Definition

Diversity leadership commitment can be defined as demonstrated evidence and actions taken by leaders to support, challenge, and champion the diversity process within their organization. It reflects the degree to which the organization's leaders utilize behaviors that set the diversity vision, direction, and policy into actual practice. It also reflects the individual level and degrees of accountability leaders have in forging an implementation strategy, and it analyzes the level of specific behavior they exhibit as a model diversity champion.

From an organizational change point of view, diversity leadership commitment is the behavior that helps establish a direction or goal for change (a vision), provides a sense of urgency and importance for the vision, facilitates the motivation of others, and cultivates necessary conditions for achievement of the vision. Diversity leadership commitment is critical to the diversity change process. It cannot be delegated or given just tacit consideration. It is clear that the CEO of the organization and heads of the main operating units have primary responsibility for breakthrough progress on diversity. If they do not hold themselves accountable for the leadership requirements to execute diversity initiatives, the change effort is doomed to failure. Diversity officers and their staffs have a crucial role to play as facilitators of the diversity change process. Leaders alone cannot be held responsible for making it happen. As a unifying force, diversity leadership commitment throughout the organization serves as a key linchpin for success that is combined with the efforts of others to sustain forward...