Unit 2 Assignment: Case Study
Analysis
Read the Case “Managing Talent:
General Motors’ Commitment to Diversity” at the end of Chapter 3. Answer the
three questions at the end of the case in a 2–3 page paper. Follow the project
guidelines below.
To assist you with this, and other
case studies in this class, a document entitled “Case Study Analysis,” is in
Doc Sharing and can be downloaded for your reference. This document, and many
other invaluable writing resources, can also be found at the Kaplan Writing Center
Requirements:
1.
Use the Case Study Template here to format your paper. The template is also available in Doc
Sharing.
2.
Complete a 2-3 page paper (not
including the title and reference pages).
3.
Answer each question thoroughly.
4.
Demonstrate your understanding of
the information presented in the weekly reading assignments by defining terms,
explaining concepts, and providing detailed examples to illustrate your points.
5.
Include at least two references from
your reading assignments, or other academic sources, to reinforce and support
your own thoughts, ideas, and statements using APA citation style.
Review the Assignment Rubric (below)
before starting this Assignment.
This is the Reading
MANAGING
TALENT: General Motors’ Commitment to Diversity
Back in the 1980s, valuing diversity
was far from the minds of the leadership at General Motors. True, GM had
established a program to promote minority-owned dealerships, but there were
problems within the company. Women and minorities complained to the Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission that the carmaker was discriminating against
them. In 1984, the EEOC and GM reached a $42.4 million settlement in which GM
promised to promote women and minorities into management positions. Since then,
the company has never swerved from that effort at inclusiveness. Today GM
garners praise as a company that far exceeds legal standards for equal
employment opportunity.
For GM, this commitment to diversity
is a way to better serve its customers in the United States and around the
world. A diverse workforce, supplier base, and dealer network show GM how to
serve a diverse marketplace. And openness to diversity—what GM calls a
welcoming Workplace of Choice—gives the company access to the best talent in
the world, without regard to such differences as race, sex, and nationality. In
the words of Alma Guajardo-Crossley, director of GM’s diversity initiatives,
recruiting and hiring minorities is “business sense,” because in the United
States, minority groups “are pretty much going to be the majority here pretty
soon.” They have an impact because the company does not merely hire minorities,
but also develops them, trains all employees to value diversity, and expects
all its people to be fully engaged in helping GM “design, build, and sell the
world’s best vehicles.”
Guajardo-Crossley is just one member
of a team of managers dedicated to promoting diversity at General Motors. She
reports to Eric Peterson, GM’s vice president of diversity. Others on the team
include managers of diversity communications, diversity advertising, minority
dealer development, and supplier diversity. In addition, employees are welcome
to form employee resource groups, which bring together employees with shared
backgrounds or interests to support one another’s career development and be
available to consult with others in the company. GM has employee resource
groups for women, Asian Indians, Chinese, people of African ancestry,
Hispanics, young employees, Native Americans, Mideast and Southeast Asians,
people with disabilities, veterans, Vietnamese, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender (LGBT) employees.
One sign that GM is succeeding in
its commitment to diversity is the representation of various groups in
leadership positions. Among public companies in Michigan, for example, boards
of directors average about 10% women. But at GM, over one-third of the
directors are women.
GM managers who have benefited from
the company’s attitude of inclusiveness assert that this environment frees them
to contribute fully. Sabin D. Blake, a dealer organizational manager, said seeing
gay and supportive straight employees in the executive ranks gave him the
courage to reveal to his colleagues that he is gay. (Courage is necessary
because no national laws prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.)
Coming out, in turn, freed up a lot of energy Blake had spent on hiding his
identity at work. Diana Tremblay, GM’s vice president of manufacturing and
9697labor relations, is sure that her experiences as labor negotiator, wife,
and mother have together shaped her into a woman who succeeds both at work and
in family life. For example, after three decades of marriage, she had a deep
reservoir of experience in talking out issues rather than letting the conflict
drive the couple apart. That same attitude has made her a successful negotiator
with the United Auto Workers. In fact, Tremblay has found an advantage of being
a woman in a male-dominated industry: when she succeeds, people notice her.
Questions
1.
Of the activities and
accomplishments described in this case, which does General Motors need to do in
order to meet legal requirements? Which go beyond legal requirements?
2.
Do you agree with GM’s assumption
that when employees feel fully accepted for who they are, they will feel free
to contribute their talents more fully at work? Why or why not?
3.
How might GM measure whether its
efforts to promote diversity really are helping it achieve business success?
The paper is related to this.
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