Diversity Moves Beyond Black and White To Become Business Asset, Expert Says

Executives are realizing that a diverse workforce offers many competitive advantages

ENCINO, CALIF. (PRWEB) September 22, 2004 -- Workplace diversity used to focus on one key issue: the differences in responsibility, pay and respect people received based on the color of their skin or ethnicity. These days, according to business training expert Myron Curry, president of BusinessTrainingMedia.com, CEOs and executives alike now realize that diversity often makes for better business."

The reason for the evolution? Says Curry, Companies have found that if they can manage a diverse population of employees, theyre better able to deal with a diverse range of customers, which will altimately improve their overall bottomline."

he says. Any company can flourish when it has more resources. In fact, the more resources it has, the better.

Curry says, adding to that which is already diverse.

The diversity of Americas population in general, and thus of companies markets, is forever changing. For instance, many customer service companies sat up and took notice when, in 2000, United States Census results showed that African Americans were no longer the largest minority in the country. Hispanics had officially moved into the #1 position. Companies scrambled to find ways to service and attract this newly acknowledged dominant minority group.

Companies with diverse workplaces make these kinds of transitions much more easily, says Curry: Companies with a diverse number of employees and executives at the ready are covered on many more fronts than less diverse organizations."

The more the merrier

Employees with different cultural, ethnic and racial backgrounds naturally bring different sets of skills, knowledge, and experience to the business arena. With diversity on its side, Curry notes, a company stands a better chance at finding workable solutions in less time. Instead of everyone in an organization offering the same general aspect, diversity gives companies more to work with," he says. Any company can flourish when it has more resources. In fact, the more resources it has, the better." A variety of experience and background also sparks creativity by providing a diverse setting in which people with their own perspectives gain inspiration from those around them. This creates a new form of diversity in itself," Curry says, adding to that which is already diverse."

Diversity takes planning

Curry emphasizes that making successful use of a diverse workforce takes planning and work. His firm, BusinessTrainingMedia.com, offers a range of programs that educate employees on ways that they can gain from others diversity, including

• Different Like You, which focuses less on what a group of people can be identified with and more on the unique diversity of each individual as an organization's most valuable resource;

• The Diversity Series, in which participants explore the broad definitions of human diversity: age, race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, physical status, economic class, education, religion, political ideology and more; and

• Wealth Innovation & Diversity, which contends that your organization will experience long-lasting success only when you hire, promote and encourage people different than yourself.

To find out more about BusinessTrainingMedia.com's diversity training resources visit: http://www.business-marketing.com/store/diversity.html or call 888-337-2121

About BusinessTrainingMedia.com

Formed in 1998, BusinessTrainingMedia.com (BTM) provides workforce and business-development training programs designed exclusively for corporate trainers, managers, executives, educators, entrepreneurs, law enforcement and human resource professionals. The companys Website features more than 5000 workforce-training videos, DVDs, instructor-led workshops, live seminars, books and interactive computer-based learning programs. BTM has more than 4000 customers worldwide, including AT&T, Amazon.com, 3M, IBM, Bank of America, Disney Worldwide, FedEx, United States Postal Service, Yahoo!, Sprint, University of Arizona, Penn State University and others.

Through a partnership with Seminar Information Services, BTM provides access to over 360,000 live seminars and workshops listed annually. It also offers a growing online library of free business management, training and compliance articles.

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