My personal definition of diversity is the unification of people from different cultures, ethnicities, religions, or any other distinctive backgrounds or criteria that results in cooperation and mutual benefit for all members of such a group. In my opinion, such a description should be utilized over the others because it promotes the highest level of inclusivity and acceptance and supports a large number of people by focusing on their goals and values.
The three elements that can be used to assess a company’s or a group’s aims and practices in terms of diversity are collective goals, the range of inclusivity, and mutual benefit. First, an organization should develop joint plans that promote the efforts of every member and allow them to contribute to the final result. Second, companies should aspire to accept people from any social or cultural background. Third, collective processes should benefit all members of a group or organization.
One of the companies that advertise its dedication to diversity is the Coca-Cola Company. According to the official website, one of the organization’s missions is “creating a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion” (The Coca-Cola Company, n.d.). To achieve that, the company attempts to maintain an administration with people from various ethnicities and races to represent the market (The Coca-Cola Company, n.d.). Additionally, it plans to allocate 50% of senior leadership roles to women by 2030 (The Coca-Cola Company, n.d.). The company attempts to demonstrate its commitment to diversity by advertising its multi-cultural leadership and ambitious plans.
According to my criteria for diversity, Coca-Cola manages to maintain inclusion to some extent by accepting people from different ethnicities and races. However, the company does not seem to meet other criteria because it does not focus on creating collective goals and providing additional benefits to its members. Additionally, Coca-Cola attempts to maintain a contrastive and diverse senior leadership team. However, the company’s current administration represents only a small portion of people from minority groups, while most of its diversity projects aim for the future.
The company’s inability to meet the criteria of diversity and inclusivity may diminish its trustworthiness and credibility because many clients from various minority groups rely on its support and adherence to the advertised standards. Furthermore, the inability to create a diverse environment and leadership damages the company’s reputation and leads to less incentive to purchase its products and decreased trust in the quality of its services.
Reference
The Coca-Cola Company (n.d.). Diversity, equity and inclusion.