Has De$-$Emphasizing Diversity Become a New Trend Among U$.$S$.$ Leaders?

A funny thing happened on the way to the C$-$suite. Well, maybe not as funny as it is baffling. A recent study conducted by consulting firm, AchieveGlobal, sought to determine leaders$$ key focus areas $($zones$)$ for achieving leadership success in the twenty$-$first century. The study found that more than half of U$.$S$.$ leaders ranked Diversity as the least important of the study$$s six identified leadership zones. $($Business was ranked the highest zone, followed by Society, People, Ingenuity, and Reflection.$)$

Adding to the bewilderment, leaders in other parts of the world ranked $$diversity$$ higher than U$.$S$.$ leaders. Craig Perrin, the director of AchieveGlobal$$s solution development group, called the finding particularly disturbing given $$the way the world is going and how integrated the global economy is$.$ By all reports, the U$.$S$.$ culture is becoming increasingly more diverse, so what could possibly explain the leaders$$ survey responses? Perrin offers several plausible explanations, from diversity being viewed by some leaders as $$the nice thing to do$$ and not critical to business success to a general belief that treating everyone the same and ignoring individual differences is the best way to achieve equality and mutual respect. Perrin offers one more possible reason for the leaders$$ response on the survey$$ethnocentrism$.$ The classic leader, the middle$-$aged white male, sees the world in terms of his own values and belief system. It is up to everyone else to figure out how he thinks and learn how to contribute accordingly.

Not all leaders seem to be de$-$emphasizing diversity, however. A bright spot worth noting is California law firms. While there$$s still work to be done, the study indicated that these firms had outperformed their national counterparts by hiring and retaining women, gays and lesbians, and other minorities.