high school, however, theprogram also fulfills objectives forevery other partner and participant: • The Academy enables Prince

George’s County to provide qualityeducation for those students whosefuture has been clouded by a mis-match between their potential andthe resources available to them.

• The community college and the university get to receive and educatestudents in technical disciplines.

• Lockheed Martin derives a potentialpipeline of a diverse population ofengineering and computer systemstalent to meet the company’s long-range employment goals.

• And, of course, the students whotake advantage of the program willbe prepared to enter the workforce

Its first year, more than 150 students participated in the LM Math and ScienceAcademy, far exceeding the originally targeted 20 students.

Lockheed Martin Information & Technology Services

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Special Feature Lockheed Martin

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with skills that will ensure them abright, meaningful future.

The LM Math and ScienceAcademy has been made possible dueto a dream—along with the doggeddetermination—of Linda Gooden andher company; and LM InformationTechnology has assumed an importantrole in educating children for thefuture.

Together with teachers and parents, the company is helpingyoung men and women learn how tobe accountable, to be productive, and toachieve success.

Willie Callahan, then diversity directorfor LM Information Technology, leads ateam of company employees installingcomputer equipment in Potomac HighSchool’s new Math and ScienceAcademy laboratory.

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Beyond helping just one high school, however, the program also fulfills objectives for every otherpartner and participant.

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The Virtual Career Center gives allemployees the opportunity and theflexibility to work on their careersanywhere, anytime.

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Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005 27

Group dialogue sessions, aninteractive online career center,and a portfolio of career development strategies provide opportunities for allemployees to increase theirunderstanding of career optionsand take hold of their future.

Aroom full of Lockheed Martinemployees considers whatShawn Jones should do to

‘unstick’ his career. Jones, a mid-levelsystems engineer, has had a lot ofexperience on big projects, but doesn’twant to take what some might considerthe next step: becoming a people manager.

Suggestions from the group pourout. Has Jones considered becoming asubject matter expert or expanding hiscurrent responsibilities? Has he talkedto other senior non-managementemployees to find out what they doand how they might have confronteda similar problem?

Does he have a mentor in theorganization, someone he could turnto for advice? What’s behind his con-cern about becoming a manager? Is itsimply a ‘fear factor’ that could beovercome with the right set ofpreparatory experiences?

Jones is a fictitious character—anexample created to help spur discus-sion—yet the employee sessions toconsider his career are very real.They’re part of a new company initia-

tive called Grab Hold of Your Career.In addition to the group dialogue sessions that provide opportunities forall employees to get involved andincrease their understanding of careeroptions, it includes an interactiveonline career center and a portfolio ofcareer development strategies, includ-ing mentoring.

“The new initiative is designed toleverage the diverse talents and abili-ties of all employees by empoweringthem to take responsibility for theirown careers,” said Cynthia Smith, vicepresident, Human Resources, forLockheed Martin’s Integrated Systems& Solutions business area. “The initia-tive goes hand-in-hand with the com-pany’s pursuit of workforce diversityand an inclusive and supportive workenvironment.”

The Grab Hold of Your Careerdiversity dialogues initiative has twomain components: the group dia-logue about career development con-ducted by company leaders with theirdirect reports, and one-on-one careerdiscussions that each company leaderhas with their direct reports on specificcareer aspirations and plans.

Group Dialogue SessionsThe open group sessions are a focalpoint for the Grab Hold of YourCareer initiative, for it is here that theinterplay of background and experi-ence is most visible. “When you bringan entire function together, you canreally see the interplay,” notesChristine Rinaldi, the lead for careerdevelopment programs who spear-headed the Grab Hold of Your Careerinitiative, which is now fully imple-mented at LM Integrated Systems &Solutions business area.

“A group typically will includepeople from various cultural and

experiential backgrounds,” saidRinaldi. “The way a lead systems engi-neer who has been with the companyfor 16 years views the world is goingto be different than the outlook of arecently-hired technical analyst who isearly in her career. Gender, culturaland ethnic backgrounds, educationand experience are some of the manyfactors that will influence perspec-tives, and yet in the total chemistry ofideas, each employee is gaining newinsights from the others. That’s whatmakes the process involving andworthwhile.”

Leaders are provided with toolkitsto help them facilitate the group dia-logue. The toolkit consists of compre-hensive career development charts,facilitator talking points and handoutsthat help define career development,offer comments from executive man-agement about its importance, andprovide a model for developmentplanning for employees to follow.

Real-life scenarios—including thatof systems engineer Shawn Jones andhis mid-career concerns—are alsoincluded as well as a guide foremployees that takes them throughthe steps of career planning. In addi-tion, a training video featuring aprominent executive facilitating thegroup dialogue was produced to pre-pare all leaders to conduct meaningfulcareer dialogues.

“The group dialogue is a greatopportunity for everyone, regardlessof what discipline you work in orwhat level you are in the company,”said Loretta Best-Harris, a LockheedMartin systems engineering seniormanager. “During these sessions, youcan take a pulse of where you are inyour career in the grand scheme ofwhere you want to be.”

Career Initiative ‘Grabs’ Talent at LM Integrated Systems & Solutions

Melissa Mong, Lockheed Martin software engineer, appreciates accessto the Virtual Career Center because it provides a framework for skillsdevelopment and is easy to navigateand use.

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28 Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005

One-on-One SessionsAt the conclusion of the group dia-logues, every leader is expected toextend invitations to each of his/herdirect reports to engage in one-on-onecareer discussions. Employees whoaccept this invitation have the oppor-tunity to discuss their goals and estab-lish specific career development planswith their leaders.

The approach of giving each individual employee the opportunity toshape their career opens the way to amore inclusive organization, saysRinaldi. “There is no better way to foster an inclusive work community,leverage the strengths of all employees,and ensure business success than toempower each person to grab hold ofher or his career,” she states.

The individual career discussionsessions invariably require thoughtful-ness on the part of both manager andemployee, particularly when it mayinvolve confronting potentially difficultquestions. A toolkit designed to helpemployees and leaders prepare forthese discussions is available atLockheed Martin’s Virtual Career Centeronline. It includes career path informa-tion and development guidance, as wellas talking points and guidelines for thediscussions themselves. Managers cantake the time to preview typical ques-tions and suggested answers before asession to ponder some of the possible“hard” questions—such as, what if theemployee’s career goals don’t seem tofit into the department’s functionalgoals? Or, what if the employee’s careergoals seem unrealistic in terms of time?

In addition to career discussions,the diversity discussions that the com-pany requires leaders to hold eachyear with employees are checkpointsin the company’s tracking of progress

in building an inclusive workenvironment.

Help for managers in conductingthe group sessions and individualemployee dialogues is available at anonline ‘Leaderlink’ Web site, wheremanagers can access toolkits and other diversity information. The siteprominently features the corporation’sdiversity vision statement:

Lockheed Martin Corporation is committed to creating onecompany, one-team, all-inclusive,where diversity contributes tomission success.

Virtual Career CenterWeb support for the Grab Hold of Your Career initiative also takes the form of a Virtual Career Centeraccessible to all employees via thecompany’s intranet home page. WithLockheed Martin employees scatteredacross the United States as well as theglobe, the Virtual Career Center givesall employees the opportunity and theflexibility to work on their careersanywhere, anytime. In addition to thetoolkits that help employees preparefor the individual diversity dialoguewith their manager, the centerincludes comprehensive career toolsfor employees to assess where theyare in terms of their career develop-ment and better determine where heor she needs to be.

