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Sodexho’s Champions of Diversity Program

1st Place
WHILE MANY FIRMS HAVE EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION PROGRAMS IN PLACE, Sodexho’s Champions of
Diversity Program is the gold standard against which all others are judged. At Sodexho, leveraging
diversity and inclusion is an ongoing process where employees work together to improve the quality
of the services offered to clients. In many cases, the result might be a quality-enhancing or cost-
saving solution.
Under the guidance of the company’s chief diversity officer and with strong support from the exec-
utive team, Sodexho’s employees have created a large menu of programs and best practices designed to
meet the needs of its employees and its customers. Individuals or teams may be recognized for a wide
variety of actions that support the creation of a diverse and inclusive culture.
Nominations are made online and need be submitted only once. They are considered active for
four consecutive quarters. Nominees are interviewed by the market senior director of diversity with
input from diversity council members.
Staff members and clients join the celebration at which the winner receives an award certificate
from Global Diversity Officer Rohini Anand and a commendation letter. They also enjoy a team-
building event at their unit and are recognized in company media.
What makes this program so strong is the ease with which it is executed. The award process is
rigorous and thorough, yet exceptionally streamlined. Sodexho’s busy managers can submit nominations
for deserving employees at all levels. The program epitomizes the way even the largest of organizations
can gain momentum at the grassroots level.

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Progression and
Retention of Women in
Royal Dutch Shell
2nd Place

THE ATTRACTION, RETENTION AND

PROGRESSION OF WOMEN is one of
several areas being targeted by Shell to
improve the representation and inclusiveness of specific under-
represented groups. With more diversity, including better gen-
der balance, at all levels of the organization, Shell believes it will
be able to attract the best talent, be more responsive to cus-
tomers, reduce turnover, and be more productive and creative.
Shell has seen steady progress toward the goal of achieving at
least 20% women in senior leadership, but more slowly than
originally anticipated. At the end of 2004, women’s representa-
tion at senior levels was 9.6 percent. Given a desire to acceler-
ate progress, during 2005 a study was initiated by the
Netherlands Women’s Network to identify barriers and enablers
for women’s retention and career progression. Similar studies
had been conducted in other parts of Shell and externally, but
this was the first such study supported by senior leadership
across multiple businesses and countries.
Based on the barriers identified, recommendations were
developed to accelerate recruitment of women and filling the
talent pipeline through:
• Increasing the visibility of existing female role models
• Improving the effectiveness of partnerships between men and
women through better understanding of different leadership
styles and work/career patterns
• Enabling women and men to use a variety of flexible work
options to support family/personal needs
• Monitoring potential pay equity issues
• Enabling the formation of women’s networks throughout
the world.
In all, the CEO and Executive Committee endorsed 21 rec-
ommendations, with initial implementation in 2006.
Accountabilities have been established and quarterly monitor-
ing of progress takes place through a coordinated effort within
Shell’s Global D&I Network, with overview by the HR
Executive Committee.
Implementation is proceeding well and year-end 2006 rep-
resentation has improved. As reported in Shell’s Annual Report,
the proportion of women in senior leadership positions has
increased to 11.6 percent. In terms of the talent pipeline, female
representation among all managerial positions worldwide has
increased to 16.2 percent, and in supervisory/professional posi-
tions has increased to 23.2 percent.
Kudos to Royal Dutch Shell for tackling the progression of
women issue head on and for producing such positive results in
a short period of time. Company executives and women in
business must be gratified by the effort, commitment and
results produced by this global company.
InterContinental Hotels Group’s
Disability Mentoring Day
3rd Place
IN OCTOBER 2006, IHG’S (INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS
GROUP) AMERICAS REGION COMMEMORATED DISABILITY
MONTH, with the start of a new program called Mentoring
Students with Disabilities Day. IHG hosted 25 Atlanta-area
high school students with various disabilities for a day at four of
its hotels.
The program was designed to provide students an up-close
look at the different careers and opportunities available to them
in the hospitality industry when they are ready to enter the
workforce.
Many of the students’ only knowledge of hotels and the
hospitality industry was from staying a night or two in a hotel.
However, the mentoring day changed all of that. Each student
had their own mentor who provided them with a behind-the-
scenes look at hotel operations. The students shadowed mentors
from various departments, including guest relations, concierge
services, human resources and restaurant management.
Having received positive feedback in its first year from the
students, teachers and parents, the company plans to expand the
program to include more people with disabilities.
We applaud InterContinental Hotel Group’s sensitivity to
students and workers with special needs. Too often neglected by
society, disabled persons bring a wealth of talent and experience
to the workplace that few others can understand. Reaching out
to these students, and encouraging them to pursue business
careers, is the kind of corporate gesture of which everyone can
be proud.

