In a recent RetailWire poll, 61 percent agreed with the statement: "retailing is still largely a man's world." Thirty-five percent of those responding disagreed with the statement as did a number of commentators on the discussion. The reason for the rehash here is new research from Greatheart Leader Labs which found a disconnect between employees of different gender and skin color regarding their perceptions of the success of diversity initiatives.
According to the findings, 45 percent of white male managers gave a positive rating for diversity effectiveness among other white males within their organizations while only 21 percent of women and individuals of color agreed with that evaluation of white male managers.
White male managers were found wanting when it came to coaching and improving the performance of those not like themselves. They also fell short on promoting based on merit and other diversity criteria.
The chief complaint when it came to white male managers, however, was a failure to say what they really thought. The belief is that many were not being forthright over fears that something they said could be used against them.
"You don't provide the feedback you would give to the people who look like you," Chuck Shelton, the managing director at Greatheart, told Today. "Ultimately you're discriminating because you're not allowing that person to improve and get ahead."
Greatheart's survey included 700 managers working at Alcoa, Bank of America, Intel, Exelon, Marsh & McLennan, PepsiCo, Walmart and PWC. About 58 percent of the survey's respondents were white males.