The online center features a broadarray of practical and thought-provokinginformation. There is a segment onclarifying personal and work valuesand another on how to identify goalsand set a career action plan. There areeven sample career paths showing theroutes various people in the organiza-

tion have taken to reach their currentlevels of success—a caption remindsemployees that “Not all roads that leadto Rome lead to a great leadershipposition, but a lot of them do, if wepay attention to the milestones alongthe way.”

“The Web site provides resourcesto help all employees generate effective and realistic career goals andplans,” said Melissa Mong, an LMsoftware engineer. “It provides aframework for technical, leadershipand people skills development, and iseasy to navigate and use.”

The training aspects of the site arecomprehensive—from guidelines onhow to be a leader and how to be atechnical specialist; to suggestedresources for Web-based professionaltraining and virtual classrooms; to recommendations of books anddevelopment activities; as well asadvice and tips for developing theskills and approaches needed to meetprofessional and personal objectives.

“Career development has alwaysbeen a priority for me,” said SteveDyas, LM senior systems engineer.“After discovering the vast careerplanning resources online, I’m confi-dent my company has made it one oftheir priorities as well.”

“The exciting thing about theonline center—and, indeed, our entireGrab Hold of Your Career initiative—is that it is all-inclusive,” said MyrtisBrame, director of diversity for the LM Integrated Systems & Solutionsbusiness area. “Everyone can take partand as a result everyone benefits. Theindividual can learn and grow and, asthey reach out to achieve their careergoals, at the same time the companygrows by becoming a more inclusiveorganization.”

Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems and Solutions

[ d r a f t 2 ]

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Developing TalentThrough MentoringA finishing component ofthe Grab Hold of YourCareer initiative is mentoringengagements, which Lockheed Martinsees as vital to the success of its business.The intent is to bring together all ofthe company’s mentoring initiativesunder a single umbrella designed topique employee interest and providethe resources and skills for employeesto engage in constructive mentoringrelationships.

Mike Thomas, company vice pres-ident and general manager and anexecutive champion of mentoring,looks at it this way: “We are a peoplebusiness, and our success relies on theinteraction between people. We allneed to weave mentoring into ourdaily work lives. All of us should begetting to know people and gettingthem to know us. If we do this, wewill connect the organization from topto bottom and become more success-ful as a business.”

Grab Hold of Your Career mentor-ing applies a common approach toone-on-one mentoring programsacross the organization. The companyviews mentoring as an excellent wayto enhance employee development,transfer organizational knowledge,and bolster employees’ engagement intheir work and commitment to thecompany.

Quarterly workshops are designedto provide skills and information forcurrent mentors and their proteges aswell as individuals interested in initiat-ing their own mentoring relationships.Employees are encouraged to takeadvantage of the workshops and toconsider talking with their manager orsomeone they admire. They are

advised to think about what they wantto discuss and some objectives for theconversation; the process may wellestablish a relationship they can workwith on a regular basis. In turn, man-agers are encouraged to facilitatementoring for employees unsure ofwhom to approach for mentoring bysuggesting people inside or outsidethe employee’s environment.

After Stephanie Herr, a softwareapplications engineer, decided that amentoring relationship would benefither career, she found and worked withher mentor, Chris D’Ascenzo, directorof Business Development, to mutuallyestablished goals and objectives.

“My mentoring relationship withChris has provided me with an expertto gain knowledge from, opportunitiesoutside of my work environment, andsomeone to talk to about professionalmatters and school work,” saysStephanie. “During our mentoring sessions, we have discussed many dif-ferent issues. He’s really been able tohelp me focus on my career develop-ment, where I want to be and what Ihave to do to get there. He also hashelped me to gain a better under-standing into different areas of thebusiness, which has broadened myexperiences at Lockheed Martin.”

Mentoring is beneficial to both thementor and mentored employee. “Ilearned a lot about the issues thatStephanie and her peer groupencounter that I would not necessarilyhave been aware of but that help mebe a better leader,” says Chris, adding,“One of the fulfilling things aboutbeing in the mentor role is that you

can add some dimensions andperspective to professionalissues for someone else’sgrowth.”Mentoring offers the opportu-

nity for employees to appreciate whatisn’t covered in technical trainingcourses yet can be just as vital to theircareer success—understanding rela-tionships. Auretha Baldwin, an engi-neering manager and a strong advo-cate of mentoring put it this way:“Mentoring offers the opportunity toconvey the importance of the tacit orsoft skills of leadership.”

Support for Diversity MeansSupport for the BusinessWhile Lockheed Martin’s Grab Hold ofYour Career initiative offers opportu-nities for individual fulfillment inmany ways and goes a long waytowards fostering a sense of participa-tion by employees and managers inbuilding careers, it is also very much inthe company’s best business interests.

Lockheed Martin Chairman,President and CEO Bob Stevensexplains that the company hasembarked on a course to build a fullyinclusive and supportive work environment, and for good reason.“Besides being the right thing to do, itmakes good business sense. With ashift in demographics occurring asmany in the workforce approachretirement, we need to keep our experienced skills base for as long as possible while attracting and retain-ing the best talent from an increasing-ly diverse world,” says Stevens. “Thisallows us to effectively foster bothinnovation and institutional knowl-edge to assure our long-term success.”

Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005 29

Special Feature Lockheed Martin

Mentoring offers the opportunity toconvey the importance of the tacitor soft skills of leadership

PDJ

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Affinity groups are not just for those with special interests or a specific culture.

Lockheed Martin's role in the Hubble Space Telescope program began in the 1970s when the company was selected as the prime integration contractor. Today, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company provides a range of Hubble SpaceTelescope-related service and support functions for NASA.

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Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005 31

It’s not unusual for employeeswho share ethnic or cultural tiesto meet for support and growth;however, the groups atLockheed Martin Space SystemsCompany may also includeemployees ‘outside’ thegroup’s experiential focus, andeven ‘meet’ in cyberspacerather than at local events.

What do a design engineer inSunnyvale, CA, an industrialsecurity representative in

Denver, CO, and a technical trainer inHarlingen, TX, have in common? Eachbelongs to an affinity group at LMSpace Systems Company. Withapproximately 1,000 employeesinvolved, the company’s nearly adozen groups center around culturaland other common interests, such asAsian and Pacific Islander, Hispanic orBlack heritage, disabilities and gender.

Vanessa Williams, workforcediversity manager for the 18,000-employee company based in Denver,notes that the affinity groups “not onlyaddress the specific needs of theirmembership, but also do an excellentjob of helping other employees learnabout their cultures.” In addition, thegroups are an important resource for“employee recruiting and retention,community relations, and internalfocus groups for topics such as gener-ational differences and employeecommunications.”

Generation to GenerationMentors “An affinity group creates a sense ofbelonging,” says design engineerSophey Phuong Tiet, who is a

member of the Asian American &Pacific Islander American Leadershipand Mentoring Association (ALMA) inSunnyvale. “For people who are awayfrom their native country, they cometogether culturally. You don’t feel isolated,” says Tiet, who emigratedfrom Vietnam to the U.S. at the age ofseven.