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KPMG’s Future Diversity Leaders
Program
4th Place
KPMG LLP CONTINUES ITS COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY AND
EXPANDING the opportunities available to minority students
with the launch of the Future Diversity Leaders Program
(FDL).
Following in the tradition of KPMG’s successful Ph.D.
Project—created more than a decade ago to increase the num-
ber of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native
Americans on business school faculties—and expanding on the
firm’s Fast Forward National Leadership program, FDL is
designed to support high-performing college freshman who
demonstrate a commitment to diversity and may be interested
in pursuing a career at KPMG.
Fifty students will be selected each year to participate in a
three-year program that includes an annual leadership confer-
ence, internship opportunities for as many as three years, and
scholarships totaling as much as $6,000.
This year, the inaugural FDL event begins with a three-day
conference in Hollywood, Calif., that will focus on preparing
participants with the skills and perspectives they’ll need to
become business leaders. After the conference, each student will
receive a $1,000 scholarship and be provided with the opportu-
nity to interview for a summer 2008 internship. This first
internship will give participating students a head start by pro-
viding them with rotational opportunities through a job shad-
ow program, as well as a mentoring relationship with a KPMG
professional.
In addition, the students will be mentored by one of several
Future Diversity Leaders’ faculty advisors who have been selected
to serve based on their involvement with and commitment to
diversity in higher education. These professors also are charged
with identifying and nominating students for the program; stu-
dents must have a cumulative 3.5 or higher grade point average
and be interested in pursuing a career in business to be consid-
ered for entry to the program.
More than 30 universities will be represented and partici-
pating in the Future Diversity Leaders program in 2007, and
KPMG’s goal is to have more than 150 students in the program
at different levels by 2009.
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Lockheed Martin’s Diversity
Maturity Model
5th Place
LOCKHEED MARTIN’S DIVERSITY MISSION IS TO CREATE A ‘ONE
COMPANY, ONE TEAM’ ALL-INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT where
diversity contributes to the Lockheed Martin vision; this goal is
being accomplished through the Diversity Maturity Model™.
Lockheed Martin is facing a shift in demographics resulting
from vast numbers of the workforce approaching retirement. In
order to create the change needed to make D&I a competitive
advantage, the corporation developed the Diversity Maturity
Model™ (DMM).
The DMM measures and tracks four characteristics
(Leadership Commitment, Organizational Climate and
Culture, Workforce Strategy and Development and Customer
Experience Management), with five levels of maturity for each
characteristic.
All levels have behavioral descriptions explaining what
conditions will exist in an organization to achieve certain levels.
The corporation is evaluated on a yearly basis to determine
DMM levels, with a portion of executive incentive pay tied to a
specific goal.
DMM levels have been assessed for 2005 and 2006 and
have shown improvement. In 2006, the overall corporate matu-
rity assessment indicated Lockheed Martin “embraces” diversi-
ty. This achievement indicates strong support from our
Chairman, President and CEO Bob Stevens and the entire
Lockheed Martin Community.
The most significant indicator of success is derived from
the surveys that show continued improvement and benefit
from Lockheed Martin’s diversity and inclusion activities—
spanning from recruitment and new hire orientation to engag-
ing long-term employees. More information can be found at
www.lockheedmartin.com.
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Kaiser Permanente’s Diversity, Data
& Demo-graphics Program (DDDP)
6th Place
THIS INNOVATION CAUGHT OUR ATTENTION, BECAUSE IT SEEKS
TO IMPROVE BOTH THE PATIENTS’ AND THE DOCTORS’ EXPERI-
ENCES with Kaiser Permanente. This focus on outcomes, not
just numbers, is refreshing.
The nation’s largest nonprofit health maintenance organ-
ization serves nearly 9 million members in nine states and the
District of Columbia. How does such a large organization
wrestle with the need to assess and improve patient and physician
satisfaction?
The DDDP is an innovative, replicable, and culturally sen-
sitive patient and physician satisfaction evaluation method that
was introduced in 2005. It provides physicians with culturally
specific survey data in order to improve the care experience and
quality of outcomes of Kaiser Permanente’s memberships.
“This program was borne out of ‘seeking to improve one’s
own performance’, which produced significant results,” reports
Calvin B. Wheeler, M.D., Kaiser Permanente’s physician-in-
chief and CEO. “These early results have led to a gift that just
