Building capacity: Navigating organizational opportunities as if they were a subway system

8th Annual NW Diversity Learning Series (2006)

Session Five: September 28, 2006:
Asking for and giving directions: Using coaching, mentoring and ownership as a strategy to guide you toward opportunities and growth.

Kay Iwata's Power Competencies

POWER Competencies

Diversity Competent Managers are:

Proactive Advocates of Diversity

• Champion behaviors, practices, and strategies that leverage the competitive advantage of diversity
• True believers in the value of diversity both from an intrinsic and business perspective
• Viewed as "Champions of Diversity."

Optimum People Developers

• Encourage, motivate and empower a broad spectrum of individuals
• Recognize and leverage the unique skill sets and talents
• Active listeners
• Keen relationship builders
• Match talent to task

Willing Innovators

• Intellectual and emotional curiosity resulting in openness to new and different people and ideas
• Willingness to take calculated risks
• Listen to and include a wide variety of perspectives
• Encourage new ways of doing things

Exemplary Values-Based Decision-Makers

• Guided by their integrity and courage
• Consistently do the right thing
• Known for their honesty and have high credibility
• Hold firm to their principles
• Do what they say

Results through People Achievers

• Focus on "getting things done"
• Set clear expectations
• Provide relevant, consistent feedback
• Hold themselves as well as others accountable
• Provide sincere recognition for a job well done

The five POWER Competencies were developed as a result of a two-phased research project. In the first phase, members of corporate diversity councils and diversity-savvy employees were asked to define the criteria that would describe diversity-competence. As categories emerged from the employees, key themes were consolidated into the five POWER Competencies.

In the second phase of the research, employees identified 135 managers and leaders who they believed demonstrated diversity-competent managers. The 135 managers were all interviewed to gain a greater understanding of their approach to managing and leading the diversity of their workforces. Of the 135 managers, 71 percent had 11 or more years of managerial experience; 63 percent were men while 37 percent were women. White men were well represented making up 39 percent of the managers; men of color comprised 24 percent of the total. Thirty percent of the managers were white women, while only 7 percent were women of color. The managers represented middle management, executive management, and team leaders or supervisors, respectively in that order.

Source: The POWER of Diversity: Five Essential Competencies for Leading a Diverse Workforce by Kay Iwata. Petaluma, CA: Global Insights Publishing, 2004

Kay Iwata, founder and CEO of K. Iwata Associates, Inc., (KIA) is a nationally recognized diversity consultant with more than twenty years of experience in management development and training, marketing, finance and education. Her firm is located in Union City, California. Email: kay@kiwata.com

The 2006 NW Diversity Learning Series (now in its 9th year) focused on the theme, Building Capacity: Navigating organizational opportunities as if they were a subway system.

Using the metaphor of a subway system, each of the six-bi-monthly morning seminars explored some of the ways that access to organizational opportunities and career development are hidden and therefore more difficult for women and people of color, as well as people who speak English as a second language, to utilize. The purpose of this Series was for everyone to become more aware of organizational culture and how it impacts building people's capacity, and for everyone, managers and employees, to become better at navigating these cultural obstacles along career paths.

For more information about the NW Diversity Learning Series, please visit the Series section of our website.

2006 Series Sponsors:

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