Tiet, who specializes in circuitlogic for high-performance govern-ment systems, joined ALMA in 2001during her first year at the company.Through ALMA, Tiet met other AsianAmericans who served as “older generation to younger generation”mentors. “They had been in the work-ing world and, being Asian and beingolder, had gone before me, showingme that it’s possible to succeed. OneAsian woman who is a senior engineer was one of our advisors.Seeing a minority female who haddone well for herself influenced me byjust having exposure and access to her.”

Tiet views fostering innovation asan important contribution that affinitygroups make to the company’s culture. “Everyone has different waysof doing things. If you have multiple ideas,you can come up with one great idea.”

Having been involved in theALMA affinity group for several years,Tiet now has a leadership role as amember of the mentoring committee.Those who had established the organ-ization “stepped out and let us takecharge, but they are always in the back-ground helping us and guiding us.”

Internally, the group hosts networking sessions and panel discus-sions featuring company leaders;activities are geared to the entireemployee population to give non-Asians an opportunity for culturalawareness. Externally, ALMA repre-sents the company in the community,

participating in public televisionfundraising telethons and local culturalfestivals. ALMA also joins forces withaffinity groups from other companies—such as Hewlett Packard inCupertino, CA—for networking seminars.

Notes Williams, “Within ALMA areso many different cultures. I’m proudof them because they had to workthrough a lot more issues than someothers. Once pulled together, theyhave been very creative and innova-tive. This goes to show that there’sstrength in differences and brilliancein unity.”

A Product of What They HavePut In Place When M.B.A. student Kwasinda Curtis received Lockheed Martin’sMartin Luther King Jr. Scholarship inJanuary 2004, he did not know that hewould join the company eight monthslater. However, he was hoping.

“I had always wanted to join thecompany,” he says. Before receivingthe scholarship he had submitted hisresumé “over and over—I just keptpushing it on them.”

The scholarship program operatedby the Black Effectiveness SupportTeam (BEST) affinity group in Denver“put me in contact with a lot of people,and it brought to light the differenttypes of people who work here,” hesays. He again submitted his resumé,and landed a job with the company inAugust 2004 as an industrial securityrepresentative. “My background is alittle different,” says Curtis, who holdsa bachelor’s degree in finance andcompleted his M.B.A. in June.“Industrial security is a good way toget my foot in the door at a greatcompany. I’m learning aspects of business I didn’t know existed.”

Affinity Groups: An LM Space SystemsCompany Best Practice

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32 Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005

Curtis credits BEST forhelping him feel connectedwithin the company.“Without BEST, I wouldn’thave the employee network Ihave now,” he says. “I wouldbe limited to the individualswho are in my department. Itallows me to establish a per-sonal relationship—that’swhat makes work much more feasi-ble.”

Curtis, who learned of the schol-arship opportunity from a BEST volunteer at a local recreation center,now represents the company as aBEST member in the community.“BEST allows me to reach out and letpeople in the community know thatthey can be a part of this company. Inmy neighborhood, BEST allows me tosay, ‘Hey, this is where I’m at, and thisis available to you as well. LockheedMartin has opened its doors to you.’”

Curtis explains that besides serving as role models and mentors,the group “gets involved in events,such as bowlathons and 5k walks, touplift our community and raise aware-ness about Lockheed Martin. If I wasn’t part of an organization, itwould be difficult to reach out and letpeople know about opportunities.”

Coming full circle, this past schol-arship recipient was a member of theselection committee for the 2005 MartinLuther King Scholarships and a speakerat the banquet. “The real benefit (of myscholarship) came a year later when Iwas in a position to speak to those whohave supported BEST and to let themknow I’m a product of what they haveput in place. At the banquet I got tostand up and speak on what BEST haddone for me with the scholarship. I hadthe opportunity to emphasize to thenew scholarship recipients that theycan take the same road.”

The Value in Having a VoiceDonald Crow, who provides qualifica-tion and certification training to theworkforce at the company’s southwestTexas plant, joined Space Pro-fessionals Empowering Employeeswith Disabilities (SPEED) not becausehe is disabled, but because he is not. Crow explains, “I think one of thethings you need to do is get us non-disabled people involved because wecan stir things up.” As a result, Crowhas helped the Harlingen facility gobeyond the letter of the law in ensur-ing access for disabled persons. “Ourfacility is disabled-friendly, wherepeople can get around safely. We’reready to go,” says Crow.

“The very first issue I think dis-abled people face in the workplace—and one reason I’m proud to be partof SPEED—is attitude,” he says. “Toomany people automatically think aphysical disability means a mental dis-ability. Secondly, they face mechanicallimitations. Getting around manyplants can be very difficult.”

Crow says, “The big value ofSPEED is that it’s a voice. People cancome to us and say, ‘Here’s a prob-lem; what can we do about it?’ Almostinvariably, it’s been fixed.”

A virtual affinity group, SPEED isopen to employees across the compa-ny’s nearly 20 U.S. locations. SPEEDmembers meet in a monthly telecon-ference. The group hosts activities atvarious company sites, such as theguest speaker presentation thatinspired Crow to join the group.

“When we had Gary Karp, aformer jazz guitarist now ina wheelchair, down heretalking about life on wheelslast year, I became veryinterested,” says Crow. “Quitehonestly, I felt like we hadn’tdone enough about it.”

People Out There to HelpLM Space Systems’ affinity groups areformed and operated at the grass rootslevel in coordination with the company’sWorkforce Diversity Office. The company provides funding and facilitiesfor employee events and communityactivities.

Each group has an executive host,who serves as a link to the company’ssenior management. “This serves toget the executives more involved andis a great way for the executives to getexposed to different cultures withinthe company,” notes Williams.

As an example of the involvementof the company’s executives in theaffinity groups, Curtis met his mentor,a human relations director, throughBEST. “It’s very rare that, as someonewho just walked in the door,” saysCurtis, “you can have such a greatrelationship with a person in a highposition. It helps to know there arepeople out there to help.”

Vanessa Williams also says,“Affinity groups are not just for thosewith special interests or a specific culture. They are for other people tobecome aware of people differentthan themselves. Donald Crow is aperfect example of this.”

In SPEED, Williams sees a modelfor the creation of additional affinitygroups and the expansion of existingones. “I would like to see more affinity groups operate like SPEED ina virtual manner, pulling people infrom field sites,” she says.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems

There’s strength in differences and brilliance in unity.

PDJ

Page 35: Profiles in Diversity Journal | Jul / Aug 2005

Special Feature Lockheed Martin

Sophey Tiet, an electrical engineer, belongs to the Asian American & Pacific Islander American Leadership and Mentoring Association

(ALMA) group in Sunnyvale, CA.

Approximately 1,000 employees participate in affinity groups throughout Lockheed Martin.

Donald Crow, qualification and certification trainer in Harlingen, TX, joined the Space Professionals EmpoweringEmployees with Disabilities (SPEED) Group.

Kwasinda Curtis, an industrial security representative, belongs to the Black Effectiveness

Support Team (BEST) in Denver, CO.

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Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005 35

May Snowden, vice president, Global Diversity at Starbucks, talks about how burritos and baloney sandwiches contributed to her perspective for helping create a community gathering place for Starbucks’ partners and customers as

the company “grows big while staying small.”