keeps on giving. The enlightenment that comes to the providers
who have participated in this program has been career-changing
and, at times, life changing. This program has become the
prompt for much innovative thinking and analysis in the arenas
of patient-member satisfaction, physician-practice satisfaction
and practice sustainability.”
The DDDP originated from an OB/GYN physician whose
data showed increased patient satisfaction with older female
patients than with younger women, ages 18-35. Women in this
age group often don’t want to see a male physician, leading to
physician bias. After identifying the bias, he adjusted his behav-
ior and increased his knowledge and care skills of this group and
in one quarter increased his subset service score. His personal
experience was the genesis for this innovation.
Departmental Chiefs now have tools to effectively coach
and provide feedback to their physicians on the various aspects
of diversity: gender, ethnicity, age and levels of familiarity. The
educational program is seen as an innovative practice to be used
throughout Kaiser Permanente.
Best Buy’s Memphis Cultural
Immersion
7th Place
THE CULTURAL IMMERSION 90-DAY LEADERSHIP DEVELOP-
IS A
MENT PROGRAM THAT BEGINS IN MEMPHIS, TENN. The program
meets the needs of different learners by providing a variety of
experiences: video, small and large group discussion, self-reflec-
tion, self-guided learning, team collaboration and problem solv-
ing.
Particularly interesting to us is the way this program’s effects
cascade throughout the organization. The program exemplifies
a method of driving change all through the company.
Unlike other programs that select only top performers, Best
Buy’s program takes only intact teams. Together, they coach
each other and influence lasting cultural change.
Participants spend three days in Memphis, and then execute
their 90-day action plans. After the 90 days, the Diversity and
Strengths Team visits stores over the next six months to assess how
well the change has become a natural part of business rhythms.
Particularly appealing is the program’s cost effectiveness.
The average cost per participant is just over $900, including
travel, lodging, catering, printing and expenses.
The transformational stories provided by participants and
their direct reports, customers and families have helped change
the way diversity is discussed at Best Buy.
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Dell’s Online Library
For African-American
Political History
8th Place
In September 2006, Dell launched the first virtual and most
comprehensive library on the political history and legislative
legacy of African Americans in shaping the nation’s democracy.
What a great idea! It was unveiled during the Annual Legislative
Conference of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
(CBCF).
Called Avoice, or African American Voices in Congress,
www.avoiceonline.org, the library is the product of a collabora-
tive partnership among CBCF, The University of Texas at
Austin, Howard University and Dell. The online educational
portal provides a central source of information about historical
and contemporary African American policy issues important to
many Americans, and of particular interest to researchers, edu-
cators and students.
“Avoice represents the official history of the Congressional
Black Caucus and much more,” said U.S. Rep. Kendrick B.
Meek, D-Fla., chair of the CBCF. “We believe that Avoice will
promote civic engagement among youth through its rich
content and interactive learning tools. In doing so, the Avoice
site will benefit all Americans.”
“Dell’s sponsorship of this milestone project reflects our com-
mitment to diversity and is a unique opportunity to help
educate the public about the contributions of African
Americans to our nation’s history,” said Dell CEO Kevin
Rollins, who introduced the new site during the event. “We are
privileged to be a part of Avoice and will continue to support it
with technology that can enrich the site content.”
Today, African Americans represent 13.4 percent of the U.S.
population; 60 percent of black citizens age 18 and older voted
in the 2004 presidential election, up 3 percent from the previ-
ous election. African Americans had the highest turnout rate of
any minority group in 2004.
MGM MIRAGE’s Aligning
Diversity to Drive
Performance
9th Place
The purpose of this initiative is to maximize strategic partner-
ships with diverse groups and organizations to drive business to
MGM MIRAGE properties. In an effort to align diversity to
drive business performance, MGM MIRAGE created a dedicat-
ed sales position to develop relationships with meeting and con-
vention planners for multicultural and emerging markets. In
2006, Dzidra Junior was appointed national diversity sales man-
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ager. Additionally, marketing and advertising programs specifi-
cally targeting diverse consumers were created and the company
increased participation in relevant multicultural trade shows.
In 2006, the corporate diversity department developed a
