Read the attached passage and answer the questions in two or fewer pages.
Has De-emphasizing Diversity Become a New Trend among U.S. Leaders?
A funny thing happened on the way to the C-suite. Well, maybe not as funny as it is baffling. A recent study con- ducted by consulting firm. AchieveGlobal, sought to determine leaders' key focus areas (zones") for achieving leadership success in the twenty-first century. The study found that more than half of U.S. leaders ranked Diversity as the least important of the study's six identified leadership zones. (Business was ranked the highest zone, followed by Society, People, Ingenuity. and Reflection.)
Adding to the bewilderment, leaders in other parts of Tie world ranked diversity higher than U.S. leaders. Craig Perrin, the director of AchieveGlobal's solution development group, called the finding disturbing, particularly given 'the way the world is going and how integrated the global economy is." By all reports, the U.S. culture is diversifying, so what could possibly explain the leaders' survey responses? Perrin otters several plausible explanations, from diversity being viewed by some leaders as "the nice thing to do" yet not critical to business success to a general belief that treating everyone the same and ignoring individual differences is the best way to achieve equality and mutual respect. Perrin offers one more possible reason for Ire leaders' response on the survey: ethnocentrism. The classic leader, the middle-aged white male, sees the world in terms of his own values and belief system. Everyone else must figure out how he or she thinks and learn how to contribute accordingly.
Not all leaders seem to be de-emphasizing diversity, however. A bright spot worth noting is California law firms. Though work remains to be done, the study indicated that these firms had outperformed their national counterparts hiring and retaining women, gays and lesbians, and other minorities.
1. Do you agree with the ranking of leadership zones as indicated by the U.S. leaders in the study? How would you rank the zones? Explain.
2. What other plausible explanations might U.S. leaders have for ranking the Diversity leadership zone so low?