About D&I at StarbucksPlease define diversity/ inclusion. At Starbucks we define diversity as “all the ways we differ and are the same” and inclusion as “applying our collective mixture of differences and similarities in the pursuit of organizational objectives.”

In today’s marketplace, does Starbucks have any particular challenges or opportunities?

Our greatest challenge is our growth. We hire over 200 people a day, andopen four stores a day. But because of our age and growth, we have

great opportunities for expanding multicultural marketing initiatives,supplier diversity initiatives and acquisition and development of

diverse talent. We have one of the lowest, if not the lowest,turnover rates in our industry.

Has tapping employee diversity yielded any significantproduct breakthroughs or profit synergies?Just this week, a store manager in California told me how his customers who are deaf have increased a hundredfold becausehe has partners (employees) who can sign. Looking at another

aspect of diversity that we call ‘organizational dimensions’, one ofour greatest product innovations, our Frappuccino, came from a

barista (counter person who serves the drinks and makes sure thatwe have a welcoming environment within our stores).

How does a young and fast-growing company keep up with diversity development throughout the organization?

Any strategy to sustain diversity development throughout the organization must first

A Conversation with May Snowden

Interview May Snowden Starbucks

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36 Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005

M a y S n o w d e nC O M P A N Y : Starbucks Coffee Company

T I T L E : Vice President, Global Diversity

I N C U R R E N T P O S I T I O N : 1.5 years

E D U C A T I O N : Early on I wanted to be a teacher—I felt I had a purpose of educating people, teaching byexample, dialogue and that type of thing. So I got my undergraduate degree in business education, but actually nevertaught after I did my student teaching. After working awhile, I got my master’s degree in public administration because I wanted to be versatile. Then I had an opportunity to go on loan for a year working for U.S. Senator Bill Armstrong, fromColorado; it was a great experience. Afterward, I decided business was going to be my career, and I got my master’s inbusiness administration.

F I R S T J O B : I worked my way through school in most cases, with some assistance through scholarships. I feel very privileged to have been able to do that. My very first job was as telephone operator working my way through school.

P H I L O S O P H Y : I think that life is about the paradigms that we have, how we see things. My philosophy is toalways broaden my paradigm, my mindset. I commonly check myself: when I feel that I have done everything that I cando, and I have engaged everybody that I know to engage about something that I think is a problem, and it doesn’tchange, then I need to change my mind about that problem. I need to see it differently. So it’s really working with thelenses that I have about situations, people, cultures, and so forth, all within me, to make the change.

W H A T I ' M R E A D I N G : I love to learn about different cultures. But I’m also a person that focuses on lifeand experiences and what I’m here for. Right now I’m reading A Purpose Driven Life. It’s a very interesting book, veryengaging, because it helps you to look at those special gifts that you have—we all have those talents and gifts that comenaturally to us—and understanding what those are and how to apply them in your career.

F A M I L Y : My best friend and my personal counselor is my husband, Chuck.

I N T E R E S T S : I enjoy exercising, reading, listening to music. My husband and I like to engage with and helpother people. So we go out—whether it’s on the street or wherever—there are so many people who are homeless andmany people don’t really want to talk to them. But my husband is really good with individuals who have had bad situa-tions and they like to talk with him. He brings me out, and we sit and talk with people and try to help provide things theyneed—shoes or coats or whatever. We prefer to do it privately, but we also support other things, like CARE, because it’sso international; plus our church has a significant outreach and prison ministry.

C H I L D H O O D H E R O : My Mother has always been my best ‘shero’. She was one of nine children, and shedidn’t have an opportunity to start first grade until she was 12 years old. It had to be very embarrassing to be in firstgrade when she was twelve and everybody else was six. But she was very persistent and went through and got her highschool diploma and her bachelor’s degree in Spanish, then went back and got her master’s in education. She was just anoutstanding school teacher and eventually got her Ph.D. later in life. I’m just amazed at her—how much courage she had,and stamina, and how she’d stick to things. So when I think of a shero, it’s my Mother.

F A V O R I T E G A M E : One of the things I’m enjoying right now is playing Uno with my grandkids—ages 3, 5, 6and 11— who stay with me for a month every summer. I enjoy it because the little ones are learning their colors andtheir numbers, and they have so much fun and energy around it.

P E R S O N I ’ D L I K E T O G E T T O K N O W O V E R L U N C H : Probably Nelson Mandela. I saw him once at the White House; I was going into President Clinton’s office and he was coming out, and I tell youthere was just a sensation about him that was very noble. I’d love to be able to spend some time with him and just chat about his experiences and how it felt to be in prison so many years and what kept him being positive. It’s so easy to get an attitude of defeat or resentment and have a bitter life. He didn’t do that. So I would love to be able to ask himpersonally about it.

Interview May Snowden Starbucks

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Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005 37

Interview May Snowden Starbucks

ensure senior leadership awareness,readiness, visibility, commitment andaccountability. Second come educationand awareness of the employeesthroughout the organization. Third isinitiating business unit diversity councils;these develop the unique action plansrequired to implement the overallstrategy and facilitate the implementa-tion of grassroots affinity groups(which in turn assist recruiting, retention,mentoring, development, and servingas a voice in the enterprise and exter-nally). Fourth, there must be internaland external communication of ourresults, our stories, our successes andour challenges. Finally, we needmeasurement, accountability andrecognition for high performance. Allof these steps are phased in to build a

strong foundation to support fastgrowth and change.

What are the components ofStarbucks’ approach to theglobal workplace? The President of Starbucks Inter-national is part of the GlobalDiversity Strategy Team, composed ofthe CEO, his direct reports, and otherkey executive leaders—they own theexecution of the strategy.

Currently, I have been largelyfocused on the U.S., but my next stepwill be to resource the internationalinitiatives. We’ll be looking forresources, including new partners aswell as budget dollars, to support theinitiatives in the international arena.

What usually happens internationallyis that we focus on nationality, whatcountry people are from, and ensuringan inclusive environment with thenationality. And of course, genderissues are common everywhere.

What is at the heart ofStarbucks’ vision for diversity?Starbucks built its inclusive environ-ment foundation on guiding principlesthat are very, very powerful. We real-ly do gather our partners around thoseprinciples and we look at the appro-priateness of our decisions based onthe six principles. That builds a reallystrong foundation to create an inclu-sive environment once you let all ofyour partners and new partners knowhow important respect and dignity

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38 Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005

are, and how important it is toembrace diversity in the way that wedo business: our focus on the com-munity, on the environment, on ourcustomers, on making our productthe very, very best. And then, ofcourse, while we’re doing all thesethings, we want to make profit. Whenyou build a diversity and inclusionstrategy around the guiding princi-ples it just helps people identify keybehaviors.

Regarding leadership commit-ment, what resources are allocated for diversity? I have been in my position for 21months. When I took the position,there were two direct reports and onedotted line report; now I have sevendirect reports and four dotted linereports.

