erintendents ? 99.9% of Professional Athletic Team Owners; and ? 100% of U.S. Presidents (Affirmative Action, P.9,10) In any case, it will be easy to tell when affirmative action is no longer necessary. When an individual can look around the workforce and see that members of all groups are being employed and that they are being employed at the high levels as well as at the lower levels, then it wont be needed anymore. It is possible that American corporations are on that road. The increasing PRESENCE of women and minorities has altered the way that companies look. According to the August 14th, 1995 issue of Business Week, companies are using the following methods to hold on to female and minority employees: ? Focusing on bringing in the best talent, not on meeting numerical goals ? Developing career plans for employees as part of performance reviews ? Establishing mentoring programs among employees of same and different races ? Promoting minorities to decision-making positions, not just staff jobs ? Holding managers accountable for meeting diversity goals ? And Diversifying their Board of Directors Despite such efforts by corporate America, the Glass Ceiling Commission reports that women and minorities hold just 5% of senior level jobs. Of the minorities who have obtained top jobs, they are in soft positions such as Human Resources with not much decision-making power (Business Week, Aug.14th 95). In other words, there is still quite a bit of work to be done. Diversity training has unquestionably taken off like a rocket. At corporations around the country, the concept, which previously encompassed a narrow range of sensitivity training programs, has broadened and expanded. Today, diversity is a serious corporate initiative that is seen as helping those at a disadvantage. T...
