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At Xerox, Diversity equals Success

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At Xerox, Diversity equals Success. The equation certainly has worked for the company! According to Fortune1 magazine's annual reputation survey, Xerox is the world's most admired company in the computer industry. According to Anne Mulcahy, Xerox former Chairman and CEO, the firm's focus on diversity is based on an environment of inclusion within which each person can achieve to their highest potential. Xerox knows that employees with different ways of thinking, and different ways of perceiving the world, are employees who create innovative solutions. In a business like Xerox, whose lifeblood is fresh ideas, this variety of perspectives is a priceless resource—and a key to achieving critical business results.

With recent annual revenue of $23+ billion, Xerox is the world's largest technology-and-services company specializing in document management.² Xerox provides the document industry's broadest portfolio of offerings. Digital systems include color and black-and-white printing and publishing systems, digital presses and "book factories," advanced and basic multifunction systems, laser and solid ink network printers, copiers, and fax machines. No competitor can match Xerox's services expertise, which includes helping businesses develop online document archives, analyzing how employees can most efficiently share documents and knowledge in the office, operating in-house print shops or mailrooms, and building Web-based processes for personalizing direct mail, invoices, brochures, and more. Xerox also offers associated software, support, and even supplies such as toner, paper, and ink.³

By recognizing and respecting diversity and empowering individuality, Xerox creates productive people and an innovative company. This corporate culture of inclusion with its commitment to diversity can be traced back to its very first chairman, Joseph C. Wilson. Chairman Wilson took proactive steps to create a more diverse workforce in response to race riots in the 1960s. With then Xerox President C. Peter McCullough, Wilson called for increased hiring of African Americans in an effort to achieve equality among its workforce. Starting in the 1970s, Xerox established an internal affirmative action office and began to hire a significant number of minority ­employees.⁴

Xerox placed emphasis on the advancement of minorities and females in the 1980s. It was during this time that Barry Rand, an African American, was named the first minority president of a division. Xerox's Balanced Workforce Strategy (BWF) aimed to achieve unbiased representation for women and minorities throughout the organization at all times, including throughout times of restructuring. During the influx of women into its workforce Xerox recognized women's struggle to balance work and family commitments. In response, Xerox Human Resources (HR) initiated "flex time" and other HR policies to maintain a high level of productivity and satisfaction among its workforce.⁵

In the 1990s sexual orientation was included in the company's Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action and Non-discrimination policy; GALAXe Pride at Work (a caucus group for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender employees) was established; and Xerox began to provide domestic partner benefits for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender employees. Annual diversity employee roundtables with senior managers were initiated, providing employees the opportunity to engage in unfiltered communication with management about the best practices, strengths, and weaknesses of Xerox's diversity initiatives.⁶

Xerox's view on a diverse workforce is most ­eloquently expressed by former Chairman Anne M. Mulcahy:

I'm convinced diversity is a key to success. Experience tells us that the most diverse companies—companies ruled by a hierarchy of imagination and filled with people of all ages, races, and backgrounds—are the most successful over time. Somehow, diversity breeds creativity. Maybe it's because people with different backgrounds challenge each other's underlying assumptions, freeing everybody from convention and orthodoxy. We provide a shining proof point that diversity in all its wonderful manifestations is good for business . . . good for our country . . . and good for people.⁷

Xerox is proud to say that women and minorities make up more than 50 percent of its workforce. About 48.2 percent of Xerox senior executives are women, people of color, or both. The employee roster is made up of roughly 30 percent African Americans, Latinos, Asians, and Native Americans. In fact, Xerox has been rated by Fortune, Forbes, Working Mother, Latino Style, and Enable magazines as one of the top ten companies in hiring minorities, women, disabled, and gay and lesbian ­employees. It is among Working Mother's top 100 family-friendly companies for women—and has been for the past fifteen years.⁸

In 2007 Ursula Burns was named the first ­African-American female president of Xerox Corporation. In July 2009 she succeeded Anne M. Mulcahy as CEO, the first female-to-female hand-off in Fortune 500 history. In May 2010 Burns was also named chairman, heading a company of over 140,000 employees. Her philosophy is consistent with the company culture and history. She says:

The power of our people development model is that it recognizes the value of diversity from entry-level positions to the top seats. When you've been at it as long as we have, the bench gets pretty strong of next generation leaders who represent the real world: black, white, male, female, Hispanic, Asian from different religions and with different beliefs. What they all have in common is strong skills, a solid work ethic, commitment and a will to win.⁹

With Ursula Burns at the helm, and a 100 percent ­rating on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality Index and its Best Places to Work survey, there's no doubt about it: Xerox's commitment to diversity is still going strong.¹⁰ In a difficult global environment and highly competitive industry, Burns's leadership will surely be tested to the fullest in the days ahead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. How would Xerox define diversity? How has its definition changed over the years?
2. What are the seven reasons why Xerox should be motivated to diversify its workforce? Illustrate how Xerox shows it values workplace diversity.
3. Does Xerox embody or defy the "leaking pipeline" phenomenon? Why?
4. Research Question. Compare Xerox to other Fortune 500 companies. How are women and minorities represented at the highest levels of each organization? How can these statistics be improved upon?