How is Starbucks assuringglobal cross-cultural compe-tencies for its leadership? Our first step was to establish theGlobal Diversity Strategy Team, madeup of the CEO, his direct reports andfour key executive leaders. This lead-ership council is headed by the CEO.We are in the process of assessing ourexecutive leaders to determine theirlearning needs and provide informa-tion for their 2006 action plans. Fromthe analysis of the assessment, we willdevelop a full-day learning event forall vice presidents and above to beimplemented in 2006. Even interna-tionally we want the same concept ofhaving a community gathering placefor our people in general; our objec-tive is to grow big while staying small.

How does your companygauge inclusion of employees? We include diversity and inclusionquestions in our Partner View Survey,and do a demographic analysis basedon gender, ethnicity/race, length ofservice, job level, job title and age.Starbucks’ Partner View data, likeStarbucks itself, is unlike any compa-ny data that I or my team have everseen—we have almost none of the tra-ditional differences by race or gender.We have exceptionally satisfied part-ners, regardless of their demographicmakeup.

For employee suggestions, wealso have a Mission Review Team ateach site who monitor and respondquickly to comments based on ourguiding principles. Broader questionsare referred to my office, and all lead-ers review summarized quarterlyreports of the Mission Review Teams.

How does Starbucks supportupward development of itspartners toward managementpositions? Through succession discussions,development planning, training anddevelopment lateral movements.

What is the company’s com-mitment to minority suppliers? Supplier diversity is much like talentacquisition in that it requires a lot ofoutreach. It’s important for us, numberone, to be welcoming and be able toidentify those woman-owned andminority-owned small businesses thathave the capability of fulfilling theneeds our company has. We bringthose organizations together with theleaders of our business units that havea need for a vendor or supplier andoffer them access to the opportunitiesin our company.

Suppliers doing business throughStarbucks’ Supplier Diversity Programmust meet strict criteria:• 51% woman- or minority-owned, or

socially or economically disadvantaged(per U.S. Small Business Association)

• Certified by the National MinoritySupplier Development Council,National Women Business OwnersCorporation, Women’s BusinessEnterprise National Council, SmallBusiness Administration, or othergovernment or public agency

• Diversity Program suppliers mustsign an agreement pledging compli-ance with Starbucks’ Supplier Code

Interview May Snowden Starbucks

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“I am makinga difference.”

People define our success.

Diverse perspectives and

talents allow us to provide

innovative food and

facilities management

services that improve the

quality of daily life for

the millions of people we

serve in the U.S. every day.

I amSodexho

“I amimproving your life.”

“I am taking careof you. And peopleyou care about .”

“I am a step ahead.”

“I am ensuringyour safety.”

Committed

toDiv

ersity and Inclusion

Committed

toDiv

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Food Services, Facilities Management, Vending, Catering, Office RefreshmentServices, Environmental Services, Landscaping & Grounds Management,Conferencing, Plant Operations & Management

sodexhoUSA.com • 1-800-SODEXHO

©Sodexho Member of Sodexho Alliance®

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40 Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005

of Conduct and Standards—includ-ing demonstrating commitment tothe welfare, economic improvementand sustainability of the people andplaces that produce products andservices; and adherence to locallaws and international standardsregarding human rights, workplacesafety, and worker compensationand treatment.

Verification of compliance is subject to audits, and failure to complyor to correct situations is grounds forcancellation of open orders and termi-nation of the business relationship.

About Her RoleWhere does your personalbelief in diversity and inclusioncome from?I’m about learning, and when you’reabout learning, you engage yourself inareas where you may not be as com-fortable. I learned diversity at an earlyage because I grew up in Las Cruces,NM, where Caucasians were the majorpopulation, but the next largest popu-lation was Mexican Americans. I livedin a Mexican-American neighbor-hood, and African Americans were avery small group, so I learned veryearly to interact with MexicanAmericans and Caucasians.

In school, my friends took beanburritos for lunch, and my mothermade me baloney sandwiches. Noneof us wanted to take our lunches toschool, so we traded: I would havethe bean burritos and they wouldhave the baloney sandwiches. Theywere embarrassed for their bean burritosand I was embarrassed for my baloneysandwich. It’s really interesting whenyou look at cultures and how people

see things they feel are partof the majority group andhow they want to see them-selves differently.

I’m really glad I grew upin that environment, and Ihave kept in good contactwith Hispanics in my life,such as my mentor, SolomonTrujillo, who was CEO at USWest when I worked there. Ialso remember friends in myneighborhood wanting tolearn English and regret that Idid not learn Spanish; so I’mdoing some self-taught class-es right now because Spanishis such a bridge to the culture. It all comes from having aneed for learning and exploring andgetting out of my comfort zone andmy little area to broaden my perspective.

What was your career path?How did you come to be workingat Starbucks? My career path has taken me throughseveral line and staff positions intelecommunications and manufactur-ing industries. My first diversity posi-tion was in telecommunications,where I was selected because of myoperational experience and success inhiring, retaining and developing ahigh-performance workforce. I wasrecruited by Starbucks for this posi-tion; I did not seek it out.

Who were/are your mentors,and are you mentoring anyone? I have had several mentors in mycareer, including my Mother whohelped me develop my character withmuch love and attention. I couldalways go to her with any question,

concern or recognition I received. Mypastor helped me identify my purposeand mission in life and how that canbe integrated in my career. My hus-band gives me a male perspective andreminds me how history and geogra-phy influence our paradigms or worldviews. I am also mentored by mythree adult children who give me ageneration X and Y perspective.

In the corporate arena, one of myclosest mentors is Solomon Trujillo, aHispanic male who has led a Fortune500 company, start-ups, and interna-tional businesses, and is a director on four boards. His style—workinghard, being confident, being a high performer and selecting great diversetalent—has influenced my career.Another CEO mentor is a white femalebusiness owner dedicated to develop-ing and advancing women and thereadiness of men in leadership. I havetwo executive African-Americanwomen who help me with under-standing the culture of Starbucks andhow to get things done here. I amnow mentoring several people; towhom much is given, much is expected.

Interview May Snowden Starbucks

“MENTORING MEMO”from May

To anyone who wants to rise in

their organization: be courageous;

be visible; ask clarifying questions

to increase understanding;

demonstrate your competence

through continuous high

performance; and develop an

internal and external network

through relationship building.

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42 Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005

PDJ

What are your responsibilities and strategies for advancing diversity and inclusion in yourorganization? I consider myself a business leader and catalyst to helpStarbucks effectively address demographic, social and marketrealities by: a) tapping into new multicultural markets toexpand market share and establish a strong brand image andcorporate reputation while improving customer loyalty andsatisfaction; b) recruiting, developing, promoting and retainingdiverse talent to ensure the workplace mirrors the marketplace and the surrounding community; and c) creatingand implementing workplace, procurement, and ‘giving’ policies and management practices that maximize the potentialof our partners, suppliers and the communities we are in.Our strategy is building cross-culturally competent leadershipin a way that will add a measurable difference to organiza-tional performance; maintaining an inclusive environment aswe grow; continuing to increase the diversity mix in our talent profile, customer base and supplier base; and finallydelivering and communicating our results. We are workingon improving our representation of people of color in middle and professional management.

How have you modeled diversity and inclusion in yourown team selection, management or development? I insist on a diverse slate of potential hires. I currently have100% women, 60% white and 40% people of color (and twovacancies) on my team. All of my team members are provideddevelopment budget and are integrated in the work of devel-oping tools and helping to execute diversity and inclusioninitiatives.

