This diversity represents a huge repository of market knowledge and innovation potential but one which remains, in the Australian context, dramatically underutilised in leadership roles. Managing differences could well be the single defining feature of 21st century workplaces and workforces. Funded by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Dr Valerie Britton Wilson and I began looking at how to identify the capabilities and strategies of leaders managing diverse workforces across diverse markets. The ethnic camouflage practised by many leaders meant we had difficulty finding people for our research. We had to go outside the traditional networks to identify a sampling pool.
Migrants are well-represented and more visible in small business and entrepreneurial areas.
Any discussion of race and culture in Australian business should also include a perspective from indigenous leaders. Identifying corporate leaders of Aboriginal background was, again, a difficult task. There are many prominent Aboriginal Australians but they are not visible as corporate leaders. The conclusion to draw from these sampling experiences is not that people of non-Anglo backgrounds cannot lead but that their leadership potential is not being recognised by large sections of Australian business. We interviewed 30 Australian CEOs, MDs and GMs identified as being thoughtful and experienced in managing diversity.