From Affirmative Action to Affirming Diversity
Affirmative action, as it is known, involves specifically designed defense measures set to protect some groups of people. However, Thomas (1990) presents ideas that tend to challenge the original ideas behind affirmative action. Affirmative action is an old idea. In the latter part of the 20th century, it sprung up intending to protect the vulnerable in the population. Today, males are no longer dominant in most parts of the corporate world as it was back then. While there were many prejudices behind gender and race imbalances, the boundaries and historically conceived injustices are fast fading. Thus, according to Thomas (1990), affirmative action is fast losing track and purpose.
Affirmative action is purposeful. Thomas (1990) explains that it can create a balance in workplaces and other essential corporate areas. Without these measures being implemented, the minorities – including women – may suffer much, stagnate, plateau, and even quit in other cases. Such quitting happens when they realize they cannot climb up the corporate ladder and make progress. This often will lead to a cycle of embarrassment.
Companies, too, according to Thomas (1990), have suffered this cycle of despair. In this case, the problem is that the traditional American system of assimilating differences and making them disappear faster is no longer a valid happening. Therefore, companies must attract skills while the people that are to be attracted by businesses are never melted down. Thus, the companies must work on managing a diversity that has not been assimilated by the people. Getting the same profits from these businesses, hence, gets harder. Therefore, companies’ vital move is to develop systems that do not favor affirmative action aloe but focus on a multicultural mode. Thus, the evolution must be from affirmative action to affirming diversity.
References
Thomas, R. (1990). From Affirmative Action to Affirming Diversity.