Interview May Snowden Starbucks

C o m p a n y P r o f i l eC O M P A N Y : Starbucks Coffee Company

H E A D Q U A R T E R S : Seattle, WA

W E B S I T E : www.starbucks.com

B U S I N E S S : Leading retailer, roaster andbrand of specialty coffee in the world, with morethan 9,000 retail locations in North America, LatinAmerica, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim

2 0 0 4 R E V E N U E S : $5.3 billion (~ 84%from company-operated retail stores; 16% specialtyoperations)

E M P L O Y E E S : >90,000 partners (employees)worldwide. Named one of the best places to work for African-American women by Essence MagazineMay, 2005

C U S T O M E R S : >9,500 coffeehouse in 35countries (including the U.S.) w/potential for 30,000stores worldwide (15,000 in the U.S. and 15,000 outside of the U.S.)

S U P P L I E R S : Starbucks has >80 certifiedminority- and woman-owned business enterprise suppliers—$114 million of business in 2004

People Value:“We have the most knowledgeable work force in our industry. Each partnerparticipates in an extensive training program that facilitatesstrong … product expertise and a commitment to customer service. I takegreat pride, not in the

number of locations we have opened, but in thegrowth and development of our people. We realizeour people are the cornerstone of our success,and we know that their ideas, commitment andconnection to our customers are truly the essential elements in the Starbucks experience.”

- Howard Schultz, Chairman, Starbucks

®

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44 Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005

Is Your Culture Aligned with Diversity?By Peter Linkow

Linkow describes diversity as behaviors that require a hospitable environment. Before launching a diversity initiative, each organization must determine whether its culture offers an environment conducive to diversity; if not, either the culture or the diversity strategy or both must be changed.

Diversity is a series of behav-iors—modes of thinking, act-ing, and working—that, like

orchids, thrive only in a hospitableenvironment. Since culture is a pri-mary determinant of the environmentin an organization, before embarkingon a diversity initiative (or at leastearly in the voyage) an organizationmust determine whether its cultureoffers an environment that is con-ducive to diversity. If not, either theculture or the diversity strategy orboth must be changed.

What is a diversity culture?Marvin Bower, former managingdirector of McKinsey and Company,aptly defined culture as “the way wedo things around here.”1 More for-mally, culture is the values and beliefsthat most members of an organizationshare. Beliefs are assumptions aboutwhat is true, while values are assump-tions about what is worthwhile ordesirable.

An organization with a true cul-ture of diversity and inclusion hasclear values and beliefs that fosterdesirable diversity behavior. It relent-lessly manages every aspect of itswork environment to support thosevalues and beliefs.

Fifty organizations recognized for their diversity initiatives shared seven core diversity values and beliefs:

1. Competitive advantage. Organizations that achieve a significant level of diversity will enjoy a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

2. Psychological safety. Employees should be free from harass-ment, discrimination, and intolerance, and free to speak upwithout fear of reprisal.

3. Value differences/foster inclusion. All differences should berespected and valued. An organization will achieve superioroutcomes when it effectively embraces a wide range of different cultures, perspectives, thought processes, assumptions and beliefs.

4. Advancement through merit. All recruitment, employment, development, promotion and compensation decisions should be made purely on the basis of objective merit.

5. Reflect customers and communities. The practices and demographics of the organization should mirror the practicesand demographics of its customers and communities.

6. Value chain diversity. All suppliers throughout the value chainshould demonstrate diversity success.

7. The right thing. Taking action in the interest of diversity ismorally correct.

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Cultural mediaValues and beliefs must be transmit-ted before they can affect behavior.Three primary mechanisms transmitculture throughout the organizationand affect individual and groupbehavior: heroes; myths and artifacts;and rites and rituals.

Heroes transmit the culture andaffect behavior by modeling behav-iors that succeed in an organization.They personify the fundamental val-ues and beliefs the organization

seeks. One senior leader became ahero when he uncharacteristicallyoverruled a manager to enable ahigh-performing employee to takeadvantage of a flexible work option.

Myths communicate the history ofthe organization through words.Occasionally fictitious, they empha-size the organization’s critical valuesand beliefs. One story frequentlyretold at a leading company depicts ateam, composed of white men, con-verging on a client site only to find

that group composed of people ofcolor. The client leader told the com-pany’s team to come back when theycould more adequately reflect themakeup of the client organization.

Artifacts are objects—like buildings,tools, and written materials—thatcommunicate the history of the organ-ization. At IBM, for example, a policyletter on equal opportunity, written in1953 by Thomas J. Watson, Jr., formerChairman and CEO, is a frequentlycited, highly revered document.

Figure 1: How Culture Shapes Behavior

Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005 45

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46 Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005

Rites and rituals express values andbeliefs through action. They describethe work environment and how workgets done. Rites and rituals have beendescribed as the ‘dance of culture’.For example, a company that has acarefully defined process for objec-tively evaluating every employee andthat adheres invariably to that processsends a strong message about merit.

Strength of the cultureStrong cultures have a greater impacton behavior than weak cultures. VijaySathe 2, professor at the DruckerSchool of Management, says two features of the culture help determineits strength:• Extent of sharing. Organizations

with values that are more widelyshared among their members havestronger cultures. To foster commit-

ment to shared values, IBM createdits values over a period of 72 hoursthrough a highly inclusive, on-line,commitment-building process calleda ‘values jam’, which was open toall 319,000 employees; “tens ofthousands” participated in theprocess.

• Clarity of ordering. In strong cultures, members have more clarityabout the relative importance ofvarious values and beliefs. IBM CEOSam Palmisano has been unequivo-cally clear and focused about valuespriorities at IBM: dedication to everyclient’s success; innovation that mat-ters, for the company and for theworld; trust and personal responsi-bility in all relationships.

Management system variablesCulture is not the only organizationalvariable that affects behavior (Figure 1).Management system variables thatwork in concert with culture to shapebehavior include formal managementprocesses (e.g., measurement, plan-ning, and budgeting); leadership com-mitment and style; human resourcespolicies and processes (e.g., perform-ance management and total rewards);and organizational structure.

An initiative to support diversity values and beliefs might not have thedesired effect on behavior if it is contra-dicted by management system vari-ables. For example, if the performancemanagement process is inconsistentlyapplied, advancement through merit isunlikely. Behavior also shapes the culture in a never-ending chicken-and-egg process.

Front-Runners in Sports Issue

Profiles of major U.S. sports organizations and interviews with diversity leaders in: Major League Baseball, NASCAR, U.S. Tennis,NFL, NBA, PGA Tour, World Team Tennis, U.S. Olympic Committee • Advertising closing date is September 20, 2005

4th Annual Women Worth Watching Issue

Special anniversary issue of PDJ celebrating the success and personalities of over 60 leading women executives nominated by their colleagues, peers, and mentors for distinctive achievements in their spheres of influence. • Advertising closing date is Oct 15, 2005

Both issues will serve as resources for: • Diversity and inclusiveness officers and their teams—for upward and downward presentation of business case issues• HR and Personnel Department officers—to use in orienting and guiding employees and managers• Business educators, MBA programs, or internship directors—as case studies of accomplishment in the face of challenges• Business consultants and trainers—for illustration of principles and messages• Career counselors and coaches of women/minorities aspiring to leadership positions in their fields—for encouragement and guiding principles• Entrepreneurs—for motivation, guidance and training

Call or email publisher Jim Rector [email protected]

It would be our pleasure to work with you to• feature your D&I team / particular initiatives in upcoming issues• consider nominations for Front-Runners of 2006; • include any supporting ad or corporate commentary• announce items of interest to the diversity community.

