Read Part One here

Recruitment & Retention

Recruitment and retention are fundamental diversity issues. If a company fosters a supportive, diverse work environment, it will inevitably attract top talent.

Diversity programs have helped TI keep its employees from leaving the company. 'From a numerical standpoint, we have been lucky not to have a retention problem,' said Terry Howard, director of diversity initiatives at the Dallas-based Texas Instruments (TI). 'There is an open, inclusive environment that we work hard to foster.'

That hard work pays off, according to Gregg Ward, co-founder of Orlando-Ward and Associates, a San Diego-based diversity trainer. 'If the environment that seemed so welcoming to an employee collapses, their comfort and security will collapse, too,' he said.

In small, new Silicon Valley firms, diversity tends to be among the first cuts during tough times, but companies such as TI and Hewlett Packard have weathered the financial storm relatively well – well enough to continue budgeting for diversity initiatives.

In fact, the number of employee networks grew at TI during the past few years. Their diversity program, which began in 1989 with a women's initiative, now boasts a multitude of employee groups, including one for Hispanics, Muslims, African Americans and Indians.

The Indian Employee Initiative, one of the company's largest groups, aims to promote career advancement through mentoring, networking, communication and counseling. 

The organization also focuses on increasing cultural awareness. The group puts together regular internal seminars to educate employees, Howard said.

Members also give back to their community. When a recent typhoon ravished India, the Indian Employee Initiative collected more than $70,000, said Kim Quirk, a TI spokesperson.

Going Global

'Global diversity is here to stay,' Ward said. 'Our world is shrinking ever so quickly. The more we welcome everyone, the better off we are.'

Howard agrees. 'Getting the best and keeping the best talent is the goal. If it means drawing people from across the world, we'll do that,' he said. 'We're operating in a global economy right now.'

Some of Silicon Valley's biggest names are jam packed with Asians working on H1-B visas. Congress' passage of the American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act, which increased the number of HB-1 visas to nearly 200,000 brings up unavoidable diversity issues.

'In any economic downturn the last hired are usually first to go. I'd be surprised to find an organization that didn't operate like that,' Ward said. 'Historically, your immigrants, your foreign nationals who have been brought in are going to be the very first people to be cut. That is, unfortunately, a reality folks in the [Asian] community are facing.'

But global diversity also represents a chance for American companies to tap into international revenue streams.

HP has shown a commitment to global diversity, especially in India, where once CEO Carly Fiorina spoke at the Confederation of India Industry Conference in New Delhi.

During her lengthy speech, which focused on how HP could help equip the country to become an economic and technological superpower, Fiorina talked about the company's World e-Inclusion plan, a program targeting the world's underserved populations.

'We have always believed that we can both do well economically and do good socially at the same time - in other words, inventing for the common good,' Fiorina said. 'We consider World e-Inclusion to be a long-term strategic investment in advancing HP's global competitiveness. Yes, it's about doing well, but it's also about doing good.'