Diversity in the workplace is often framed in terms of race or gender. But many human resource professionals know the challenges of managing diversity in the workplace are far more nuanced. In fact, increasing numbers of HR leaders are recognizing that embracing diversity in the workplace shouldn't even be seen as an "issue," but rather as an opportunity to enrich and strengthen organizational culture.

Claretha Hughes, professor of human resource and workforce development at the University of Arkansas, has dedicated much of her academic career to defining and promoting a much broader understanding of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. She holds both a Ph.D. in career and technical education from Virginia Tech and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Arkansas, among her four college degrees.

Hughes' pioneering work recently received recognition from the Academy of Human Resource Development. She won the 2022 Forward Award for her research and practice relating to Diversity Intelligence™.

Hughes defines Diversity Intelligence™ as "the capability of individuals to recognize the value of workplace diversity and to use this information to guide thinking and behavior."

Despite the recognition she has received, Hughes is more concerned about how her research is progressing and its practical effects on the workplace.

"It does give visibility to help determine Diversity Intelligence™ and allow us to scale the opportunity," says Hughes. "But I'm not jumping for joy yet, because the job isn't finished. I've already written the next book."

 

A Diverse Career: From Industry to Academia

Despite an academic career spanning 18 years, Hughes attributes much of her success in the field of diversity to the skills she developed in a previous career.

Hughes honed her attention to detail in the manufacturing industry. Studying chemistry as an undergrad and earning a Master of Textiles in Textile Technology Management, Hughes worked for several organizations, including the medical devices and health care company Abbott, the Coca-Cola Bottling Company Consolidated and the textile company Burlington Industries.

While working in the textile industry, Hughes' talents were deployed as a color shade manager.

"I had to pass a color shade test every year to prove I could see color right," says Hughes. "To this day, I still keep a color wheel with me at all times. It's a part of who I am. I can look at fabric and know exactly how it is going to stretch and hang on the body. When I see a pair of jeans in a store, I see the rocks they put into the process to create the dye they dyed the material with. I see all the different processes and techniques, from the weaving mill, all the way up to the finished product. Fabric is like a language I can speak."

Unfortunately, the language of fabric manufacturing didn't always agree with Hughes. Her physician suggested that the chemical processes used in textile manufacturing could be triggering a persistent health complaint. And so, adding a doctorate in training and education to her educational resume, Hughes made a move into training and then into academia.

"I wanted to leverage all of my process thinking skills and synthesis thinking skills from industry into technical training," says Hughes. "So, that's what I did to make this transition."

While training textile workers on how to use the various chemicals involved in fabric production, Hughes saw that many workers were undervalued and potentially marginalized in the eyes of their employers. That insight would spur the next transition and focus in her career.

Why Is Diversity Important?

To understand why diversity is important, you first must understand what diversity actually means.

"I don't call myself a diversity scholar," says Hughes. "Diversity just means different. That doesn't mean anything else unless you put it in a context."

While searching for this context, Hughes came up with the concept of Diversity Intelligence™ to help human resource professionals understand that diversity in the workplace isn't a moving goalpost or something new.

"I defined Diversity Intelligence™ in the context of the workplace laws and executive orders that are already there," says Hughes. "When people say, ‘Well, that was acceptable years ago,' it shouldn't have been acceptable! The laws have been in place since 1964. So, none of it should be acceptable."

Hughes explains that business leaders must know who their protected class employees are and how to protect them along with all the other employees they already protect.

"My research was about how leaders treat individual people in the workplace," says Hughes. "Do they see them? Do they truly value them? Diversity Intelligence™ came in because I had to figure out a way to get leaders to see everybody. If you don't even see them, you marginalize them."

This failure often starts with a lack of understanding of who is protected under current legislation.

"I ask the question in an open-ended survey about who is a protected class employee," says Hughes. "Maybe once, someone has listed just about all of them. There's just one protected class category that everybody lists, and that is religion. But what about gender, LGBTQ status, disability and so on? How can you comply with someone when you don't even know who you're dealing with?"

According to Hughes, many businesses "talk the talk" about diversity, but few "walk the walk."

"People rely on this ‘Equal Employment Opportunity' label," says Hughes. "It's in every job description on every post. Some companies have branded themselves as equal opportunity employers and state they value diversity. Yet they have a whole volume of employees who don't feel valued. But how many business leaders truly understand what equal opportunities mean? That's what Diversity Intelligence™ is all about."

 

Diversity Intelligence™ – Five Common Values

The foundation for Diversity Intelligence™ was built on Hughes' experience in industry. She was shocked to see businesses investing millions of dollars in technology, but they wouldn't invest in employees, some of whom could barely read or write.

Hughes compiled a list of five common value measures shared by people and technology:

• Location value – how much it costs to place an employee or piece of equipment in a specific location
• Use value – how much money they can generate
• Maintenance value – how much it costs to maintain output
• Modification value – how much it costs to train or upgrade
• Time value – how long they stay productive

She found that, when it came to the perceived value of people versus technology, employees were not always faring too well.

"I looked at those five common values between people and technology, and technology was getting all the attention, and people were struggling," says Hughes. "You know, in a lot of instances, we will knock down walls to locate and install new equipment. My research is centered around bringing people to the point where they are valued as highly as technology and coexist together."

Hughes explains that, when an organization buys a piece of technology, they know exactly where they are going to position it, what it is going to do for them, how much it will cost to maintain and modify it, and how much it will depreciate over time. Unfortunately, that same consideration is rarely given to employees who can be hired and fired at will.

"An employer might look at someone over age 40 and think they are too old to learn about new technology required to do their job," says Hughes. "In this case, do they truly value them? Do they even see them?"

Diversity Intelligence™ encourages employers to see everybody.

