Luke Visconti’s Ask the White Guy column is a top draw on Fair360.com. Visconti, the founder and CEO of Fair360, formerly DiversityInc, is a nationally recognized leader in diversity management. In his popular column, readers who ask Visconti tough questions about race/culture, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability and age can expect smart, direct and disarmingly frank answers.
Question:
Why do you push “incentive-backed diversity goals” Isn’t “incentive-backed diversity goals” simply another way to describe paying, or even bribing, execs to promote more women and minorities And if you’re going to pay more to those who promote more women and minorities, why not also pay more, directly, to women and minorities, and bypass the “middlepersons”
Answer:
Regardless of the strategic business subject(s) at hand, bonuses and/or superior job performance are incentives to focus on what top management feels is most important. The folks receiving incentives are not “middlepersons.” They prioritize their efforts to be aligned with the goals of the company and (in a well-run company) are rewarded according to their success.
