David Drobis, president of the Arthur W. Page Society, is blunt when asked about the PR industry's efforts at diversity.
"If you look around the Page Society, it's not a particularly diverse group," says Drobis, who is also senior partner and chairman of Ketchum. "We need to focus more on it."
Indeed, as Drobis explains below, lip service on diversity no longer cuts it in public relations. Dramatic changes in social and workforce demographics are compelling
organizations to start thinking differently about diversity. Using examples from the Page Society Drobis points out a number of ways in which PR execs can be more inclusive, with
the overarching goal being an industry that is more like the changing face of America. But Drobis admits that there are many, many miles to go. Ladies and gentlemen, start your
engines.
Diversity is a topic we like to talk about. But we don't necessarily walk the talk. That's unfortunate because diversity is something the PR profession should always strive
for.
Are we there yet when it comes to making our organizations a more diverse workplace? The answer, in all honesty, is no. But we are starting to make progress. Throughout the
profession, there is a growing awareness that diversity in the organizations we represent is needed for both social and economic reasons. And public relations must take the lead
in creating a workforce that more realistically reflects the population from which we draw our employees. We must set the example.
The Arthur W. Page Society, which includes the chief communications officers of some of the nation's leading corporations, has had a task force working on diversity. The first
thing it did was look at the Society's membership and develop a strategy for increasing diversity within our ranks. Second, it looked at the programs that we offer and applied a
sort of diversity test on them. The task force has also identified speakers who could address the issues of diversity for our twice-a-year major conferences. At our most recent
Annual Conference in San Diego, for example, Linda Chavez, president of the Center for Equal Opportunity, talked about managing diversity as it pertains to the growing Hispanic
population in this country.
But it didn't take long for the task force leaders, Valerie DiMaria and Ann Barkelew, to recognize that they had to work with others in the profession if we were going to
attract more minorities to the PR field. Two community-based organizations caught their eye. One was INROADS, an organization that works with Fortune 500 companies to provide
leadership development and professional training of outstanding ethnically diverse students. The other was The Lagrant Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to
increasing the number of ethnic minorities in the fields of public relations, marketing and advertising.
We have formed partnerships with both organizations under a program called "Pathways to Diversity" and have made an initial contribution of $20,000 towards their ongoing
scholarship programs for minority college students who make public relations and communications their career choices. Four scholarships of $2,500 each will be awarded by INROADS
and two scholarships of $5,000 each will be awarded by The Lagrant Foundation. This is the first time the Page Society has funded scholarships, but we think it is an important
step for us to take in addressing the issues of diversity.
The reason is simple. The long-term success of our profession calls for a diverse body of talent who can bring fresh ideas, perspectives and views to our respective
organizations. University of Maryland Professor James E. Grunig, who has done extensive research on the subject of diversity, says, "Organizations become more effective when they
have incorporated diverse values and talents into their structure and culture."
It's also no secret that the lack of diversity can affect your ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences.
In short, diversity is smart public relations and good business.
It's also a necessity when you consider that by 2004, 85% of the people entering the workforce will be women and minorities. And by 2009, half of all workers will be women and
minorities.
We're using the Pathways to Diversity program as a first step in addressing diversity. As the program develops, we'll look for opportunities to partner with other
organizations in order to create more scholarship opportunities.
But we're also alerting our membership to other programs that may fit their needs. One is the Career Academies in Communications sponsored by the PRSA Foundation. By enabling
high school students to learn about public relations from local Public Relations Society of America and Public Relations Student Society of America advisors and mentors, the
Foundation hopes to attract young people - especially minority students - to the field of public relations. Long-term, they want to work with others in making the face of public
relations better mirror that of society.
With grants from a number of corporations, the foundation has been able to launch Communications Career Academies in seven pilot sites. The foundation is actively looking for
additional grants in order to expand the program.
Research has shown that introducing the idea of public relations as a viable career choice at the high school level can help steer more minority students into the profession.
Similarly, college-level scholarship programs such as the Page Society is getting involved with can help motivate minority students to consider careers in public relations.
But there is much more to be done. Mentoring programs both at the academic and the professional level would help create an environment that not only supports diversity, but
also can lead to advancement of minorities. Many companies are offering diversity training for all employees to help overcome the barriers that many minorities feel are holding
them back.
Part of the problem is that both corporations and agencies need to create a work environment and a culture that makes inclusiveness a way of life. We cannot afford to keep
recruiting qualified minorities and then have them drop out because they don't feel they belong.
Once we create more diversity in our organizations, we have to make sure we provide the professional development opportunities that will lead to advancement for employees of
every background and origin. The Arthur W. Page Society, in partnership with the Institute for Public Relations, has been running an Executive Forum every year that reaches out
to the rising stars of corporate public relations and provides them an opportunity to learn from the leaders of the profession. I'm happy to say that we are seeing more and more
minorities and women go through this professional development program.
We have a long way to go before we can claim to have diversity in our organizations and in the corporations we represent. But we are doing the right thing by introducing
programs that are specifically designed to foster diversity within public relations. As I said before, public relations need to set the example. And I think we are beginning to
do that.
Contact: David Drobis, 646.925.3901. For more information about the Page Society's Pathways to Diversity Scholarship program, contact Paul Basista, executive director, Page
Society, [email protected] or call 212.387.4238.