Workforce Development Kelly L. Glass, Consultant

Human Capital as a Competitive Advantage: Tapping into the Talents of a
Diverse Workforce

Four generations work side by side in the workplace of today. Minorities constitute the majority in Hawaii, New Mexico, California, and Texas1 and in six of the eight largest U.S. metropolitan areas2. Sixty one percent of women over age 16 are part of the workforce, and most often in fields that have been traditionally male-dominated.3 

The public sector, in partnership with the private sector, is in a position to affect policy decisions that acknowledge and manage the obstacles to functional workplace diversity and are beginning to build a culture that recognizes diversity as an opportunity rather than a point of compliance.  This will enable local economies, companies, and organizations to reap the benefits that can be gained by tapping into the talent of people from multiple and diverse backgrounds.

As the composition of today’s workforce changes, companies are looking to their peers both inside and outside their industries to develop solutions collectively and test new ideas.  These partnerships drive government policy and make the regions in which they are successful more competitive in the global market by finding creative solutions to overcome workforce shortages, turnover, and conflicts.4 

Being able to attract and retain the best and most talented workers enables companies, industries, and governments to better serve their constituents.  Organizations, industries, and governments that do this successfully will gain a competitive advantage in today’s diverse and changing world.5  This competitive advantage was recognized by John Pepper, CEO of Proctor & Gamble, “Our
success as a global company is a direct result of our diverse and talented workforce.  Our ability to develop new customer insights and ideas and to execute in a superior way across the world is the best possible testimony to the power of diversity any organization could ever have.” 6

Pepper views Proctor & Gamble’s diverse human capital as an opportunity, a great resource to utilize, rather than an obstacle to overcome.  In today’s competitive market, companies that build human capital policy around this paradigm will be better positioned to compete globally and regions that recognize this changing trend will be better equipped to supply talent that will excel in such an environment.

If you would like more information on how to develop creative solutions to human capital challenges please contact our consultant specializing in workforce development initiatives, Kelly L. Glass.  Kelly can be reached at 412.722.1111 or via email at kglass@hillgroupinc.com.

1Roberts, S. (2007 May).  New Demographic Racial Gap Emerges.  New York Times: New York, NY.  Retrieved on May 17, 2007 from: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/17/us/17census.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

2Chubb Insurance (2007).  Business Case for Diversity.  Retrieved April 25, 2007 from: http://www.chubb.com/diversity/chubb4450.html

3Strober, M. (2003 Nov).  Women in the Workplace – the Unfinished Revolution.  USA Today.  Retrieved on April 25, 2007 from: http://findarticles.com

4U.S. Department of Commerce and Vice President Al Gore’s National Partnership for Reinventing Government Benchmarking Study (ND).  Best Practices in Achieving Workforce Diversity.  Washington, D.C.

5Ibid.

6Ibid.

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