pilot program for the National Urban League Conference.
MGM MIRAGE sponsored the Women of Power Luncheon at
the organization’s national conference. A marketing incentive
was created offering a special rate during a two-night stay at one
of the company’s properties. The production cost for the collat-
eral material was approximately $2,000. A tracking code was
associated with the incentive to track the redemption of the
incentive, and after the three-month pilot period, the estimated
revenue for the property was $45,740. The program was clearly
a success and totally consistent with the company’s business
objectives.
The program was so successful, MGM MIRAGE
Corporate Diversity plans to expand the pilot program and
work with all its properties to support their business objectives.
Members of the corporate diversity department are already
meeting with property diversity councils to discuss how this can
be implemented.
Credit Suisse’s Keys to
Leadership—Unlocking
Potential Program
10th Place
The Keys to Leadership program was initiated to attract, retain
and develop a more diverse pipeline of future leaders at Credit
Suisse. The bank is active in over 50 countries and employs
about 42,000 people from over 100 nationalities.
In its first year, the program specifically targeted mid-level
females and minority managers. One innovative aspect of the
program is that participants conduct an executive interview
with a senior manager in order to study leadership perspectives
and discover shared values within the organization. One key
result is that the program has created a strong network and sup-
port group for the participants that has lasted well beyond the
duration of the formal program.
To date, 107 people have successfully completed the pro-
gram, and the results appear to be quite impressive. In 2005, 20
percent of the female participants were promoted. The follow-
ing year that number increased to 35 percent.
The program has also improved retention. Over the two-
year period the program has been in existence, 94 percent of
participants are still with the bank, compared to 86 percent of
the comparative population. What’s more, there has been a
marked improvement in the performance of the participants,
new relationships have been forged and networks formed which
continue to enhance teamwork.
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Aw a r d o f E x c e l l e n c e
Profiles in Diversity Journal is proud to honor the following
companies with our Award of Excellence for their innovations
in diversity. They are presented here in alphabetical order.
Identifying
Performance Variation
and Addressing
it Through
Collaboration
Blue Cross
of California
BLUE CROSS OF CALIFORNIA IS A SUBSIDIARY OF WELLPOINT,
INC. (NYSE:WLP) that provides health care services to 7.5
million members and employs 7,000 associates. A review of its
California Quality Scorecard and supplemental analyses showed
that the Inland Empire lagged behind other California regions
in most clinical quality and patient satisfaction measures. The
reasons for this performance gap were not clear, but Blue Cross
senior leadership charged the Quality Improvement
Department with looking for ways to improve performance in
the area.
Blue Cross held a two-day meeting with the Inland
Empire’s medical leadership and, with the help of a consultant,
facilitated discussions on barrier analysis and solutions develop-
ment. Representatives from provider organizations, employer
groups, local medical societies, government agencies, and mul-
tiple Blue Cross departments also attended.
Since then, a multi-stakeholder Inland Quality
Collaborative was launched to provide monthly training, share
best practices, and check in on quality improvement. The com-
pany also initiated a five month course that introduced provider
group leadership teams to the key changes necessary to improve
clinical performance and patient satisfaction, and manage IT
implementation across practice sites. Lastly, Blue Cross visited
individual provider groups to provide mentoring as needed and
will begin to share group specific healthcare disparity data. Over
85 percent of Inland Empire groups were engaged in at least one
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of these initiatives and gave positive feedback such as “Thank
you, Blue Cross!”
Based on the success realized to date, Blue Cross is working
with other health plans in regions with relatively low perform-
ance on quality indicators and expect the next roll out in third
quarter 2007.
Cardinal Health’s Best
Practices Webinar
Series
THIS INNOVATIVE WEBINAR SERIES was
introduced in January 2006 as a forum
for Cardinal Health’s diversity councils.
The Webinars allow council members
from all over the country to share
and leverage best practices in diversity and inclusion, enterprise-
wide.
Not long after the company encouraged employees to par-
ticipate in diversity councils, Director of Diversity Jeanetta
Darno recognized that diversity councils were gaining momen-
tum throughout the organization. However, because Cardinal
Health is a global healthcare company with 40,000 employees
