ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on a case study to summarize the efforts of several organizations to diversify their organizations, leadership teams or programs. Moreover, the end goal is to identify themes that resulted in both successes and failures on the diversity journey. When considering organizations, leadership teams and programs, diversity can be applied to race or culture. Experience is a diversity factor. In healthcare, for example, a diverse skill set comprises operational experience, clinical experience and performance improvement experience with significant outcomes is greatly prized and the new leadership paradigm. A compliment to diversity is inclusion. The common themes from the case studies are as follows. One, all organizations perceived a problem existed. Two, the leaders invested time, money and other resources in action planning to address the perceived problems. Three, all organizations implemented plans that had long-lasting effects on great pools of humanity. Four, each plan produced consequences whether desired or not.
