Throughout the years, MTV Networks has been slammed in the media
for pushing negative images on the nation's youth. But if you ask
Rosanna Fiske, a partner with the Miami- based PR firm
Communiqué Group/Rise Strategies and chair of the
PRSA's National Diversity Committee, companies can learn a thing or
two from her client MTV when it comes to enhancing diversity.
The network regularly blasts messages promoting diversity of
"mind and thought," says Fiske, adding that MTV wants to stay on
top of demographic and cultural curves. "Younger people today are
much more prone to having diversity in their lives than 20 or 30
years ago," she says. "MTV is constantly changing its ideas, and
content and diversity are a big part of that because its audience
becomes more diverse every day."
MTV's commitment to enhancing diversity -- its news
correspondents make up a veritable rainbow -- is in stark contrast
to most companies, according to Fiske. "I still think corporate
America pays a lot of lip service to diversity," she says. "It's
almost like they think of it as some sort of fad, but the reality
is that the marketplace is more diverse than ever, and that's the
bottom line once you get past all the niceties."
Fiske attended a recent "Diversity Summit" in New York City,
sponsored by the PR Coalition, a consortium of 23 PR groups
representing 50,000 communication executives, where the corporate
take on diversity was presented. (For the agency perspective on
diversity, see PR News, Feb. 2, 2005.)
While diversity has in the last few years shifted to a business
strategy from the human resources function, corporate America --
particularly in the ranks of upper management -- continues to
grapple with how to change its complexion. Progress in the area
can't be denied, and the dialog is expanding, but there's ample
room for improvement.
"The comment we hear most often is we can find people of color,
we can't diversify our departments," says Cheryl Procter-Rogers, a
regional corporate affairs director for HBO (and incoming
president of the PRSA). "But as communicators, one of our
tenets is to be of the world -- be a champion of diversity and lead
by example. We can't be innocent bystanders."
In her study of companies that were successful at improving
diversity, Procter-Rogers found several commonalties, such as an
actively involved CEO, outreach among PR reps to organizations
outside of the four walls and, perhaps most important, the PR
function is supported by other areas of the company, such as
marketing and advertising.
"These companies are constantly evaluating the effectiveness of
their diversity efforts and not just saying, 'We're doing a good
job because everyone feels good,' but are putting some measurements
in place to make sure [diversity] is not really about numbers," she
says. "But it is about numbers."
Procter-Rogers adds that having a "seat at the table" is
critical to improving diversity; otherwise such efforts are doomed
to fail. Indeed, if a CEO truly "gets it" regarding diversity,
that's more than half the battle for senior PR execs.
Corporate strategies for improving diversity also were batted
around during the summit. At Pepsi Bottling Co., for
example, VP/Corporate Communications Angela Bounocore encourages
her field managers to get involved in
social/community/professional/educational organizations. "These
groups are not only a source of talent but it's a way for managers
to get themselves into the community and get new business,"
Bounocore says. "And this has turned out to be very effective as a
recruiting tool. People have to take themselves out of their own
comfort zone."
Another approach to enhancing diversity that provides solid
returns: adopting communications schools at the collegiate
level.
Take IBM, which has "adopted" the school of
communications at Florida A&M, says Bryan Simmons, vp/client
and industry communications at IBM.
"Some of the diverse professionals at IBM and I go down there
several times a year and really get to know the kids," he says,
adding that at least three recent interns from the school have been
brought into the company full time. "It's really paid off for
us."
If companies do recruit at minority colleges, they have to make
sure it's not a one-shot deal, says Rochell Larkin Ford, an
assistant professor of PR and advertising at Howard
University in Washington, D.C., adding that diversity reps from
both General Electric and General Motors visit Howard
annually to recruit potential new employees.
PR observers are divided on how sincere corporate America's
commitment is to improving -- and sustaining -- diversity. While
Fiske sees a lot of lip motion on diversity, Luke Visconti, a
partner and co-founder of DiversityInc. Media LLC, which
publishes the nine-times-a year DiversityInc (150,000-circ.)
and also offers a daily Web site covering myriad diversity issues,
sees things differently.
"Some companies are doing a very good job, but quality of
diversity at the management level varies," he says. "As a group,
corporate America is spending a great deal of its efforts to make
sure it gets this right."
Visconti scoffs at the notion -- promulgated by corporate
America, he says -- that diversity is some sort of cosmic mystery.
"It's not acceptable in this day and age to say, 'I don't do
e-mail' or "I don't do voice mail.' That would be preposterous.
It's the same thing with enhancing diversity, which is a matter of
business survival."
If corporate America fails to alter its hiring practices
fundamentally, some companies ultimately will go by the boards. To
wit, about half of the companies on the 1980 Fortune 500
list no longer exist, according to Visconti.
"There's no guarantee your company is going to be around," he
says. "It's like the proverbial frog in boiling water. It doesn't
realize it's cooked until it's too late."
CONTACTS: Angela Bounocore, [email protected];
Rochell Larkin Ford, 202.806.5124, [email protected]; Cheryl
Procter-Rogers, 847.318.5156, [email protected].
Bryan Simmons, 914. 642.4170, [email protected];
Luke Visconti, 732.533.7827, [email protected]