at dozens of locations throughout the United States and abroad,
the diversity councils faced a challenge when it came to sharing
those successes and best practices with each other.
That was the genesis of Cardinal Health’s launching the
Diversity and Inclusion Best Practices Webinar Series.
Corporate leaders and employees from across the country par-
ticipate in monthly Webinars from the comfort of their own
offices, and the team invites external speakers to attend virtually,
as well.
“Our Webinars provide a regularly-scheduled, replicable
forum for our diversity councils to share the exciting progress
they’re making,” said Darno. “They also fuel excitement and
continued momentum for diversity efforts across the organiza-
tion, because employees and corporate leaders really enjoy and
become motivated by learning about progress and best practices
from other areas of the company.”
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Dow Chemical
Company’s Diversity
& Inclusion Forums
“LEADERS CAN MAKE OR BREAK A COM-
PANY, and therefore it’s in everyone’s
best interest that we appropriately
develop this group.” –Andrew Liveris,
president, CEO and chairman.
Dow’s Diversity and Inclusion Team developed Diversity &
Inclusion Forums to align and engage all leaders with the D&I
strategy as a first, major step toward cultural change.
The D&I Forum is a two-hour interactive communications
workshop for all of Dow’s people leaders. These face-to-face ses-
sions are held in major locations around the world. Groups are
limited to 30 leaders to create an intimate learning environment
and foster discussion and debate. To leverage the power of leaders
teaching leaders as a mechanism of culture change, and under-
score D&I as integral to the company’s business strategy, every
session is hosted by a senior leader.
Dow’s Office of the Chief Executive (OCE) established a
set of breakthrough D&I goals in early 2006, grounded in accel-
erating the implementation of the company’s global growth
strategy. The results from the D&I forums are impressive:
• 98 percent of participants understand why Diversity &
Inclusion is a key element of Dow’s ability to implement its
strategy.
• 90 percent have a better understanding of what it means to be
an inclusive leader.
• 99 percent understand accountability as a leader for creating
a diverse and inclusive culture at Dow.
• 98 percent plan to take action to create a more diverse &
inclusive culture.
Freescale
Semiconductor’s
Europe, Middle East,
Africa (EMEA)
Leadership Summit
IN AN EFFORT TO INCREASE THE NUMBER
OF WOMEN IN MANAGEMENT POSITIONS,
Freescale Semiconductor’s EMEA leadership team sponsored a
regional conference to bring awareness to the need, and to provide
opportunities for networking and personal development among
the participants.
The 3-day conference had a mixed gender audience of about
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50 individuals representing 12 countries, all business groups
and multiple levels of the firm’s hierarchy. Key speakers covered
topics as varied as the dimensions of diversity, gender stereotyp-
ing and executive-level communication skills. Executive panel
debates and animated breakout sessions tackled the key business
issues potentially contributing to the under-representation of
women in management.
Since the summit, work has been done to create an inte-
grated action plan for the region, with full engagement from
country directors and regional business leaders. Country specific
plans are now in place, and other work underway includes the
creation of an inclusion-focused development curriculum,
targeted project initiatives and an internal and external focus to
attract, retain, and progress key talent. In addition, the event is
now seen as a model of success for similar events globally.
Where previously there was purely a recognition of the need
for inclusive practices, the Inclusive Leadership event has pro-
vided the launch pad for a comprehensive, pragmatic plan that is
sure to drive the success of Freescale, now and in the future.
Kelly Services’ Supplier
Diversity Summits
KELLY SERVICES, A LEADING HUMAN
RESOURCE SOLUTIONS PROVIDER, SUP-
PORTS ITS COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY
THROUGH THE SUPPLIER DIVERSITY
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. This initia-
tive operates with an annual goal of five
percent and is supported by a team of diversity professionals, led
by Vice President of Supplier Diversity Nicole Lewis.
As part of its continuous improvement efforts, Kelly conducts
supplier surveys to see if the program is meeting expectations.
Based on supplier feedback, Kelly launched the Supplier
Diversity Summit series in June 2005.
The Supplier Diversity Summits are specifically designed to
strengthen diverse suppliers so they can more effectively compete in
a global marketplace, whether they do business with Kelly or not.
These regional, quarterly Summits provide a networking
forum for staffing companies to share best practices within the
supply chain. The forums are designed to inform, engage and
