Thomas Green
General Counsel
For Dell Inc., the goal of its diversity initiatives is to achieve an environment of respect and inclusion. Diversity, the company believes, is simply the right thing to do to enhance and promote competition, innovation, creativity, and in turn, the bottom line. To that end, Dell actively seeks, partners with, and supports community programs and educational institutions from which it can recruit, train, and sustain its diverse workforce.
Dell's legal department, which had been led by General Counsel Thomas Green prior to his retirement and, as of October 1, has been led by newly appointed general counsel Larry Tu, is 50 percent women attorneys and 19 percent lawyers of color. Over the last three years, more than one-third of the total employees hired in the legal department were people of color, and more than half were women.
The company also extends its diversity reach through civic involvement, sponsoring professional conferences, career fairs, and community events that encourage interest in Dell.
It has contributed to the Tennessee Area Urban League's workforce development projects, Bethlehem Centers of Nashville's family and community programs, and the minority business development interests of the Greater Nashville Black Chamber of Commerce. And by contributing more than $200,000 to support the Austin Area Urban League's Center for Education and Career Technology, Dell helped 1,900 area residents receive computer and job readiness training. As a result, Dell was able to employ more than 500 people from the Urban League programs.
(L to R): Linda Willett, Bristol Myers-Squibb; Trisa Thompson, Dell Inc.; and Veta Richardson, MCCA
As part of a team approach to managing diversity, Dell utilizes cross-functional teams, which promote business unit and corporate accountability for managing both workforce and marketplace diversity. The company also has a global diversity council, a team of executives who provide direction, vision, mission, and corporate goals for Dell employee diversity action councils and business unit steering committees. The company's barrier-free workplace allows individuals the freedom to address personal and organizational biases that might otherwise obstruct teamwork and the achievement of business goals.
Dell sponsors and contributes to scholarship programs. It also contributes to the Texas A&M Foundation Excellence Awards for economically disadvantaged freshmen who have outstanding academic records.
Dell Inc. believes that diversity is one of the reasons that it is the world's leading direct computer systems company. It vows that diversity will continue to be key to its growth.
From the November/December 2004 issue of Diversity & The Bar®