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48 Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005

The refractive effect culture hason management systems variables isanalogous to the experience of reach-ing into water for a bar of soap andnot finding it where it appeared to be:variables are altered as they are fil-tered through the culture before theyaffect behavior. Beware—culture maydivert the impact of managementactions away from the behaviors youthought you were getting.

Matrix for evaluating cultural alignmentThe diversity culture matrix tool(Figure 2) helps to determine whetheryour culture is ready for diversity. The

tool is useful whether the organizationis embarking on a new diversity strategy,or not achieving desired results froman ongoing strategy.

The matrix includes five steps:describe the current culture; establishcore diversity values and beliefs; correlate core values and beliefs withthe current culture; determine thestrength of the current culture; andanalyze the results and identify targetsfor cultural change.

Top management should beinvolved in the culture assessment andchange process. At best, top manage-ment should complete the tool withthe guidance of an experienced facili-tator; at minimum, top management

must agree upon core diversity values,sign off on the targets for culturalchange, and champion the culturalchange process.

Step 1: Describe the current culture

For each of the cultural media—heroes, myths and artifacts, and ritesand rituals—identify as many cur-rent examples as possible from theorganization. This can be donethrough small-group brainstormingor by interviewing. Ideally, partici-pants should represent all levels andfunctions of the organization. Donot be concerned about which

Figure 2: Diversity Culture Matrix

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Diversity.It’s what drives us.

From the cadres of minority designers, engineers, and office staff to the men and women on the

factory floor and our network of minority owned dealers, we're dedicated to creating the best cars

and trucks possible. In fact, this dedication to work ethic, smarts, and quality is inherent in every

vehicle we produce. It's what makes us the proud American brands of DaimlerChrysler Corporation.

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50 Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005

category an example fits; for example,many myths are about heroes.

Step 2: Establish core diversityvalues and beliefs

Many organizations have alreadydefined their diversity values andbeliefs or will want to create theirown. In any case, top managementshould have final approval. Valuesand beliefs should be collectivelyexhaustive—no other values andbeliefs should be required to fullydescribe diversity. They should alsobe mutually exclusive: to the greatestdegree possible, they should notoverlap with each other.

Step 3: Correlate core values andbeliefs with the current culture

For each current culture example,

determine whether it is highly correlated, correlated, or negativelycorrelated with each core value orbelief by placing the appropriatesymbol in the square. If there is norelationship, leave the box blank.For easy visualization of results, youcan use symbols rather than numbers,as in the sample figures.

Step 4: Determine the strength of the current culture

For each core value or belief, deter-mine whether the extent of sharingand clarity of ordering indicates astrong, moderate, or weak culture.(Use the same symbols you used forStep 3.)

Step 5: Identify targets for cultural change

Identifying targets for culturalchange is a relatively simple matteronce the other steps have beencompleted. By reading down eachcore value or belief, you can deter-mine the correlation between thecore value / belief and the currentvalue. Then, the strength of the culture can be established. If thecorrelation is negative or nonexistent,or the strength of the culture is lowfor a particular value or belief, thatvalue should become a target forcultural change.

Figure 3 illustrates how a companycan use the diversity culture matrix toidentify its targets.

Figure 3: Diversity Culture Matrix for “Cyblex”

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52 Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005

‘Cyblex’ is a hypothetical medium-sized technology company that makesautomated language translation systems, most of which are purchasedby women. Cyblex is strong on diver-sity as a competitive advantage, evenincluding diversity among its businessgoals. There are strong corporate mes-sages about the value of mirroring customers—not apparently shared byemployees. Although there are exam-ples of heroic individuals, the cultureat Cyblex does not convey psychologicalsafety. Valuing differences and foster-ing inclusion are somewhat ambigu-ous, while merit and doing the rightthing appear to be strong in the culture. There is no message at allabout value chain diversity. Cyblexshould first strengthen safety and valuingdifferences and inclusion, thenenhance value chain diversity.

Ultimately, the need for a culturalchange is a judgment call. Step 5,identifying targets for cultural change,is most effective when done as agroup. The critical question to addressis, “What does the diversity culturematrix communicate to you?” A seasoned facilitator can help lead thegroup to a consensus on interpreta-tion and priorities for action.

Getting StartedTo initiate development of a culture ofdiversity, leaders may want to make afew bold changes to symbolize thenew culture. For example, one seniorleader unequivocally rebuked anemployee for making a raciallyderogatory remark; by the end of thatafternoon, the whole company hadreceived a strong message on psycho-logical safety. Another leader deliveredthe diversity business case to everyemployee, a handful at a time; e-mailsback to HR indicated that employees

had gotten the message about diversityas a competitive advantage. Use the organization’s particular management system variables—organizationalstructure, formal managementprocesses, leadership commitment /style, and HR policies / practices—tomove the culture toward diversity andcheck for a consistent message acrosssystems.

In the long run, implementing adiversity culture often requires signifi-cant cultural change and must beimplemented like any transformation3.Changing and then maintaining a culture is by no means easy or certain.Nevertheless, cultural development isessential to diversity success.

NOTES:

1Terrence E. Deal and Allen A. Kennedy. Corporate Cultures: The Rites and Rituals of Corporate Life(Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1982), p.4.

2Vijay Sathe. Culture and Related Corporate Realities(Homewood, IL: Richard D. Irwin, Inc., 1985), p.15.

3Harrison M. Trice and Janice M. Beyer. “Using SixOrganizational Rites to Change Culture,” in GainingControl of the Corporate Culture, Killman, Saxton, Serpa,and Associates, editors (San Francisco, CA: Josey-Bass,1985), p. 371.

Peter Linkow is president of WFDConsulting in Newton, Massachusetts,where he focuses on work-life anddiversity strategy.

An initiative to support the seven core

diversity values and beliefs might not have

the desired effect on behavior if it is

contradicted by management system variables.

At minimum, top management must agree

upon core diversity values, sign off on the

targets for cultural change, and champion

the cultural change process.

PDJA

Albany Interntional Corp. 1373 Broadway

Albany, NY 12204 www.albint.com

We are an AA/EOE/M/F/V/D employer.

Page 55: Profiles in Diversity Journal | Jul / Aug 2005

Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005 53

Psychologist Kathleen Fuegen at OhioState University and her colleaguesinvestigated how a worker’s genderand parental status might influence managers’ assessments of job competence for hiring and promotion.

Two sets of undergraduates(from Midwestern and Easterncolleges) were asked to review

“resumes” of male and female jobapplicants depicted as either single ormarried with two young children; par-ticipants rated the workers for poten-tial hire and also for advancementbased on a range of specific skills.

Citing the current sociological literature, Fuegen notes that “in the

United States the ideal worker is onewho enters the workforce in youngadulthood, works 40 or more hoursper week, is always available to theemployer, works consistently for 40 ormore years, and does not take timeoff for raising children.” She says thestandard perception of the idealworker is one who is ‘unencum-bered’, and that many of the traitsconsidered necessary for being agood parent are “contrary to thoseneeded to be successful in the work-place” (e.g., independence, competi-tiveness, dominance, and availability).

