Improving Diversity in the Leadership Research Paper

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As the company's Web site points out, "We recognize our continued success depends on our ability to attract, develop and retain a highly competent workforce and on the creative, effective and productive use of human resources. Therefore, Continental is committed to a work environment that provides equal employment opportunity" (Diversity and inclusion, 2010, para. 30). The company's stated diversity policy is as follows:

1. Continental affords equal opportunity for employment to all qualified individuals, regardless of age, citizenship, color, disability, gender, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or veteran status.

2. Continental makes all personnel decisions, such as compensation, benefits, transfers, layoffs, returns from layoff, opportunities for company-sponsored training, education, and other programs without regard to age, citizenship, color, disability, gender, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or veteran status.

3. As part of its continued commitment to equal employment opportunity, Continental has affirmative action programs for women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and eligible veterans. These plans put into practice our policy of hiring and promoting individuals based on ability and without regard to characteristics that have no bearing on the execution of job responsibilities (Diversity and inclusion, 2010, para. 3).

In addition, Continental sponsors the following diversity promotion and employee training programs:

1. Continental Airlines Diversity Council

2. Supplier Diversity Program

3. Diversity Training

4. Diversity Awareness Events

5. Diversity & Inclusion Training: "Creating a Winning Environment"

6. Anti-Harassment Training: "Doing Your Part" (Diversity fact sheet, 2010).

The company's about-face concerning diversity since 2002 has included sponsoring various so-called "diversity awareness events," and the Continental Management Association (CMA), a volunteer-based group of Continental managers, has sponsored annual diversity awareness events for of its employees each month including the following:

1. February: Black History Month

2. March: Women's Leadership / Women Heritage Month

3. May: Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

4. June: Gay and Lesbian Pride Month

5. September: Hispanic Heritage Month

6. October: Diversity Awareness Month

7. November: Native American Heritage Month

8. The CMA also provides conversational foreign language classes for Continental employees (Diversity fact sheet, 2010).

Current Status of Minority Employment at Continental Airlines

Today, about 19,000 employees at Continental are minorities, with females accounting for 46% of the workforce in the United States (Diversity fact sheet, 2010). As of July 2008, Continental's active minority workforce in the United States consisted of the percentages shown in Table 1 and illustrated in Figure 1 below.

Table 1

Continental Airline Domestic Active Minority Workforce (as of July 2008)

Group

Percentage of Workforce

Hispanics

18%

African-Americans

18%

Asian-Americans

7%

Source: Based on data in Diversity fact sheet, 2010

Figure 1. Continental Airline Domestic Active Minority Workforce (as of July 2008)

Source: Based on data in Diversity fact sheet, 2010

Without providing any specific statistics in support of its claims, Continental states that, "Minorities and women occupy numerous management positions at Continental" (Diversity fact sheet, 2010, para. 4).

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Despite these foregoing initiatives and the shift in corporate culture since 2002, though, Continental's top leadership team remains highly male-dominated, with just six of the 33 members (or 18%) of the senior management being women (based on the published names of its top leadership team) (CO facts, 2010) and just one (or .3%) being Hispanic (based on a report in the company's diversity fact sheet. The company appears to be serious about changing these miserable statistics, though, and states that it actively seeks out potential minority candidates for leadership positions through its sponsorship of the Black MBAs and the National Society of Hispanic MBAs; in addition, the company points out that it collaborates with the Organization of Black Airline Pilots and Women in Aviation as part of its ongoing recruitment process for minorities (Diversity fact sheet, 2010).

The company is also affiliated with a number of diversity-related organizations including being the official airline for: (a) the United Black Fund, (b) the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, (c) the Asia Society of Texas, (d) the National Association of Hispanic Publications and (e) the March of Dimes National Ambassador, among others (Diversity fact sheet, 2010). Finally, the company's diversity program even extends to the clients it serves by offering all of its online and onboard services in ways that take into account their language and cultural preferences (Diversity fact sheet, 2010).

Conclusion

The research showed that at Continental Airlines, diversity is the name of the game whether the Old Guard likes it or not. In contrast to Continental's more limited offerings during the closing decades of the 20th century, the company currently competes in 150 different countries and has 45,000 employees with almost half of these being women and an increasing percentage being minorities, particularly Hispanics and African-Americans. The research also showed that Continental has launched a number of initiatives in recent years to promote diversity within its ranks, with many of these being high-profile and expensive enterprises. While the company continues to earn award after award for its progressive employment practices, the paucity of minority and female members on the company's top leadership team suggests that further scrutiny of the effectiveness of these practices is warranted, and opportunities for improving minority representation in top management should be identified and pursued.

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