"When you see all your employees in the workplace, you can put together a talent management strategy because you see the value in each individual," says Hughes.

Workforce Development

Hughes explains how Diversity Intelligence™ helps employers make intelligent decisions about workforce development.

"Let's say you are in a call center," says Hughes. "You've got one person picking up the phone and making you money, but they are getting paid the same as this person sitting next to them who is just doing enough to get by. So how do you distinguish between the two well enough to make a good talent management decision and move them into a better job?"

That's where Diversity Intelligence™ should be applied to effective decision-making.

"You don't discriminate because the employee is a woman, LGBTQ or a disabled individual," says Hughes. "You look at the person individually to arrive at the best choice. But managers aren't always doing that. How could you value everybody if you are marginalizing people?"

While this might sound like common sense and good business practice, Hughes cautions that embracing diversity in business isn't always the norm. Hughes tracks and shares multiple diversity-related articles on her Diversity Intelligence™ Facebook page every day.

"I started a Facebook group on diversity intelligence way back in 2015," says Hughes. "I don't share commentary. I just post the information. Every day I share information on discrimination cases. There are sexual harassment cases, cases relating to generational diversity in the workplace, disability cases, mental health, autism and all types of cases every single day. So, it's a constant in all areas of society, including the workplace and schools."

Hughes describes her Facebook group as a work in progress.

"I tell people when I have nothing to post, that's when I know that it has succeeded," says Hughes. "But right now, most people don't even understand what diversity is."

Challenges of Diversity in the Workplace

Despite more businesses highlighting how they value diversity in the workplace, Hughes insists that even the most proactive organizations need to do better – and argues that it shouldn't take traumatic events to spur them to action.

Hughes recalls conversations with young black women about their employers suddenly promoting inclusion in the workplace following the killing of George Floyd in 2020.

"They would call me, just devastated," recalls Hughes. "These businesses should have been doing these things 20 years ago. You've got to understand these young people were in there struggling all along, being marginalized, doing all kinds of stuff and being treated all kinds of ways, while doing the best that they can."

Hughes describes many of these young people as traumatized.

"Their employers had been telling them that they were too sensitive or even paranoid. Then, all of a sudden, these businesses did what their employees had been asking them to do for the last five or 10 years in less than 20 minutes."

Hughes says diversity barriers such as racism aren't necessarily inherent.

"I believe that you don't have to ‘teach' anti-racism," says Hughes. "People already know how not to be racist. Just treat me the same way you treat the people you love the most."

Finding solutions must begin at the top – and that involves intentional self-reflection. Hughes says that leaders must look within themselves if they have an issue understanding the benefits of diversity in the workplace.

"You don't need leadership training to make the decision to either follow the law on your job or ignore it," says Hughes. "You walk in, and you should know what the laws are. If you are leading people and you cannot follow those laws, I don't think you need to be leading people."

Hughes explains reflecting on diversity isn't just important in the business world – media and government also share in the responsibility.

"The media is not an inanimate object," says Hughes. "It is people. People in the media choose to write what they want to write and do what they want to do. They need Diversity Intelligence™ to resolve their part in the problem. It's the same with the government. They are just people. Don't ask what the media or government is saying. Ask what the people in the media and government are doing."

Hughes is also quick to highlight how organizations should not scapegoat technology for making poor diversity decisions.

Hughes refers to Amazon's aborted attempts to use artificial intelligence in its recruitment process. Amazon scrapped the AI tool after it was revealed it was discriminating against individuals on the basis of gender.

"Who programmed the logic and algorithms?" says Hughes. "There are always humans involved, and that's why Diversity Intelligence™ is for everybody – but you've got to start with leaders first."

Because diversity in the workplace is a human problem, Hughes prefers the word "intelligence" rather than highlighting the challenge as "ignorance."

"I don't speak in terms of diversity ignorance," says Hughes. "If you're not diversity intelligent, that's not saying you are ignorant. I ask, ‘Have you got time to learn?'"

 

Diversity, Educational Access and Online Learning

As a professor teaching in the bachelor's degree program in Human Resource and Workforce Development Education at the U of A, Hughes is conscious that online learning is often the only way many students from diverse groups can access education.

With the majority of her students studying while also holding down a job and supporting families, they do not have the luxury of attending class any other way.

Hughes is also aware that not every student will have access to lightning-fast internet connections and the latest technology. As such, she has adapted her classes to suit the online medium and the needs of her students.

"You cannot entirely replicate the campus experience online," says Hughes. "I do all asynchronous learning because trying to force students all over the country and all over the world to come together at one time is never going to work."

Students in Hughes' classes take part in discussion boards.

"I ‘force' my students to read," says Hughes. "I ask them to do their research assignments and then give me their perceptions with validated opinions and empirical evidence. My discussion boards are set up so they can't see each other's posts until they post their own work. So, there's no alternative for them to do anything but read and write their responses to each question with evidence to support their opinions."

Hughes' long experience has taught her how to balance the opportunities and challenges of online learning.

"I build in every contingency before I launch an entire class," she says.

Her teaching style is perfectly suited to the needs of her nontraditional students who may be working different schedules and in different time zones. She gives students two weeks to complete their assignments.

"I've tried to build a class where learning occurs," says Hughes. "They know they need to find between three and six hours per assignment over those two weeks. This gives my students the flexibility to work on their assignments around whatever else they have going on in their lives."

In many ways, Hughes' teaching style mirrors her commitment to diversity – creating opportunities for every student regardless of their background or situation.

 

Learn More About Developing Diversity Intelligence™

The online bachelor's degree program in Human Resource and Workforce Development Education at the U of A can help human resources professionals develop the knowledge and skills to apply Diversity Intelligence™ in talent development for any organization. To learn more, visit the program page on our website.

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