Preparation for the year 2000: One corporation's attempt to address the issues of gender and race

This article investigates a Fortune 500 company attempting to diversify its managerial ranks, focusing on women and blacks,¹ in response to demographic changes and predictions. Utilizing focus group and individual interviews as well as corporate documents, this research examines the communication strategies and tactics used in the diversification process, describes organizational members’ responses, and suggests some relationships between organizational culture change and leadership. A comprehensive corporate communication program combined with systematic training in related communication skills is suggested to reinforce corporate goals. The potential impact of societal values on corporate culture change is identified.

Key terms:

• Organizational communication
• gender and race
• workplace diversity
• organizational culture change