Equal Opportunity Innovations at Work: Mechanisms for Reducing Job Segregation

自1964年民权法案通过以来，公司已经尝试了数十种不同的创新，旨在减少工作隔离和增加劳动力多样性。 迄今为止，很少有研究的作用创新，如肯定行动计划，多样性培训，多样性委员会在不断变化的组织人口。 该项目旨在研究这些计划是否以及如何有助于增加美国工作场所的性别，种族和民族多样性。 在以前的研究中，我结合了1971年至2002年期间平等就业机会委员会关于建立劳动力特征的年度数据，以及833家私营部门机构的就业实践纵向调查数据。 我发现有些创新在减少工作隔离方面非常有效，而另一些则无效。 分配组织责任和问责的创新-多样性委员会、多样性工作人员和平等权利行动计划-随之而来的是管理多样性的增加。 但是，旨在通过解决偏见和社会孤立等已知原因来减少隔离的创新并不有效。 多样性培训，多样性绩效评估，网络计划和指导计划并没有随之而来的多样性显着增加。 目前的研究项目涉及对64家公司的深入研究，这些公司在增加劳动力多样性方面取得了不同的成功。 通过对多样性计划机制的仔细比较，我将研究多样性办公室、多样性工作组和平权行动计划的哪些活动会导致组织多样性的增加。 我们的策略是将这些创新已经取得成果的公司与没有取得成果的公司进行比较。 这项研究应该为寻求利用美国日益多样化的劳动力的公司提供重要的见解。

Since the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 firms have experimented with dozens of different innovations designed to reduce job segregation and increase workforce diversity. To date there has been little research on the role innovations such as affirmative action plans, diversity training, and diversity committees in changing organizational demography. This project is designed to examine whether, and how, these programs contribute to increased gender, racial, and ethnic diversity in American workplaces. In previous research, I combined annual Equal Employment Opportunity Commission data on establishment workforce characteristics between 1971 and 2002 with longitudinal survey data on employment practices in 833 private-sector establishments. I found some innovations to be highly effective in reducing job segregation and others to be ineffective. Innovations that assign organizational responsibility and accountability -- diversity committees, diversity staff, and affirmative action plans -- have been followed by increases in managerial diversity. But innovations designed to reduce segregation by addressing known causes, such as bias and social isolation, have not been effective. Diversity training, diversity performance evaluations, networking programs, and mentoring programs have not been followed by significant increases in diversity. The current research project involves intensive study of 64 companies that have had varying success with programs to increase workforce diversity. Through careful comparisons of the mechanics of diversity programs, I will examine which activities of diversity offices, diversity taskforces, and affirmative action plans lead to increases in organizational diversity. The strategy is to compare companies in which these innovations have shown results to companies in which they have not. This research should provide important insights for firms seeking to make use of America's increasingly diverse workforce.