generate business opportunities among Minority, Women and
Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises (MWDBE).
The Supplier Diversity Summit program has given participat-
ing suppliers the opportunity to develop strategic relationships
and showcase their unique services and products. Supplier feed-
back consistently ranks the Summits at an average of 4.75 out
of 5, both in the value and quality of the information received.
Most importantly, these Summits have increased MWDBE
opportunities in the higher margin professional and technical
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staffing space. About one-quarter of Kelly’s diverse supplier
spend falls into its commercial division, which typically has
thinner margins; while three-quarters falls into our professional
and technical division, with higher margins.
Kelly plans to update the Summit curriculum to stay current
with changing market demands. The company has launched a
quarterly newsletter for its supplier community and will contin-
ue to identify new markets in which to host future Summits and
gain access to new suppliers.
New Jersey
Department of
Environmental
Protection Diversity
Action Plan (DAP)
ON AMERICA’S FIRST OFFICIAL “EARTH
DAY”—APRIL 22, 1970—THE NEW
JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRON-
MENTAL PROTECTION (NJDEP) WAS BORN. Since that day,
NJDEP has managed natural resources and solved pollution
problems. NJDEP has a staff of approximately 3,500 and is a
leader in the country for its pollution prevention efforts and
innovative environmental management strategies.
The DAP was formally introduced in the spring of 2006. It
evolved out of concerns form minority employees about fairness
in the workplace on issues related to promotional opportunities
and other human resource concerns. The DAP is a compilation
all of the issues, concerns and recommendations from employees
who provided comments. All employees were provided oppor-
tunity to make comments to the plan.
The DAP has the support of the entire management chain
right up to the Governor of New Jersey, who has been a key
advocate for a diverse workforce. In fact, the New Jersey
Department of Personnel (NJDOP) is looking to the
Department of Environmental Protection as a model for state
government on this issue.
The DAP has resulted in changes in the hiring process. The
organization aggressively sought out minority applicants for
new openings. As a result, it produced a 10 percent increase in
minority employees. The success rivaled that of New Jersey’s
major corporations with advanced diversity programs.
The DAP also establishes a performance measurement and
accountability process, which provides a system for measuring
and monitoring the department’s progress related to the DAP.
The plan also establishes a system to integrate diversity
performance standards for supervisors and managers through-
out the Department.
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New York Life’s
Networking for
Innovation Employee
Network Groups
THROUGH THE FORMATION OF FOUR
NEW EMPLOYEE NETWORKING
GROUPS (ENGS), New York Life is
taking further steps to foster employ-
ee diversity to best develop its next generation of leaders. The
ENGs are: the African American Employee Network Group;
Hispanic Employee Network Group; Asian Employee Network
Group; and Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Employee
Network Group (GLBT).
The ENGs are an important part of the overall mission of
the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer, which is to guide the
continued progress of the company in the areas of recruitment;
training of a diverse workforce; development and promotion of
minority and women employees; and the maintenance of an
environment of inclusion.
Each of the four ENGs has a sponsor from the Executive
Diversity Council (EDC). The EDC is made up of executive
management members and the chief diversity officer. The com-
pany gives each group financial resources to sponsor events.
The ultimate goal of the Diversity Office is to continue to
foster a “level playing field” based on merit regardless of race,
gender, age, sexual orientation, or any other protected status. By
fostering this type of environment, New York Life achieves pos-
itive results, both within and beyond the confines of diversity.
The ENGs are a positive forum for career development,
recruitment, information sharing, education and the exchange
of ideas. This year, each ENG has already held a networking
event and has planned future events.
“We will continue to attract and retain the best and bright-
est employees as long as we have an inclusive culture, one that
celebrates diversity,” says Chief Diversity Officer Katherine
O’Brien, who oversees the program. Developing and promoting
minorities and women is good for business and recruiting, she
adds. “It sends a message that New York Life is inclusive and
understands that the world in which we operate is made up of a
wide variety of people.”
P R O F I L E S I N D I V E R S I T Y J O U R N A L 2 0 0 7 I N T E R N AT I O N A L I N N O VAT I O N I N D I V E R S I T Y AWA R D S

