Diversity: The Glass Ceiling
...rce. One of which was the inclusion of women and minorities into management positions. With this change it was found that these groups were only allowed to progress so far before their ascension through the ranks came to an abrupt halt. This usually happened when the only positions left to progress to were the very top levels of the corporate echelon. Facing this problem several feminist and civil rights groups lobbied hard for changes to be made to this promotion system. One of the big changes enacted was the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This law states that no one can be discriminated in their employment due to their sex, ethnic group, religion, or age. This law was supposed to be the golden ticket for minorities and women to be able to achieve the top corporate slots all across the country. In reality, all one needs to do is look around and you will see that this is not so. Most of the fortune 500 companies are still headed by white males and will continue to be for some time. It is such a rare occasion when a minority or women takes one of these jobs, that it becomes a huge media event. Case in point, all the hoopla made over the Carly Fiorina hiring to become the head honcho at Hewlett-Packard several years ago. The Civil Rights Act of 1991 again addressed the issue of the glass ceiling. Enacted as Title II of this law, this motion established the bipartisan Glass Ceiling commission with the secretary of labor as its chairperson. The 21-member Commission was charged with a complex mission: To conduct a study of opportunities and artificial barriers to the advancement of minority men and all women into management and decision-making positions in corporate America; and, To prepare and submit to the President and the appropriate committees of the Congress, written reports containing the findings and conclusions resulting from the study and the recommendations based on those findings and conclusions. This obviously needed to be done as the original civil rights act of 1964 was not effective. This group conducted its study and came up with a 12 point plan for breaking the glass ceiling. The highlights of this plan include Using affirmative action as a tool to ensure that all qualified individuals have equal access and opportunity to compete based on ability and merit, preparing minorities and women for senior positions using such tools as mentoring, and including diversity in all strategic business plans and hold line managers accountable for progress toward breaking the glass ceiling. The reality of the glass ceiling creates many problems in today’s corporate climate. One of the most pressing problems we face is the need for cultural diversity at the head of corporations. It is not rational to think that a group limited to middle aged white males can possibly know how to sell all products and solve all problem...