The study revealed that parentalstatus alone or in combination withgender colored the evaluations of

applicants, the standards for hiring,and promotion decisions. Parentswere judged as less assertive and lesscommitted to the workplace thannon-parents; fathers were held to sig-nificantly more lenient performanceand time commitment standards thanmothers and childless men. Further-more, women tended to be held tosomewhat higher standards if theywere parents than if they were notparents (i.e., less likely to be hiredand promoted).

To explore the implications, of this study, read"Mothers and Fathers in the Workplace: How Genderand Parental Status Influence Judgments of Job-Related Competence" by Fuegen, Biernat, Haines, &Deaux : Journal of Social Issues. Vol. 60, No. 4, 2004,pp. 737-754.

Researchers Find Gender and Parenting Skew Job Evaluations

PDJ

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54 Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005

In today’s global marketplace, get-ting international experience is anincreasingly crucial factor for

career success. But women often face“glass borders” that prevent them frombeing selected for global assignmentsand gaining this experience.Stereotyping such as “customers out-side of the United States won’t dobusiness with women” causes man-agers to be wary about tappingwomen for global roles, and maymake women themselves more hesi-tant to accept such assignments.Women also face assumptions abouttheir willingness to relocate that oftendon’t match reality.*

Organizations need to debunkthese myths and provide their womenwith global assignments to give themthe experience they need to advanceand develop in the increasingly globalbusiness environment. And individualwomen who are considering globalassignments need to pursue, evaluate,and prepare for these opportunities.

Both men and women seekingglobal experience can take steps toadvance this career objective:

1. Express interest in globalopportunities.

Catalyst’s study, Passport toOpportunity: U.S. Women in GlobalBusiness, demonstrates that one of thechief barriers to women in globalbusiness is the assumption that

women are not willing to relocate. Forwomen who are considering a globalassignment now or in the future, con-versations with supervisors, mentors,human resources professionals, andother decision-makers about globalopportunities are critical. The discus-sion can touch on timing, the type ofassignment (e.g., frequent flyer, expa-triate, global team), prerequisites, andhow to pursue global opportunities.

“Global assignments are a

great opportunity, but be

sure they fit your life-cycle

stage.” – WOMAN, FORMER EXPATRIATE,

CONSUMER PRODUCTS

Reaching a World of Opportunity

By Catalyst

Global experience is becoming a more critical requirement for those who aspire to senior leadership positions.

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2. Evaluate the best time for aglobal assignment.

Consider your personal situation aswell as the optimal time for yourcareer. The vast majority of expatriatesin Catalyst’s study, both men andwomen, say that the timing was aboutright for their assignments.

On the personal front, women canassess their current and future mobili-ty by the age of children, significantother’s career, and the health of familymembers. Expatriates with childrensay the best times are when childrenare young and adaptable or after highschool when they have moved out.Consult with partners and family mem-bers about their willingness to moveoverseas well in advance of a reloca-tion opportunity.

Career-wise, global managerswant enough experience to succeedand gain host country nationals’respect, but they need that experienceearly enough in their careers to lever-age it for future advancement opportu-nities. Individuals can also discussideal career timing with their supervi-sors and mentors, or others who arecurrently global managers.

3. Keep up with global business issues.

Understanding the global businesscontext will help individuals preparefor a future global management role.For example, regularly read TheFinancial Times or The Economist.Also, broach discussions with higher-ups and current global managersabout the impact of globalization onyour organization.

4. Consider the range of waysto gain global experience.

Expatriate assignments are not theonly way to develop global businessexperience. Short-term assignments,global teams or task forces, and frequent flyer assignments are otheroptions—either as complements to or

substitutes for expatriation. Determinewith supervisors and mentors what‘counts’ as global experience in yourorganization and field.

5. Assess readiness and suitability for global management roles.

Human resources professionals andglobal managers agree that ‘soft skills’,such as flexibility and listening skills,are critical to success in cross-culturalinteractions. There are numerous self-assessment tools that evaluatestrengths and weaknesses for globalassignments generally, or gauge theability to adjust to specific cultures.Tailored assessment tools are availablefor family members through globalrelocation organizations.

6. Recognize how valuable you are.

With a shortage of global talent,women in particular have negotiatingleverage. Don’t be afraid to ask for theposition that you want and the supportyou’ll need.

7. Just do it!Overwhelmingly, women expatriatesrecommend global assignments forother women. Catalyst finds women tobe as satisfied and successful as men;both groups describe the experienceas both personally and professionallyrewarding.

With offices in New York, San Jose, and Toronto,Catalyst is the leading research and advisoryorganization working with businesses and the professions to build inclusive environments andexpand opportunities for women at work. For more information about gaining globalexperience, or to purchase your copy of Passportto Opportunity: U.S. Women in Global Business,visit www.catalystwomen.org. You may also signup to receive our issue-specific newsletter,Perspective, and our monthly email updates [email protected].

Also see “Global Issues for Women,” summarizing theDell Women’s Global Summit findings, in the PDJMarch/April 2005 issue. Editor.

56 Profiles in Diversity Journal July/August 2005

“The timing was rightbecause I knew enough

about the company tocontribute, but it was

early enough in mycareer that

I have also learned a lot about doing

business worldwide.” – WOMAN, EXPATRIATE,

TECHNOLOGY

“If offered an expatriateassignment, you shouldtake it. It’s a wonderful

opportunity.”– WOMAN, FORMER EXPATRIATE,

FINANCIAL SERVICES

“Be open to the experience. Accept that

there will be some hurdles because of your

gender, but don’t letthem stop you.”

– WOMAN, EXPATRIATE, CONSUMER PRODUCTS

“The experience isinvaluable. I worked intwo different production

facilities and at head-quarters. It’s nothing likemoving geographically

and working in another culture.”

– WOMAN, EXPATRIATE, CONSUMER PRODUCTS

*

PDJ

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The Drive for Diversity andInclusion starts right here.

NASCAR® is a registered trademark of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc.©2004 Waste Management, Inc.

s a proud sponsor of NASCAR’s® “Drive for Diversity” initiative,Waste Management is racing toward the same goals as you are.

From Bill Lester behind the wheel of his Number 22 Waste ManagementToyota Tundra to our constant efforts to recruit and support a diverse workforce, we are truly committed to speeding past today’s conventions of diversity and inclusion.

Waste Management salutes the many other workplaces that are on the same track as we are. By working together, we already find ourselves on the road to a more diverse, inclusive tomorrow.

From everyday collection to environmental protection,Think Green.® Think Waste Management.

www.wm.com

A

Page 60: Profiles in Diversity Journal | Jul / Aug 2005

When you join Lockheed Martin, you become part of a team that’s dedicated to providing everyone with the

opportunity to succeed. This spirit of inclusion is the foundation of our success. We believe in an environment

that welcomes, respects, and leverages our differences into one competitive strength. It’s all about giving our best

every day. And eliminating the barriers that might stand in the way of innovative solutions. Lockheed Martin. One

company. One team. Where diversity contributes to mission success.

When you bring out the best in every individual,

you can achieve great things together.