Wal-Mart’s Career
Preference System
Wal-Mart has developed a Career
Preference Program where associates
can learn detailed information about
different positions within the company,
including career paths and compensa-
tion details. Career Preference allows
Wal-Mart’s current associates to develop a strategic career path
and move forward with those career opportunities and on-
the-job experiences.
The program is offered in not only in the retail facilities,
but in the distribution sector and in the Corporate Home
Office. As the career opportunities continue to grow, the
systems and processes that facilitate these openings are expected
to grow to meet the demand.
Career Preference empowers Wal-Mart associates to plan and
take ownership over their career, with functionality that includes
being able to research positions, indicate positions of interest, and
indicate the desire for career guidance and planning.
The program is innovative because of the sheer scale and scope
of operations at this retail giant. During 2006, more than
770,000 positions were filled with either internal or external
applicants for the position. To focus on one position, more
than 140,000 cashiers were selected into the position via
Career Preference.
The program offers tangible proof that at Wal-Mart, associates
are not numbers, but individuals with career goals and
aspirations the company wants to meet.

PDJ

Leading, Changing, Transforming

SHRM Workplace Diversity Conference & Exposition

Learn how to leverage workplace diversity in your organization October 18–20, 2007
and network with colleagues who share your interest in diversity Philadelphia, PA
management. Keynote speakers will motivate and inspire you,
and educational sessions will discuss current issues,
best practices and contemporary research.

For full program details and to register visit

www.shrm.org/conferences/diversity
07-0485

www.shrm.org/conferences/diversity